| Timofei R Popov | Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk | MHL | L | D | 6’5″ | 181 | Novosibirsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Popov is a very large young left shot defender. He is listed at 6’5″ but we are about 85% sure that he is at least 6’8″. He has a very similar body type to Silayev in the sense that most of his height comes from the legs and he looks like a spider. For a player his size he has incredibly smooth skating ability and was able to show off solid edgework when he was given ice time. He is a project and is going to need an organization to be very patient but there is no doubt that he is a player development coaches will love to work with. Game sense wise Popov was out of position many times and wandered around in the defensive zone. He doesn’t get many minutes right now but I think he has the potential to turn into a middle pairing defender in the next few seasons who can kill penalties and potentially play a shut down roll against the other team’s top unit.
| Ilya Lyuzenkov | Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk | MHL | L | C | 6’2″ | 176 | Novosibirsk, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Lyuzenkov had an impressive outing today as he picked up two second assists early in the game. He has explosive acceleration and was able to show off his speed in transition multiple times. Although neither of his assists were really due to his passes, we were impressed with the playmaking habits that he showed off. In one particular example during the first period, he won the race to a 50/50 loose puck along the half wall with an opponent trailing close behind. He made sure to scan all of his surroundings multiple times before collecting the puck and was able to make a crisp one touch pass to an open teammate behind the net as he picked up possession. Ilya makes quick passing decisions that work out more often than not. He played solid defense as well using his skating ability along with good timing to angle off opponents and shut down plays. He had an active stick in the defensive zone and was able to pick up at least one steal. There were a lot of good aspects to his game on display. At this point Neutral zone does not think he has the offensive abilities to get drafted but he is worth another look next viewing.
| Roman Shokhrin | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | D | 6’4″ | 192 | Nizhny Novgorod, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Draft eligible Shokhrin had another very impactful showing in today’s match. His skating is very impressive and he is able to use his long, powerful stride to keep up with opponents on the defensive rush, and push play up ice during offensive transition plays. He was able to successfully walk the offensive blueline with a combination of smooth edgework and crossovers leading to multiple chances in the offensive zone. He activated deep into the offensive zone with the puck multiple times and attempted to hit teammates around the cage for scoring opportunities. He is very calm with the puck and unphased by pressure. He makes smart, agile cuts away from forechecking opponents and is able to hit teammates with crisp passes that keep play moving up ice. He uses his long reach in the defensive zone and in defensive transition to poke the puck and break up play before the opponent can get comfortable with possession. Shokhrin was able to pick up a goal late in the third that closed Sibirskie’s lead to 3-2. He fired a heavy wrister from the point that was able to slip through traffic in front and find the back of the net. Neutral Zone is a big fan of Shokhrin and think he is one of the most underappreciated and least talked about Russian prospects in this year’s class.
Logo Courtesy of Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk