| Bogdan Popovsky | Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk (MHL) | MHL | R | D | 5’10” | 165 | Zhlobin, BLR | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Popovsky is a smooth skating draft eligible defenseman with good rush ability. He has an incredibly efficient stride which allows him to cover a lot of ground quickly and keep up with play in both directions. He is not afraid to join the rush and activated deep into the zone multiple times tonight. Defensively he made a couple of weird choices. At one point he stepped up on an opponent about 3 seconds too late and finished a check while play went deep into his own zone. He also wandered a bit in the DZ. I liked his game but he has a lot of work to do to be considered an effective player.
| Yegor Graf | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | LW | 5’10” | 174 | Barnaul, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: We not sure how we feel about Graf just yet. We made an effort to watch him closely because we liked him in our last viewing but didn’t have enough notes to include him in the report. He has shown neutral zone elite edgework, high end hands, and quick straight line speed in our viewings but he can’t seem to do it consistently. The first half of this game he was nearly invisible. He didn’t have the puck on his stick very often and threw it away quickly when he did. His decision making has been very poor so far this season. He doesn’t complete a detailed enough scan and often misses open options. Instead he fires passes through extremely congested lanes or right onto an opponent’s stick. He had many turnovers tonight that could have been avoided with a little patience and vision. The best part of his game is his skating. When he has space and time to pick up speed, he is hard to stop. He uses great edgework to shimmy around the ice and slip into the offensive zone in transition. The problem is when he has tight pressure on him or doesn’t have enough runway to accelerate, he is almost useless. He can’t seem to beat opponents when they are tight to him and coughs up the puck without much of a fight nearly every time. We have seen him create some high danger chances with his passing in previous viewings but tonight he didn’t provide much of anything. He has the talent and speed to be an impact player but seems to lack confidence and true hockey sense to use his skills effectively.
| Matvei Korotky | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | C | 6’1″ | 198 | Krasnoyarsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Korotky flies up the ice and has the ability to go from standing still to full speed in a fraction of a second. He uses his speed to torch defenders on the rush and walk the puck straight to the netfront for high danger chances. Whenever he sees a loose puck, he explodes towards it, exerting maximum energy toward collecting possession for his team. He jumps on loose rebounds around the net and was able to generate tons of great scoring opportunities today. He showed off great puck control at top speed, using his stick to hold the puck away from defenders and putting a shoulder into his opponents to shield the puck on his way to the net. He battled for positioning in front of the net and was successful in earning space for redirections and screens. He was also given penalty kill time where one of his best plays of the night occurred. He stayed in front of the opponent walking the blue line and when he saw his man wind up for a slapshot, he fearlessly stepped in front of it, eating a cannon blast to the ribcage. Through the pain, he was able to spin his body around on the ground and get a stick on the loose puck, clearing it the full length of the ice and ending the powerplay opportunity for SKA. He is a speedy warrior and a draft eligible player to keep a close eye on as the season continues.
Logo Courtesy of St. Petersburg SKA-1946