| Igor Chernyshov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | R | LW | 6’2″ | 189 | Penza, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Chernyshov is one of the most talked about Russian prospects from this upcoming draft class. He flies up and down the ice, showing off a high motor and consistent play at a high pace. He actively seeks the puck and is not afraid to battle for possession. He has skilled hands but has some trouble choosing/timing his moves. He often picks a move too complex for the situation and is stopped by an easy poke. He was however, able to correct this as the game went on, taking the puck wide and walking around the defense with insane speed. He then was able to make hard cuts to the center lane, protecting the puck with his body and giving himself great scoring chances close to the cage. He shows off good vision, consistently able to pick smart pass options that set up teammates for quality chances. The problem was his completion rate. He missed his selected target many times and caused way too many turnovers to be considered an elite playmaker this game. He did have a great assist where he showed off high IQ playmaking. After entering the zone, he realized he couldn’t beat the man 1v1 so he stopped up and waited a second for his teammate behind to catch up and pass to him. He waited for the defenseman to make a play and open up a lane which he took advantage of slipping the puck to his teammate in stride, setting up an open lane for a goal. Igor has a lot of speed and great vision. He just has to work on timing and deke choice when rushing the puck. Neutral Zone projects him as a potential 2nd rd pick but he has a lot of potential to jump higher than that as the season goes on.
| Arsen Taimazov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | R | D | 6’4″ | 190 | Vladikavkaz, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Taimazov is a big, smooth skating, 6’4″, 190lbs defenseman with great puck handling abilities. He has a powerful stride and the speed/ability to rush the puck into the offensive zone. What we like about his game is that he uses passing in transition rather than try to be the hero and force controlled zone entry plays that aren’t there. He is great at quickly turning the puck up ice with a hard and accurate breakout pass in stride. He keeps his head up, scanning for options, and quickly chooses a teammate cutting up ice to send the puck to. His escape maneuvers with the puck are highly effective and illusive. Using quick agile cuts and very smooth fakes, he is able to escape pressure from multiple attackers and quickly push play toward the offensive zone. He was put on the power play as QB multiple times and was able to snap the puck around for quality chances. In the defensive zone there is nothing in particular that stands out but he plays very strong, positionally sound defense and makes well timed decisions to make a poke or step up on a puck carrier. He was also very active in jumping into board battles or races for 50/50 pucks and often came away with them using his hands and body to protect the puck and break it out. He was trusted with a lot of ice time tonight. It felt like every other line change he hopped over the boards. He plays a smart, well rounded game that any coach would love. Potential middle round steal in the NHL draft? We will definitely watch him closely as the year progresses.
Player Evaluations: Henry Lawrence