| Nikita Surayev | SKA-Yunior Krasnogorsk | MHL | L | RW | 5’10” | 150 | Karaganda, KAZ | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: A
Comments: Surayev was flying tonight and hard to take your eyes off of. He finished with 2G 1A and was very active in creating chances in the offensive zone. His first goal came on the powerplay where he walked into the slot and ripped a bullet of a wrist shot, low past the goalie. His second was a beautiful breakaway goal in the final minute of the match. He stole a puck at the blue line and rushed in on the goalie who had been attempting to get off for an extra attacker. He backed the goalie down with speed and made a slick drag move to the backhand and finished over the sprawling tender. He was flying in transition and made quick pass decisions to create movement up ice. One play we liked in particular was in the third when he entered the zone, cut towards the middle, drawing two defenders to him then dropped the puck into space for a teammate to walk into. He was the best player tonight and has the potential to become a skilled offensive impact player in professional hockey.
| Artyom Vilchinsky | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | L | D | 6’6″ | 230 | Vladivostok, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: C+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Vilchinsky looked great in tonight’s game and showed out on defense making reads and plays that we hadn’t seen him attempt previously. He jumped deep into the OZ on his first shift and made an effort to become a target close to the net. He used his agile edgework and mobility to quickly jump back to the blue line in time to cover Yuniors rush attempt back down ice. On the offensive side of the puck, he made quick, crisp passes to teammates and worked the puck around well from the point on the power play. He looked good on the breakout, keeping his head up and patiently choosing a good option a majority of the time. There were a couple of moments where his patience caused a forechecker to take away all of his time and was forced into a bad choice. He needs to work on making quicker decisions to pass or dump the puck but consistently chose good options otherwise. He was great on defense tonight. He read the rush and timed his close off attempts well. He angled opponents into the boards and finished them off with a hard crunch into the glass. His agility was very notable on defense tonight. He timed crossovers and changes of angle very well with opponents’ cuts and didn’t give them much room to get around him. Vilchinsky’s stick was very active and he used it well to close off pass lanes, deflect passes and shots, and make well timed pokes during step ups to fully seal off his man’s progress. One of my favorite moments of his game was on a breakout attempt. He had a forechecker coming hard towards him so Artyom opened his hips and turned his back towards the opponent, he faked as if he was going to cut left, then made an incredibly agile tight turn to the right and left his man in the dust before hitting a teammate with a crisp breakout pass. Every time we watch Vilchinsky, our opinion of him rises. He looks great and the fact that he just turned 17 and won’t be drafted until 2025 makes Neutral Zone think he will be pro ready on draft day and potentially a very high draft pick.
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