| Ivan Demidov | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | L | C | 5’11” | 181 | Sergiyev Posad, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: No points for Demidov tonight. He battled hard along the wall and forced multiple turnovers. He made sure to get into every battle and dug pucks out with an active stick and physical style of play. He pushed hard and won races to loose pucks and showed a high compete level tonight. After pulling pucks off the wall, he quickly picked his head up and found teammates in the slot with a quick pass. Demidov protects the puck well with opponents on his hip. He keeps his feet moving and holds the puck far away from pressure. He can accelerate to high speeds with a couple of quick crossovers and if given space, he can drive the puck the full length of the ice. He attempts to execute highlight reel dekes whenever the puck is on his stick which can sometimes get him in trouble. He has a tendency to over handle the puck, but he has the skill to pull off elite dangles and does so often. He had a couple of skilled toe drags past defenders and when he kept his feet moving, he was able to cut into space after his deke and was able to get multiple shots on goal. He loves the drag through his legs move on the rush and was able to use it to make hard cuts to the crease. Demidov’s passing was a bit off tonight and he rushed many of his possessions. Not the best offensive game tonight but his compete level and effort shown in battles on both ends of the ice were very impressive. He needs to slow his game down a bit when the puck is on his stick. He was given time on the first powerplay unit and projects as a top 6 forward with power play time on the half wall in the NHL.
| Yegor Graf | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | LW | 5’10” | 174 | Barnaul, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Another very confident game from Graf. With the puck on his stick, he has become much more patient and holds onto possession for longer than he did earlier this year. He uses quick changes of edge to slip around the offensive zone. His speed with the puck on his stick is impressive and he can transport the puck up with confidence. He has trouble beating opponents 1v1 but uses quick passes to allow his team to enter the offensive zone. He has skilled hands which he is able to use to beat opponents but does not seem to have a real plan when possessing the puck in the offensive zone. He often skates himself into corners with no escape plan and winds up turning it over. He uses his playmaking ability well to keep play moving but I’d like to see him take more risks to generate offense through his passing. Graf got time on both the powerplay, and penalty kill tonight. Early in the game he was all over the place when playing the kill and chased the puck around his own zone. He corrected this as the night went on but needs to be a bit more disciplined in his own end. Graf projects as a mid-round pick but will require a lot of work on the mental side of his game to make it to the NHL. He is a talented forward but needs to learn to see the ice better and generate his own offense rather than relying on others to create for him.
| Matvei Korotky | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | C | 5’11” | 170 | Krasnoyarsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Matvei is a very speedy forward with a ton of talent, but his offensive contributions have begun to slow down recently. When given space, he is very hard to keep up with. He accelerates to top speed in three quick strides and times his dekes well to cut into space on the rush. He has a tendency to over-handle the puck and needs to learn to pass early rather than skate himself into spots where he is easily shut down by the opposition. He tends to hog the puck a bit and usually ends up turning over the puck after passing up multiple open teammates in an attempt to drive it himself. He joins battles on both ends occasionally but needs to keep his feet moving rather than reach at opponents. Korotky has the talent and speed to be a high-end player but will likely fall due to his lack of hockey sense/IQ. He has dropped down my list recently and I feel he will likely be a 4th or 5th round pick this year.
| Artyom Vilchinsky | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | L | D | 6’6″ | 227 | Vladivostok, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: 2025 eligible Vilchinsky has made major improvements to his game over the course of this year. He is much more confident with the puck on his stick and his skating form has allowed him to become much more mobile. He handled the puck with confidence and chose to rush the puck up ice on the breakout. He used his feet to escape pressure and kept his head up to find options up ice. His skating form is still a bit clunky but has improved a lot since the beginning of the year, allowing him to keep up with the pace of play. He beat opponents in races to the puck and was able to stay in front of them in defensive transition. The next step in Vilchinsky’s development will have to be improvements in his passing game. He does not seem to pass with intention and a majority of the time that the puck leaves his stick, it misses targets and ends up as a turnover. He needs to learn to be more patient when choosing passes and aim to hit his teammates in stride. Artyom is a big, strong, two-way defenseman that should develop into a great player over the course of the next year. He has a lot to work on but will likely become one of the best defenders in next year’s Russian class.
Scout: Henry Lawrence