Player Discussion Valeri Nichushkin

[glovesave_35]

I'd be happy with those kinds of numbers. I'm just the type of person who would rather be pleasantly surprised rather than disappointed.

 

[OttMorrow]

I can understand that.

 

[ColeJ]

i feel like a lot of people are starting to forget a bit about val, or take him for granted.

with spezz and hemmer joining the team, there's so much focus on the center depth, and the addition of a second scoring line... but no matter which line val plays with, he is going to be poised for a big year. finally rested up. defensive matchups having to split between two scoring lines (and the eakin/rous/garbs line isn't going to be a slouch either). another year of development, and learning english to better understand the coaches...

he isn't the shiny new toy any more, so i think a lot of people aren't really thinking about him... but i expect big things from him. hard to believe he's still not even 20. he gets me more excited about being a stars fan than any other player we've got in the system.

 

[BigG44]

This is good. He had many chances last year where he was able to take the puck to the net but saw his opportunity die because he was unable to elevate the puck. He's end up pushing the puck along the ice and into the goalie's pads.

I can't remember who posted the picture, but he's right ... they has what appeared to be about a 12" or 18" black rubber rectangular box stretching beyond post to post.

 

[Cin]

I think for Nuke he wasn't really elevating due to his instincts in Russia. He could get away with scoring goals down low because well, it's a lesser league.

I think he scores quite a bit more this year just by slowly adapting to what the NHL is all about. Getting the puck off of the ice.

 

[NukeJukes43]

i feel like a lot of people are starting to forget a bit about val, or take him for granted.

with spezz and hemmer joining the team, there's so much focus on the center depth, and the addition of a second scoring line... but no matter which line val plays with, he is going to be poised for a big year. finally rested up. defensive matchups having to split between two scoring lines (and the eakin/rous/garbs line isn't going to be a slouch either). another year of development, and learning english to better understand the coaches...

he isn't the shiny new toy any more, so i think a lot of people aren't really thinking about him... but i expect big things from him. hard to believe he's still not even 20. he gets me more excited about being a stars fan than any other player we've got in the system.

This. I played hockey for a very long time of my life and watched it even longer. I really haven't seen anyone quite like him. Nichushkin is one of the best puck handlers in the game and I'd be willing to bet he will be up there with Datsyuk once he gets some NHL experience under his belt. You can all it over-projection or even blatant homerism, but I watch Nichushkin a hell of a lot closer than I've watched any other player since Mike Modano.

Something I noticed early on, and a lot of NHL players have been quoted saying as well, is his ability to skate so well, with his frame looking like it's standing still. Nuke has great stickhandling skills, but it's his use of the body that makes him amazing at protecting the puck the way he does. He made some mistakes with it, no doubt. He was 18 though, there's almost no need for more explanation passed that. He didn't blow us away, but he really didn't disappoint me at all.

After answering the original question about Gelinas, Jagr, a former Dallas Star, turned his attention to Valeri Nichushkin, saying the 18-year-old has impressed him the most of all the rookies this season.

“Maybe it was his best 3 games I watched, but I said, ‘This guy is going to be the best in the world one day,’ ” Jagr said.

Question: Hey Mike. Do you know if Nichushkin is doing any off-season training programs with other NHLers (like Gary Roberts camp) this year?
Heika: Not to my knowledge. He has spent the past couple of weeks in Frisco with Jamie and Jordie Benn and Brenden Dillon, and they have been working out pretty hard. Val appears open to the workout guidance of the Stars, so the guess is he will have a good, physically-demanding summer and be ready to go in the fall.

You can find stuff like this with the easiest of google searches. I tried to find another quote to compliment the one from Jagr but can't remember where I saw it. It was along the lines of Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin kinda laughing with how good Nichushkin actually is in practice. Basically insinuating Val impresses them so much that it sometimes you just have to laugh while you take it in that he's the goofy Russian kid who can barely speak a lick of english but will dangle around you like it's his job.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dLC6z98szA Edit: Watch this closely, he probably would've scored if Karlsson didn't slewfoot him.

I'm just going to leave this at the bottom of my long rant because even though he didn't score, and even though he hurt Craig Anderson on the play, this showed me Nichushkin has every bit of potential to be one of the top players in the world. With a hectic puck battle going on he manages to snag it and make a SICK move on Karlsson all in a split second. If he would've scored? Pfft. That would've been on highlight reels everywhere.

Keep Jukin' Nuke

 

[LT]

^ I remember watching that game, never realized how obviously bad that play was by Karlsson. That was just lazy and dangerous.

He really is something special, though. I wonder how Nieuwy feels (or will feel) about Russians if Nuke takes off like we all hope he does.

 

[Bkennedy*]

You are all making some very bold statements.

Kid has potential for sure, though.

 

[NukeJukes43]

You are all making some very bold statements.

Kid has potential for sure, though.

How are they any more bold than actual projections for the kid? I get that there is a stigma around here that nobody should get overly excited about prospects because most of them never hit their projected ceiling, but that doesn't mean that you have to taper expectations to every single player. It's kind of a drag to think that way, wouldn't you agree? Why not just get excited about what the kid could bring to the franchise, rather than be boring and reserved about it which takes the fun out of things like this anyway?

Idk some people need to lighten up with stuff like this. Not you in particular but I see a lot of it around here about our prospects. There's a reason Nill drafted him and has kept him with Benn and Seguin for the majority of his playing time. I guess you call it bold statements that he should be able to hang with other top players in the league for points and skill but really it's just called player projection.

 

[ColeJ]

i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.

was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.

 

[oconnor9sean]

If Val breaks 50 points, I'll be thrilled. Anything else is a cherry on top.

 

[NukeJukes43]

i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.

was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.

He wasn't as impressive as Modano. Having said that, Nichushkin has a ton of talent around him that tends to overshadow his abilities at times. I think Stars fans somehow think it's normal for Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin to be as good as they are at that age, it really isn't. Which is why our team is the hot talk right now. Val is younger than both of those guys and I think it's pretty damn fair to say in 2-3 years of playing with Seguin and Benn, Nuke is going to be just as good as them, if not on his way to being better.

If you've watched other high talent prospects develop, you know that it's a lot harder to excel in development if you are playing against the leagues top players 80% of the time.

I really don't need to rant anymore on Val, he's going to let his play do the talking next year and from then on.

 

[Bkennedy*]

How are they any more bold than actual projections for the kid? I get that there is a stigma around here that nobody should get overly excited about prospects because most of them never hit their projected ceiling, but that doesn't mean that you have to taper expectations to every single player. It's kind of a drag to think that way, wouldn't you agree? Why not just get excited about what the kid could bring to the franchise, rather than be boring and reserved about it which takes the fun out of things like this anyway?

Idk some people need to lighten up with stuff like this. Not you in particular but I see a lot of it around here about our prospects. There's a reason Nill drafted him and has kept him with Benn and Seguin for the majority of his playing time. I guess you call it bold statements that he should be able to hang with other top players in the league for points and skill but really it's just called player projection.

I'm the one that's most likely to make exaggerated statements/predictions on players. I fully expect Seguin to hit 95-100 points next year, for example.

I just think saying a 19 year old kid will be as good as Datsyuk is a bit extreme. We haven't seen enough out of him yet.

With that being said, I hope very very much so that you're right.

 

[CorwiN]

I think it's understandable to want to hold back a bit on some of the projections. For one, players that get projected super highly often end up getting bagged on if they turn out to "just" be a really good player. For another, while I saw a lot of good out of Val last season, I also didn't see enough good to start crowning him as potentially being the best player on the team within a few years.

Could he be? Sure. Did I see anything to warrant that belief? No.

Regardless, I still suspect that he'll be putting up numbers that better reflect the quality of linemates he'll likely be playing with. Hitting 50 points would make me happy this next season, and I don't see it as being outside the realm of the reasonable, even if I'm not ready to say that he'll pull that off quite yet.

 

[NukeJukes43]

I'm the one that's most likely to make exaggerated statements/predictions on players. I fully expect Seguin to hit 95-100 points next year, for example.

I just think saying a 19 year old kid will be as good as Datsyuk is a bit extreme. We haven't seen enough out of him yet.

With that being said, I hope very very much so that you're right.

Probably should have worded it better, even though it's relatively the same statement still. What I meant was I can see Nichushkin having the same caliber of puck handling skills as Datsyuk, maybe not overall game but no doubt his puck protection. Hell in that regard he has an advantage over Dats due to his size.


With all the attention and help Val is getting, it's not crazy to think he could be a superstar some day. Hearing he's working out with the Benn's and Dillon just makes me excited to see his conditioning this season, let alone anything else. Even if Gonchar goes he'll still have guys like Stan Tugolukov to help with any culture/language barriers Val might still have. And trust me, Stan is the ****ing man, he'll only make Val a better player.

 

[Klockis]

I don't get what is fun in speculating how good of a player a player can become when they are no-were near their prime. I really don't. But then I don't get what is fun with armchair-gm trade proposal's and other "what if's". Can you fault me?

 

[OttMorrow]

i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.

was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.

I think Nichushkin has the POTENTIAL to be the most prolific goal scorer that this franchise has ever had. Do I think he'll pass Modano in any category...not likely, but he has undeniable, sick talent that is largely untapped. This year will be a very telling year as to his true potential (i.e. a potential legend or another very good player). For instance if you look at pure offensive talent alone, Brett Ritchie can't hold a candle to Nichushkin. That's not to say that Ritchie won't become a better player, and it takes NOTHING away from Ritchie, but that's the kind of natural talent that Nichushkin has in my eyes. Whether he uses his gifts, or fizzles into relative averagedom due to laziness is all up to him. He's the kind of natural talent that you might not see drafted by the Stars for another 15 or 20 years. That said I'm not sure if the desire is there to really push himself into superstardom...jury is still out.

 

[BigG44]

We're about to have to lock and start a new thread ... dedicated to our first round pick last year.

HF membership in the Stars area is picking up quite a bit. Pretty, pretty cool ..

 

[Klockis]

I think Nichushkin has the POTENTIAL to be the most prolific goal scorer that this franchise has ever had. Do I think he'll pass Modano in any category...not likely, but he has undeniable, sick talent that is largely untapped. This year will be a very telling year as to his true potential (i.e. a potential legend or another very good player). For instance if you look at pure offensive talent alone, Brett Ritchie can't hold a candle to Nichushkin. That's not to say that Ritchie won't become a better player, and it takes NOTHING away from Ritchie, but that's the kind of natural talent that Nichushkin has in my eyes. Whether he uses his gifts, or fizzles into relative averagedom due to laziness is all up to him. He's the kind of natural talent that you might not see drafted by the Stars for another 15 or 20 years. That said I'm not sure if the desire is there to really push himself into superstardom...jury is still out.

You don't need to be lazy to not reach legend status despite having world class skill. Don't underestimate hockey IQ and such, that is what sets apart the good and great ones. Zubov and Lemioux smoked, which is pretty undisciplined but still were amazing. If say a Alexei Kovalev smoked everyone would bash him for it.

 

[OttMorrow]

You don't need to be lazy to not reach legend status despite having world class skill. Don't underestimate hockey IQ and such, that is what sets apart the good and great ones. Zubov and Lemioux smoked, which is pretty undisciplined but still were amazing. If say a Alexei Kovalev smoked everyone would bash him for it.

Absolutely. Hockey IQ is huge. Do you have your concerns about Nuke's hockey sense and decision-making?

 

[Klockis]

Absolutely. Hockey IQ is huge. Do you have your concerns about Nuke's hockey sense and decision-making?

Yes, I'm personally not sold yet. But then he was only 18 and had a weird season while playing with men, I'm sure he is going to have better decision making with more experience.

While on the topic about Val, I have no concerns about his work ethic. Think he'll be good in that department.

 

[OttMorrow]

Yes, I'm personally not sold yet. But then he was only 18 and had a weird season while playing with men, I'm sure he is going to have better decision making with more experience.

While on the topic about Val, I have no concerns about his work ethic. Think he'll be good in that department.

I think this season will be very telling for him. He's the real wildcard of the top 6. If he can breakthrough at the same time as the offensive infusion of our brand new 1b line, watch out!

 

[piqued]

i feel like this isn't a bold statement:
val was the most impressive rookie i've ever seen wear a dallas stars jersey, without even factoring in his age. and i've seen every rookie to ever wear a dallas stars sweater.

was he as impressive as modano? no idea. i didn't get see mo until he was already in dallas... but as far as rookies of the last 21 years, i've never seen a more impressive stars rookie. that is why he has me so excited. he is a combination of size and skill and strength that is easy to fall in love with.

Well Benn was flat out better than Nichushkin in his rookie season. But you may be factoring in their respective ages by using the term "impressive", in which case an argument could be made.

Modano's rookie year is in a class of its own when it comes to the Stars.

 

[Bkennedy*]

But Modano never had a rookie season in a Dallas Stars jersey

 

[BigG44]

Neal's was better as a scorer too. You for sure have to factor in age.

Mike Modano wasn't even an 18 year old rookie. He was drafted in 88 .... joined the North Stars a year later at 19.