Thursday night MHL game with the home team, Omsk Yastreby, winning 5-2. Neutral Zone focused on 2024 NHL draft first year draft eligible players who made the largest impact on the outcome.
| Timur Kol | Omskie Yastreby | MHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 198 | Moskva, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Kol is a long left shot defender who looks like he’s going to be stiff and possibly a bit awkward but he shows surprising quickness, agility and mobility. An example of his skating ability occurred early in his second shift of the game when it looked as if he was going to be trapped below his goal line on a puck retrieval. Instead he hesitated at the strong side post and used his left inside edge to drive himself out of trouble for a clean zone exit. Offensively he consistently worked to be a passing outlet for his teammates and he made the simple hockey play and is passes were on time and on target. He led Omsk’s defensemen in total ice time (17:22 TOI) as well as power play ice time (5:53 PP TOI) where he ran the power play from the top of the umbrella. While on the power play he made passes that were easy to handle so his teammates could quickly make the next play. Defensively Kol maintained net side body positioning throughout contact and used a deceptively long poke check to play a stick on puck when making body contact. In the 5-2 win he finished the game -1 on a play where he had solid corner coverage but an unpredictable bounce resulted in a Michigan. He finished the night -1 with 0 points, 1 shots, 0 hits, received 1 hard hit, 2 giveaways and 4 takeaways. Of note, earlier in the season we talked about him having 4 shots blocked and in this one he had another one blocked that came after activating to create an outnumbered line rush. After catching the pass from his left in the high slot Kol attempted a curl and drag snapshot where he could have just as easily stepped into a one-timer. Again just something to keep track of. He currently has a ‘C+’ Neutral Zone 2024 NHL draft grade
| Andrei Korzin | Omskie Yastreby | MHL | R | C | 6’4″ | 207 | St. Petersburg, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Korzin is a 6’4′, 200lbs right shot defender who showed a shoulder width skating base and a 3/4 length stride. He showed good straight line speed, agility and used his reach to use a nice front fake deke and then wide dribble to protect the puck. Overall as a puck carrier he led the team with 5 giveaways and it looks like once he makes a decision he is going with it no matter how the circumstances have changed around him. In the defensive zone Korzin used his skating ability to maintain net side positioning and although we do not view him as a punishing hitter he did earn a penalty for boarding simply because he outmuscled his opponent as he tried to wheel around the net. On the night he earned 13:03 of total ice time including 1:34 on the second power play unit and 2:29 while shorthanded. He finished even with 0 points, 2 shots, 2 PIMs, 0 hits, received 3 hard hits, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways and 3 takeaways. At this point in the season Korzin has a ‘C+’ 2024 NHL draft grade from Neutral Zone.
| Danila Sysoyev | Omskie Yastreby | MHL | R | LW | 5’10” | 179 | Achinsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Standing at 5’10’ but weighing 180lbs Sysoyev is an undersized left shot forward with a strong powerful deep kneed skating base. His stride looked a bit choppy and inside edge dominant but he showed an easy glide and used his inside edges to change angles quickly. That combination allowed him to change directions in an instant and then bounce out of his stops or power turns. Offensively he constantly scanned the ice so he was prepared to make the next play and once the puck was on his stick he showed unpredictability and elusiveness, because of this he liked 1 on 1 situations. In the offensive zone he found the quiet areas and he played the confidence of a goal scorer. He scored Omsk’s fifth goal of the game on a power play after he recognized the penalty killers were too hyper focused on the puck and he jumped to the back door for a cross body quick stick one-timer up under the cross bar. For the game he finished third in total ice time among forwards (18:47 TOI), first in PP ice time (7:08 PP TOI) and fifth in shorthanded ice time (1:46 PK TOI). Overall he finished -2 and in all honesty there was not much compete or effort on the defensive side of the puck. HIs stick was parallel to the ice far too often while he was sniffing offensive opportunities. On the night he finished -2 with 1 goal, 3 shots, 2 grade ‘A’ opportunities, 1/2 on face-offs, 2 giveaways and 2 takeaways. At this point he has a ‘B’ 2024 draft grade from Neutral Zone.
Logo Courtesy of Omskie Yastreby