An MHL contest won by the home team. Neutral Zone focused our attention on first year NHL Draft eligible players Danil Serazetdinov, Marat Kalimullin and Matvei Krivonozhkin.
| Danil Serazetdinov | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 151 | Magnitogorsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Serazetdinov is long strong left shot forward who played the game with a power forward’s mentality looking to initiate contact and then bull his way into the ice he is looking for. He showed a forward leaning skating posture with an inefficient heel kick, but his attention to detail, puck anticipation and diligence made a player who was always around the puck. Defensively he backchecked with the purpose of knocking someone on the butt and his team getting the puck back. It might not have always been pretty, but he used an strong effective stick on puck technique that led to hurried plays and turnovers. Offensively Serazetdinov lived at the top of the crease looking for rebounds and grade “A” opportunities of which he had a game high of 5 that all game on quick stick rebounds from the low slot. On the night he played a game high 23:36 among forwards including 6:08 on the power play and an additional 6:10 while shorthanded. He finished even with 5 shots, 5 grade “A” opportunities, 9/12 on face-offs and 0 hits. At this point he is a bull in a china shop who has a “B-” Neutral Zone draft grade but his physical nature an willingness to battle at the top of the crease will get him more looks as the season progresses.
| Marat Kalimullin | Ladia Togliatti (MHL) | MHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 154 | Togliatti. RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B
Comments: For an NHL defenseman Kalimullin is an average sized 6’1′ left shot defender who played primarily the right side during this viewing. He showed a smooth heel to heel pivot with an inside edge type skating base. While defending a line rush he played with a tight gap looking to stop the play in the neutral zone. If an opposing player gained the blueline and delayed by stopping hard Kalimullin slammed on the breaks and used his ‘A frame’ base to his advantage as he drove his inside edges into the ice for a quick inside edge start. We feel his inside edge base did cause him issues when he was the weakside defender in coverage as his feet would slowly widen to the point where his mobility was then limited and he could be caught flat footed. On the night he totaled fifth among Togliatt’s defenders with 13:49 in total ice time including 0:53 on the power play time late in the third period and he was forth among defenseman with 4:03 of penalty kill time. On the power play he was positioned as the right defenseman but as soon as his unit had full control Kalimullin moved to the bumper where he was a decoy who was setting picks and popping sticks. As penalty killer he recognized bobbled pucks and forced the play when appropriate without getting himself caught along the wall. There were a few times when he failed to box out on point shots but he showed the awareness to pick-up the defender’s stick rather than trying to fish for the puck. He earned 2 PIMs on holding call that to us looked pretty harmless because his other option was to run the forward from behind as he was trying to gather a wrapped breakout pass. At this point in the season his size and athleticism have earned him a ‘B’ Neutral Zone 2024 draft grade.
| Matvei Krivonozhkin | Lada Togliatti | VHL | L | D | 6’4″ | 183 | Togliatti. RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Krivonozhkin is a long left shot defender who played primarily the right side during 5 on 5 play. He showed a skating posture that kept his shoulder-knees-toes in alignment whether he was skating forwards or backwards. At this point his stride was about 3/4’s length with a bit of a heel kick but we feel that his stride will lengthen and have a more fluid ending as he physically grows into himself and gains core strength. A real positive for us is that even width all of that his skate returns and makes contact with the ice on his return leg. Offensively his passes were hard and on target. There were times when he looked at his intended passing target for too long before he passed it which is something that will have to change for success at the next level and especially in North American professional hockey. On the night he earned two assists but we would not call him an offensive defenseman. The first assist may have come on a quick up during a poor Stalnye Lisy line change, but in actuality Krivonozhkin bobbled a D to D neutral zone pass and in the NHL he would not have had the time to recover. His second assist came with twelve seconds remaining in the third period after he miss fired on a shot that went directly to his goal line option who then fired a goal line pass. On the night he totaled a team high 20:07 in ice time 2:45 on the power play and 2:30 while shorthanded. At this point he has earned a “C+” 2024 Neutral Zone NHL draft grade.
Logo Courtesy of Togliatti Ladya