| Andrei Kuryanov | Omskie Yastreby | MHL | L | LW | 5’9″ | 153 | Orekhovo-Zuyevo, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: 16 year old Kuryanov is not a player we usually pay much attention to but he impressed with his game tonight. He was confident with the puck and was able to remain calm under pressure, completing tight turns and hard stops to escape incoming forecheckers. His passing game was his most impressive trait on display today. He made very quick decisions and was able to complete a number of one touch passes right on the tape of his teammates. He displayed good vision and a functional mental mapping process that allowed him to pick out his next pass before the puck fully reached his stick. He is going to need to develop this skill a bit more over the next few seasons though. There were a number of times where he tried to pull off quick tap passes to teammates and missed his target, passed into completely covered lanes, or had no target at all. The instinct to move the puck quickly is there but he needs to become a bit more considerate with his passes and be able to stop himself from slapping the puck as fast as he can if there is no available option. His best pass of the night came in the third period when he rushed the puck into the OZ with confidence, changed the angle of his stick, and took advantage of a tiny passing lane to hit his teammate in stride. Kuryanov scored the first goal of tonight’s game on an early powerplay. He cut into the slot and called for a pass. The puck missed him but he was able to stick out his skate, catch it, and in one motion kick it to his stick and fire a one touch shot 5-hole to open the scoring. Andrei had a solid night and we will add him to Neutral Zone’s list of players to focus on for next season. If Kuryanov can improve his decision making ability and make himself a better target by slipping into soft areas on the ice, we think he has the potential to become one of the next high end players to come out of Omsk Academy.
| Yegor Privalov | Omskie Yastreby | MHL | R | LW | 5’11” | 174 | Ryazan, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: We were not as impressed with Privalov’s game tonight as we have been with him in the past. He was able to execute a couple of perfectly placed passes, directly onto the tape of teammates. He also showed that he can spot and utilize lanes that most would not attempt to use. He lacked effort tonight, losing a couple of races he could have easily won with a bit more determination. He got a couple of shots off toward the goal and was able to possess the puck at times but really did not contribute much to tonight’s game. He is still very young, has a good base established, and enough time to build on it. We would like to see some more effort out of Privalov in his next game.
Player Evaluations: Henry Lawrence