| Vladislav Pletnyov | MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg | International | R | D | 6’3″ | 209 | Veliky Novgorod, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: C+ |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Pletnyov is only 16 years old and not eligible for the draft until 2025. His a 6’3′ lanky defenseman with smooth skating ability and a ton of confidence for his age. He needs to grow into his body more and was a bit awkward at times but you can tell there is a ton of potential in his game. He showed off a ton of confidence on a rush attempt in the third period where he went nearly the full length of the ice and produced a ton of offensive zone time for his team through a clean and controlled zone entry. He was patient with the puck and waited until he found the best option on break out attempts to move the puck up ice with a well placed pass. Valdi showed off some potential agility improvements as well as he pulled off a shifty stop and quick change of direction on the blue line in the third period. He fumbled the puck but the initial move with his feet froze his opponent and opened up a ton of space. Pletnyov has a ton of work to do to reach his full potential and a lot of that starts with filling out his frame with muscle and improving his skating ability to build the base of his game. Those improvements along with some more practice handling the puck will allow him to grow into a top pairing defenseman in the MHL with upside to become a top pick in 2025.
| Oleg Trofimchuk | MHK Spartak Moskva | MHL | L | RW | 6’1″ | 165 | Buguruslan, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Trofimchuk had a very productive game tonight securing two points on the first two Spartak goals of the game. He helped open scoring with a great primary assist. He walked along the wall behind the cage with his head up and used his feet to escape from the defender on his hip, he spotted a teammate cutting into the slot and made a perfectly placed pass onto his tape for an easy finish in front. Good vision and quick execution on a developing play. He scored minutes later on a powerplay. Oleg set up in front of the cage and redirected a shot pass from the point straight past the sliding goaltender. Oleg keeps his feet moving without the puck and attempts to support play. He needs to pick his moments a bit better as he seems to cut into spots that are filled by other players and does not make himself the best possible target. He forechecks and backchecks reasonably well. His motor could be improved but he gets involved consistently. He made some nice plays to help move the puck up ice on breakouts. He always has his head up and hits teammates in stride with crisp passes. One problem with his playmaking is that he rushes nearly all of his pass attempts. The puck comes off his stick seconds after he receives it. He needs to become more patient if there is not a play to make right away. He often just threw the puck into an area with no target or misread his teammates’ cuts due to his urge to get rid of the puck as quickly as possible. Lots to work on but Trofimchuk made an impact on the game tonight.
Scout: Henry Lawrence