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2017 Draft - 3rd Pick: Dmitri Samorukov

Soli

Soli

Supervision Required
Sep 8, 2005
21,720
11,069
Another lefty defenseman, but he's got lots going for him. Had a really good second half and U18s.
 
Aerchon

Aerchon

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
10,515
3,705
/@#$

Another left shooting defender. Really addressing a need @#$/ Oilers.
 
Zaddy

Zaddy

Registered User
Feb 8, 2013
13,058
5,850
Good player. Has a lot of good tools, hasn't really developed the way I hoped him to do this season. Inconsistent, but not easy going from Russia to playing on a bad Guelph team. Looked much better representing Russia internationally than in the OHL by all accounts. He's a project, but there could be a big payoff down the road if he pans out. Potential #3/4D imo.
 
McDNicks17

McDNicks17

Moderator
Jul 1, 2010
41,656
30,055
Ontario
From OHLProspects:
17. Dmitri Samorukov - Defense - Guelph Storm

Up and down year for Samorukov. Started off the year very well, but really hit a wall through the middle of the season, up until the final couple of months. Then he finished the year exceptionally well, including a very strong performance for Russia at the U18's. This is the type of inconsistency I was talking about in Adam Ruzicka's write up. When he's off, Samorukov looks lost on the ice. Turnovers a plenty and a lot of puck chasing defensively. A lot of that can be attributed to the team he played on this year in Guelph though, who struggled as a team with turnovers and consistency in effort. But when he was on, which was the vast majority of the second half, he looked like a legitimate NHL prospect. Samorukov is an excellent skater who showcases a great ability as a puck rusher. But he also has a big point shot, which he was able to really improve the accuracy of later in the year. Defensively, I really like his intensity. Sure, he runs around a little too much sometimes. And sure, his reads could use some work. But, he plays the game hard in his own end and really makes opposing forwards keep their heads up. There's a lot of potential to develop into a quality two-way defender with Samorukov IMO, and as such I think he's really worked himself back into the conversation as a 2nd round pick come June.
Click to expand...

I basically saw the same things in the couple of games I saw him in. I like the potential.

Pretty solid value at the end of the 3rd.
 
McMozesmadness

McMozesmadness

5-14-6-1
Feb 17, 2013
9,667
7,248
Edmonton, AB
The last three drafts there has been one guy we grab later on that I absolutely love:

2015: Caleb Jones
2016: Aapeli Rasanen
2017: Dimitri Samorukov

I fell in love with all of them at the U18, but Samorukov caught my eye in Guelph earlier in the year.

Samorukov has some high end abilities, excellent shot, excellent passer. Very good skater (lateral mobility needs work). More than anything though it's his potential that I like. Hard to explain why but he is so raw to me, played on a bad team. I just see so much upside.
 
battfan888

battfan888

Podcaster
Feb 29, 2012
928
140
Sleeman Centre
Guelph Storm fan here......

Samorukov could go either way for you guys, when he is on he is a man amongst boys out there but then he goes long stretches where you don't notice him.

He is a big boy though and he hits like a dump truck, a few kids got totally flattened by him in the OHL this year, open ice and clean.
Has got a great shot too but didn't see it nearly as much as I hoped, when he came to Guelph last summer he was touted as an offensively gifted D man and while you can see those tools in his game I found him to be a bit better on the defensive side. Obviously coming from Russia there was a learning curve but Guelph should be a much improved club in 2017/18 and I would expect/hope that Samorukov is a big part of that turn around.
Whenever he plays with Merkley he has to be a bit more careful as Merkley jumps up into the rush and hasn't been good on the back end so Samorukov was left alone on some plays.
 
Dempsey

Dempsey

Mark it zero
Mar 1, 2002
3,303
1,708
Ladner, BC
Really like this pick. I always value guys who were rookies in their league during their draft years. You often see guys in the second or even third years of junior getting drafted; they've already figured out their leagues and ways to get by other than raw skills. This kid will improve a lot in the coming seasons.
 
Senor Catface

Senor Catface

Registered User
Jul 25, 2006
15,937
19,819
Paralyzer008 said:
He might be a big reason why.

Drafted as a 2nd overall pick in the import draft but didn't pan out like they hoped.

Had a good U18 tourney.
Click to expand...

Can you expand on that?

Merkley - 41
McFadden - 29
Rhodes - 26

Samorukov and these three defensemen were the only ones who played a full season with the team.

You will notice that Samorukov has the best plus/minus of the four.
 
KenLinsemanFanClub

KenLinsemanFanClub

Sorry State
Nov 26, 2003
1,871
725
Isle of Van
He looks like a large thick kid compared to the other players in the videos. Some skills too. If his development continues he could be a force in the not too distant future.
 
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