| Andrei Matyushin | Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk | MHL | L | C | 5’8″ | 168 | Penza, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Matyushin looked a bit clunky in tonight’s game. He rushed the puck up with confidence but had a lot of trouble maintaining control under pressure. He fumbled pucks constantly and was unable to execute most of his moves when attacking opponents with the puck. Without pressure, he showed off some skilled hands and an ability to find open teammates when circling the zone with the puck. He made attempts to set up chances in front with deliberate passes to cutting teammates and was patient when searching for the best option. Not his best performance but able to pick up an assist passing the puck towards the front of the net. He needs to relax a bit when pressure is applied rather than rush a complex move with little space.
| Stepan Gorbunov | Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk | MHL | L | C | 6’4″ | 196 | Chelyabinsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Solid performance from Gorbunov tonight picking up a goal and an assist. His pressure on the forecheck was solid tonight and was able to force a couple mistakes behind the goal line. He played at a bit slower of a pace in this one than I would have liked to see but still a solid game. His assist came in the first period on a well-played 2v1 situation. He rushed in with his teammate and changed the angle of his stick to suggest a potential shot and to draw the defender to him which opened up a lane. He quickly took advantage and slid the puck over to his teammate in stride which was easily finished 1v0 with the goalie. Stepan’s goal came later in the second period on a great passing play which set him up with a wide-open goal to deposit the puck into. I want to see the same energy that Stepan brought earlier in the season more consistently each shift but there are still some good habits in his game. Unlikely to be drafted but worth a look.
| Andrei Krutov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | RW | 5’10” | 174 | Togliatti. RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Not Krutov’s best game but he continues to impress me with his skilled playmaking ability. He moves the puck around quickly and consistently makes smart choices with his pass attempts. He is a deceptive player that is able to hide his target when making passes in all three zones. Krutov makes active scans to build a detailed map of the zone and is able to hit teammates with quick, no-look passes directly on the tape without selling his intended target. There were some attempts in this game which were a bit risky, but most were to good areas, and he showed off a great ability to identify where his cutting teammates were headed. Andrei’s best play in tonight’s game was a space pass after entering the OZ. He stopped up just inside of the blue line and fired a saucer pass in the direction of a cutting teammate. He placed the pass perfectly in his target’s skating lane and just past the defenseman in between his man and the net which allowed for his teammate to skate into the puck and earn a quality 1v0 chance with the goalie. Krutov also did a good job of staying in motion when he did not have the puck on his stick. He makes well timed cuts and slips into space to become an option for his linemates. I would like to see him put more of an effort in on the forecheck and in the defensive zone. He often just made a quick swipe with his stick in the direction of the puck carrier rather than put forth true effort to win the puck. Krutov is a skilled playmaker that had a bit of a rough game in this one.
| Roman Kuznetsov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | C | 5’10” | 154 | Zhlobin, BLR | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Draft eligible Kuznetsov is a skilled and confident forward with some good offensive upside. He executed smooth fakes at top speed and was able to effectively cut into space to set up shot choices. He has a heavy wrist shot which he unleashed often in this game after creating his own lanes. Some of his shots were from low danger areas but a majority made it on net, and he was able to work his way in close occasionally. He showed off good effort without the puck, cutting hard to the net on the rush for rebounds and entering some battles along the boards. He has smooth hands and was able to control the puck well with his head up while scanning for pass options. Roman is not a player I have paid much attention to so far this year, but I will look out for him in future viewings.
Scout: Henry Lawrence