StevenToddIves
Registered User
RD Artyom Barabosha, Krasnaya Moskva MHL (STI Ranking: #39, McKenzie: Not Ranked)
Though I try to keep my prospect evaluations impartial and neutral, simply focusing on the individual abilities and potential of the prospect, with Artyom Barabosha it's going to be impossible to do this without plugging him as a perfect guy for the Devils in the late rounds of the 2022 draft.
Barabosha is a 6'2-190 punishing physical defender who also features good mobility, strong top speeds and extremely competent capability with the puck. His physicality is the first feature you notice -- he's always playing the body in tight, utilizing smart shoulder-checks and high-end strength to separate the opposition from the puck and win one-on-one battles along the boards and in the crease. He also loves the open-ice hit, and he's a guy opposing forwards cannot have their head down around whenever Barabosha is on the ice.
Positionally and in his gaps, I'd say Barabosha is good -- showing nice defensive awareness -- but can still use work if he will fulfill his utmost potential as a mid-pairing, shut down defender at the NHL level. Where Barabosha really goes from "impressive defender" to "intriguing upside" is when you watch him with the puck.
Unlike most defense-first defenders, Barabosha is actually pretty aggressive, both in transition and in the offensive zone. He's a deceptively good puck-carrier with a good number of dekes and moves to avoid opponents in the neutral zone. In the O-zone, Barabosha is not afraid to jump in assertively to join the play. If he sees an opportunity, he'll skate in deeper from the point, looking for a one-timer. Individually, I'd say Barabosha's offensive arsenal is good-but-not-great -- he can shoot and pass effectively, but neither are high-end abilities.
I'd say Barabosha's ultimate ceiling is a mid-pair, physical shut-down guy who can maybe hit the 30-point plateau. This is an extremely valuable commodity at the NHL level. I'd also say his defensive acumen and physicality, combined with his skating also give him quite a reasonable floor. So, when I say Artyom Barabosha is a huge steal for the 2022 draft, it's because he's not ranked by anyone. When we also factor in the New Russian Factor and the chances that all Russian prospects slip in the oncoming draft, we're talking about a kid who could be available in the 5th thru 7th rounds. This would be a huge value, as I would consider Barabosha a very good pick as early as the 3rd round.
Though I try to keep my prospect evaluations impartial and neutral, simply focusing on the individual abilities and potential of the prospect, with Artyom Barabosha it's going to be impossible to do this without plugging him as a perfect guy for the Devils in the late rounds of the 2022 draft.
Barabosha is a 6'2-190 punishing physical defender who also features good mobility, strong top speeds and extremely competent capability with the puck. His physicality is the first feature you notice -- he's always playing the body in tight, utilizing smart shoulder-checks and high-end strength to separate the opposition from the puck and win one-on-one battles along the boards and in the crease. He also loves the open-ice hit, and he's a guy opposing forwards cannot have their head down around whenever Barabosha is on the ice.
Positionally and in his gaps, I'd say Barabosha is good -- showing nice defensive awareness -- but can still use work if he will fulfill his utmost potential as a mid-pairing, shut down defender at the NHL level. Where Barabosha really goes from "impressive defender" to "intriguing upside" is when you watch him with the puck.
Unlike most defense-first defenders, Barabosha is actually pretty aggressive, both in transition and in the offensive zone. He's a deceptively good puck-carrier with a good number of dekes and moves to avoid opponents in the neutral zone. In the O-zone, Barabosha is not afraid to jump in assertively to join the play. If he sees an opportunity, he'll skate in deeper from the point, looking for a one-timer. Individually, I'd say Barabosha's offensive arsenal is good-but-not-great -- he can shoot and pass effectively, but neither are high-end abilities.
I'd say Barabosha's ultimate ceiling is a mid-pair, physical shut-down guy who can maybe hit the 30-point plateau. This is an extremely valuable commodity at the NHL level. I'd also say his defensive acumen and physicality, combined with his skating also give him quite a reasonable floor. So, when I say Artyom Barabosha is a huge steal for the 2022 draft, it's because he's not ranked by anyone. When we also factor in the New Russian Factor and the chances that all Russian prospects slip in the oncoming draft, we're talking about a kid who could be available in the 5th thru 7th rounds. This would be a huge value, as I would consider Barabosha a very good pick as early as the 3rd round.
