Prospect Info: 2020 1st Rd Selection - #15 OA - LW Rodion Amirov (RUS) - 6'0", 177lbs Part II

[Guy Boucher]

If he comes close to being 2/3 as good as these comparables I would be happy.

Amirov has good hands in tight, reminds me of Nylander the way he rolls off checks in corners and his quick reverse moves to separate himself, but Nylander’s shot is elite, Amirov has an average shot. He is smart and has good takeaway skill like Nylander.

He’s not as fast as Ehlers, not as big as Hossa with that massive wingspan, not a gritty as Steen.

I think a poor mans Nylander is a good description stylistically. He’ll be a good one, but probably a middle six player.

Even Nylander's biggest fans will admit that he's not the best defensively aware player. Amirov's core strength is his defensive acumen. That's why he's getting KHL games at such a young age. Besides some similarities in skating strides, it's a bad comparison.

 

[zeke]

Sticking with my Steen comp.

 

[BertCorbeau]

Not sure Amirov has Hossa's offensive ceiling. Hossa had some pretty elite offensive years.

Steen sounds like a good comp.

 

[IrishInOntario]

Amirov reminds me a little bit of Timo Meier, who I watched a ton in junior, when he played for Halifax.

Great stick work, very creative, good balance... Meier is a little bit thicker and I think Amirov will end up playing 10-15lbs lighter, but I see a similar player.

 

[Ricky Bobby]

Amirov reminds me a little bit of Timo Meier, who I watched a ton in junior, when he played for Halifax.

Great stick work, very creative, good balance... Meier is a little bit thicker and I think Amirov will end up playing 10-15lbs lighter, but I see a similar player.

Meier is a very good comparable.

Kulemin is who he reminds me of.

 

[IceColdBear]

Meier is a very good comparable.

Kulemin is who he reminds me of.

Kulemin had a lot more power, Amirov is a lot shiftier with more puck skills.

 

[Antropovsky]

Meier is a very good comparable.

Kulemin is who he reminds me of.

I've thought Kulemin too.. maybe more so because he is Russian and plays good defensively. BUT... if Admirov puts on a ton of muscle, he could be a more skilled version of Kulemin. Wouldn't be disappoint me one bit. Kulemin was one of my favorite players... to bad he primarily played on terrible hockey teams. He loved Toronto too... he was not happy that he missed out on Canadian citizenship (edit just looked it up again, and looks like a court granted him and his wife another chance at citizenship). Would have liked to see him given a PTO after he left Islander a couple seasons ago.

 

[Tmart335]

I feel like people complaining about Amirov are expecting him dangling through teams for highlight reel goals.

It's clear he plays a mature smart game, is dedicated to 2 way play and the skill/IQ is obvious watching him.

I wasn't too thrilled about another winger in the first round but the more I see this kid play it's hard not to like this pick and obvious what Dubas sees.

yeah same here. To be honest, I never heard of him before he was selected. Was very surprised they took a winger with some solid D on the board.

if anything though ,I give the leafs benefit of the doubt on drafting. Dubas hasn’t been great with contracts , but him and the scouting staff have made some solid picks and signings

 

[nobody]

Sticking with my Steen comp.

Oddly enough. I agree with this too. I couldn't really put my finger on it but his game did seem familiar. My god, it's been years since I remember a young baby Steen but the way he played the game and shown flashes of offensive brilliance while being a steady 2 way force is exactly what I see in Amirov. Steen trade was foolish and done out of sheer panic because his offensive abilities didn't fully translate into him being a top end offensive player but he blossomed with the Blues as a selke type player with his studly 2 way play. Thankfully we don't have old man Fletcher running the team right now and Amirov's game and 2 way presence is desperately needed. This kid fits our needs so well. If he can carve out a Steen like career, Dubas deserves a ton of credit.

 

[Antropovsky]

Oddly enough. I agree with this too. I couldn't really put my finger on it but his game did seem familiar. My god, it's been years since I remember a young baby Steen but the way he played the game and shown flashes of offensive brilliance while being a steady 2 way force is exactly what I see in Amirov. Steen trade was foolish and done out of sheer panic because his offensive abilities didn't fully translate into him being a top end offensive player but he blossomed with the Blues as a selke type player with his studly 2 way play. Thankfully we don't have old man Fletcher running the team right now and Amirov's game and 2 way presence is desperately needed. This kid fits our needs so well. If he can carve out a Steen like career, Dubas deserves a ton of credit.

One thing I see in Amirov that I don't remember in Steen (it was a long time ago now) is swagger. Amirov has a cockyness/swagger about him - see point to goal celebration. He looks like he expects greatness from himself. Which I think is important (especially when combined with maturity (not Shremp, Bracco, Ho-Sang).

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

He was actually only decent offensively and that was with playing with the likes of Kessel, JVR and Marner during his tenure here. He isn't exactly known for his defence. He was good on FO however.

.....and shootouts.

 

[The Iceman]

Steen never had the offensive ceiling as a young player that Amirov possesses.

The reason Steen was included in a trade out of town, and the general feeling at the time was Steen was a 15 goal guy with 20 goal upside. Just a guy.
Amirov seems to be pegged as a 20-25 goal guy with the potential for more.

 

[nobody]

One thing I see in Amirov that I don't remember in Steen (it was a long time ago now) is swagger. Amirov has a cockyness/swagger about him - see point to goal celebration. He looks like he expects greatness from himself. Which I think is important (especially when combined with maturity (not Shremp, Bracco, Ho-Sang).

Swedes vs Russians. Different demeanors. Steen did have some flair though. He was just a young guy struggling on a veteran-heavy team. Idiot Fletcher mortgaged the future away for nothing. I can't believe we ended up giving up both our top prospects for Lee f***ing Stempniak. What a horrendous trade.

 

[Lightsol]

Oddly enough. I agree with this too. I couldn't really put my finger on it but his game did seem familiar. My god, it's been years since I remember a young baby Steen but the way he played the game and shown flashes of offensive brilliance while being a steady 2 way force is exactly what I see in Amirov. Steen trade was foolish and done out of sheer panic because his offensive abilities didn't fully translate into him being a top end offensive player but he blossomed with the Blues as a selke type player with his studly 2 way play. Thankfully we don't have old man Fletcher running the team right now and Amirov's game and 2 way presence is desperately needed. This kid fits our needs so well. If he can carve out a Steen like career, Dubas deserves a ton of credit.

Damn Fletcher. Coming out of the lockout the Leafs needed to get younger, and by 2008 they had a few younger players coming up and more candidates in the minors, and then in comes old man Fletcher and suddenly the Leafs have nothing but old guys and useless plugs like John Mitchell...

I said in 2003 that my greatest fear at that time was looking at the Leafs' decent (not super-great) center depth in the system and worrying that the Leafs would keep Matt Stajan and John Mitchell and dump everyone else. I don't know why I had that feeling then, and I was even MORE stunned when they went and did EXACTLY THAT...

 

[The Podium]

I still see a lot of Brayden Point

They are both quick with solid all around offensive skills with tenacity and the ability to use their body to shield the puck despite their smaller size.

 

[The CyNick]

yeah same here. To be honest, I never heard of him before he was selected. Was very surprised they took a winger with some solid D on the board.

if anything though ,I give the leafs benefit of the doubt on drafting. Dubas hasn’t been great with contracts , but him and the scouting staff have made some solid picks and signings

Based on what? Amirov hasn't played an NHL game yet. People are too quick to spike the ball on draft picks.

Pick will be a winner when hes playing top 6 minutes for the Leafs and producing against NHL players. Until then it's a TBD.

 

[IPS]

Based on what? Amirov hasn't played an NHL game yet. People are too quick to spike the ball on draft picks.

Pick will be a winner when hes playing top 6 minutes for the Leafs and producing against NHL players. Until then it's a TBD.

Literally every fanbase in pro sports does this. I think the loser in all of this is the one who goes around bellyaching about it.

 

[The CyNick]

Literally every fanbase in pro sports does this. I think the loser in all of this is the one who goes around bellyaching about it.

Not bellyaching at all. It's relevant when discussing success or failure of a GM.

So we know Dubas has made bad trades and signed poor contracts. That's undeniable. Whoever made the initial point said his drafting has been good. Well you cant give credit for drafting when you dont know the result. Dubas is on his third draft and I could be wrong, but I believe only one player in that time has any NHL points. Now that's not to say hes a bad drafter either, it's just completely unknown at this point.

It's kind of like going to a flower growing competition and looking at a pot of dirt and seeds and going oooo look at that top soil, pretty sweet. It's going to produce amazing plants. But the reality is there's more to it than that. You won't know what type of flower you have till it blooms completely.

Trust me, I get it's a fan forum, and it's fine to be hopeful and even confident, but it's wrong to use as evidence to support a GM being successful or not.

 

[stickty111]

My review on Amirov from the tournament.
He is a good player. Solid offensive base and reads the game well. Very good defensively too which surprised me and a fantastic penalty killer. He skates really well and has good edges. I like him to get to the middle a bit more which he did in spurts.
Liking the pick even more. I say he is about a year or 1.5 years from the NHL, and should be a middle 6er/2nd liner who can do a bit of everything.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

My review on Amirov from the tournament.
He is a good player. Solid offensive base and reads the game well. Very good defensively too which surprised me and a fantastic penalty killer. He skates really well and has good edges. I like him to get to the middle a bit more which he did in spurts.
Liking the pick even more. I say he is about a year or 1.5 years from the NHL, and should be a middle 6er/2nd liner who can do a bit of everything.

Russia in general disappointed, so I am surprised he even came close to a PPG.

 

[TDotMassive]

Bozak is a solid #3 center and a serviceable #2 center who a contender would need to upgrade on.

You know he won a cup right? Played both 2nd and 3rd line centre.

 

[JT AM da real deal]

Russia in general disappointed, so I am surprised he even came close to a PPG.

We need to trade him asap ... he is not a big time player in games that matter he wilted against similar aged guys ... we need guys who rise up and win big time games ... any chance we could use him to get either Newhook or Lundell - 2 guys who could really help us soon

 

[Dekes For Days]

You know he won a cup right?

Bozak was not St Louis' 2nd line center when they won the cup.

We need to trade him asap ...

No, we don't. He did really well. Every Leaf fan should be happy.

 

[Welsh Maple Leaf]

We need to trade him asap ... he is not a big time player in games that matter he wilted against similar aged guys ... we need guys who rise up and win big time games ... any chance we could use him to get either Newhook or Lundell - 2 guys who could really help us soon

What the f***

 

[JT AM da real deal]

What the f***

We don't need another SOFT dangler who produces against Kings ... we need a guy who makes things happen to win games against Tampa