| Danila Sysoyev | Omskie Yastreby | MHL | R | LW | 5’10” | 179 | Achinsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Sysoyev had a good game tonight. He brought great energy and made a couple of quality plays to create chances in the offensive zone. He has highly skilled hands and was able to use them to weave through opponents in the offensive zone. He played with confidence tonight and drove towards the slot without fear. He was able to generate multiple shots on goal through these cuts. His effort away from the puck was good as well. He applied good pressure on the forecheck and was able to dig pucks out of scrums. He was given time on both the power play and penalty kill, contributing on both ends. Sysoyev has shown a high level of talent at times this season, but consistency has been a major problem. He can’t seem to bring the same level of energy each night and there have been many games where he looks nearly invisible. This was one of his better performances, but he will need to begin to bring the same compete level every night to improve his draft stock.
| Dmitri Zhernosenko | Avto Yekaterinburg | MHL | R | D | 5’11” | 165 | Novosibirsk, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Zhernosenko is an incredibly agile and fluid skater who uses his footwork to his advantage in all three zones. He moves around the ice with ease and is able to cut in all directions at a moment’s notice without giving up any speed. He accelerates to a high gear with a couple of strong pushes up ice. He handles the puck reasonably well and many of his best plays tonight came under pressure. One play in particular, an opponent was about to cut him off behind the net. Zhernosenko made a hard stop and in one fluid motion spun the other direction and exploded into space and built up the same amount of speed he had originally in a few quick pushes. His retrievals were just as impressive. He forms an escape plan before touching the puck and uses agile pivots to cut away from opponents. He activated into the offensive zone on occasion and did so at smart times to take advantage of open ice given up by the other team. His playmaking is going to need work. He often rushed his passes and missed his targets when attempting to move up ice. Zhenosenko is one of the best skating defensemen in this draft class but his lack of talent in other areas of his game will likely keep him from being selected. He is definitely a name to keep an eye on over the next few seasons. If he can develop his hands, playmaking, and continue to improve his defensive play, he has the potential to become a two-way threat with great offensive upside.
| German Dudorga | Avto Yekaterinburg | MHL | L | C | 5’8″ | 151 | Polevskoy, RUS | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: 16-year-old Dudorga is a 2025 eligible forward who showed some flashes of offensive potential tonight. He has a smooth stride and was able to propel himself up ice with speed in an efficient manner. He was active in the offensive zone, hunting for pucks and attempting to work them towards the net through quick passes or a confident drive. He has some handling issues and fumbles the puck often. He is still early in his junior career and will need some time to settle in, but he showed some flashes of skill at times tonight that left us feeling like he is worth putting on next year’s list of players to watch.
| Alexander Pimin | Avto Yekaterinburg | MHL | L | C | 5’8″ | 154 | Murmansk, RUS | 2007 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Pimin is a 2007 born, 2025 eligible forward who will likely make a big splash for Avto next season. He is a highly skilled forward with skilled hands and makes quick decisions with the puck to generate chances. He weaves through opponents at a high pace with a series of quick dekes and wheels around the offensive zone with confidence. He keeps his head up and makes quick, smart choices to keep the play in motion and progressively moving towards the net. He scored the 3rd Avto goal of the game tonight when he won a battle below the goal line, made a quick pass to a teammate cutting in the slot, then crashed the net and buried a loose puck. He brought good energy all night and was involved in plenty of battles along the boards. He processes the game at a high speed and was able to pull off some tricky plays while moving up ice. One in particular, he was cutting towards the offensive zone without the puck, a pass was made in his direction, but Pimin was being smothered by an opponent. Alex made a great play to reach his stick out and deflect the pass around his opponent then charge to pick it up on the other side. Pimin is a highly skilled 2007 with great playmaking potential. His 5’8 frame will not do him any favors, but he has the skill, brain, and energy to become one of the top draft eligible Russians next season. We will be looking for big things from Pimin in the future.
| Maxim Tarasov | Avto Yekaterinburg | MHL | L | C | 6’3″ | 181 | Yekaterinburg, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Tarasov is a 6’3, draft eligible center. He brought good energy tonight, joining battles and distributing pucks towards the net. He is quite slow and has trouble creating separation when the puck is on his stick, but he keeps up with play well. He makes good scans of the offensive zone and attempts to work pucks towards cutting teammates. He did a great job on the penalty kill. He brought a ton of energy and stayed active to take away as many options as he possibly could. He used his reach to break up passes and was able to come away with multiple steals throughout the course of this game. We would like to see Tarasov play with a bit more anger. He needs to use his size to his advantage and play a more physical game. To play in North America he will have to improve his footspeed and become more physical. Due to his lack of ability in either area, his current ceiling looks more like a bottom 6 KHL forward but can be raised if he continues to bring the same energy to his game and make improvements to his weaknesses.
Scout: Henry Lawrence