| Mikhail Fyodorov | Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk | MHL | L | RW | 5’11” | 152 | Magnitogorsk, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: C
Comments: 16-year-old Fyodorov is eligible for the 2025 draft and already looks to be one of Magnitogorsk’s best players. His passing ability was on full display tonight as he was able to execute a number of tricky passes in many different situations throughout the game. He pulled off short passes to cutting teammates on the rush, hit long distance breakout passes to teammates in the NZ, and made some creative plays off of the boards to take advantage of lanes when under pressure. His skating is going to need some improvements over the next season as he skates with a wide stance which hinders his ability to generate much power from his stride. He is responsible with the puck and skilled enough to protect it from attacking pressure with smooth cuts and quick stick handles into space. He attempted to rush the puck up ice wide but was shut down when he made his cut to the middle lane. Mikhail needs to refine a lot of his soft skills to improve his ability to generate opportunities in the OZ, but he has put up good numbers in his draft-1 and appears to be on the right track to be selected in 2025.
| Matvei Onishchenko | Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk | MHL | L | LW | 5’11” | 154 | Chelyabinsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Draft eligible Onishenko is a highly skilled player that is able to pull off complex moves in tight situations. He has quick hands and uses them well to protect the puck from opponents and slip into space. He is very confident with the puck and transitions up ice with speed. During one of his rush attempts he executed a skilled directional fake where he got an opponent to bite towards the middle lane then quickly cut back to wall and charged up ice for a successful controlled zone entry. He controls the puck well under pressure and cuts into space to take advantage of passing lanes which he fires crisp passes through onto the tape of open teammates. He changes his angle with the puck on his stick to open up new lanes and makes well timed passes that consistently hit their target in stride. What Matvei lacked in this game was the ability to generate chances from his cuts to space or passes. He mainly stuck to the outside of the zone and did not attempt to set up teammates around the cage. Most of his passes were safe options and he did not take many risks to get the puck towards the net. Matvei’s skating is going to need some work as well. He has a quick, choppy, and short stride which he is able to generate some speed with but lacks power and is very inefficient. Onishenko is listed at 5’11 160 lbs but looks much smaller than that when you see him on the ice. Matvei has all of the skill and creativity to be a top MHL player but does not have the IQ or playmaking ability to generate chances from his talent. He has not been able to generate many points this year and will continue at this slow pace until his decision making ability is developed.
| Andrei Krutov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | RW | 5’10” | 174 | Togliatti. RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Krutov is a very confident player with the puck on his stick. He has skilled hands which were shown off multiple times in tonight’s game when he was able to escape from very tight spots and explode into space. He does have a bad habit of overhandling the puck and forcing himself into really tough positions, going 1v2 or 1v3 which led to a ton of turnovers in this game. He often chooses a more complex move than the situation requires and allows himself to be shut down quite easily in transition. His passing in transition is impressive as he is able to find open teammates ahead of him and hit them with crisp passes on the tape to keep play moving. He uses saucer passes as well to avoid defensive sticks and take advantage of lanes that most are not able to use at this level. His playmaking in the OZ needs work. He often looks off teammates to take poor shots from distance or misses intended targets. Andrei showed off some creativity with the way he received passes. In one specific instance, he was completely smothered by an opponent as the puck came towards him. He reached his stick and poked the puck past his man and quickly jumped around them to catch it on the other side. Krutov’s work on the PK was one of the best aspects of his game tonight. He covered a ton of ground and was able to apply tight pressure with an active stick and by blocking lanes with his movement. He has shown good effort on the forecheck in my past viewings, but this was not as noticeable tonight. He definitely was in the right spots and applied some pressure but did not involve himself in as many board battles as usual. This was not Krutov’s best performance compared to others that I have seen this season, but he was able to show off some of the skill and defensive pressure that have caught my eye in each of his games. Not sure he is worth a draft pick, but he is an interesting player to keep an eye on.
Scout: Henry Lawrence