Alexander Vasyunov?

[BLACKBURN]

29 goals in 29 games for Yaroslavl the Russian 2nd League, available in this years draft.

Antyne know anything about him, seen the guy play? Is he a potential sniper?

Feedback would be much appreciated!

Also defenceman David Ruzicka who is playing for Kladno in the Czech junior league. He has 164 pims and is 6'3, probably a marginal prospect but I saw the nationality, size and pims and thought of Kloucek

Thanks for any info!

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[Spetzky]

He's 6'2, a strong positional offensive threat. Plays a posession game, usually hangs onto
the puck far too long. He's pretty horrid defensively but that can be coached.

 

[OrrNumber4]

He's got the perfect size and hands. Also, he can skate pretty well despite his size; that always bodes well. Although he depends on his speed a bit too much; its a quality not unusual for fast prospects. He lacks hockey sense of high-level prospects; I don't know too many players who make the NHL with poor hockey sense. Clearly, he's bad defensively and could make better decisions with and without the puck, but that can be taught. He can also play both wings, which gives him a positional advantage.

His shot is NHL-quality right now. He is very skilled offensively, except he does not utilize all his skills. I've seen him in two different years, and he could be something special. A team could take a chance with him and draft him early, or he could also drop tremendously because other prospects with similar tendencies have tended to bust. If he doesn't motivate himself, he could go the ways of Slovakian Miroslav Zalesak.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Also defenceman David Ruzicka who is playing for Kladno in the Czech junior league. He has 164 pims and is 6'3, probably a marginal prospect but I saw the nationality, size and pims and thought of Kloucek

He is a solid two-way defenseman who has a mean streak and is very tough. With that size, u can't go wrong. A very raw prospect who has huge upside, he plays a very simple game. Sometimes he gets too dangerous and flashy with the puck, and makes mistakes. But he is a growing prospect, and mistakes are to be expected as he develops.

Some people say he has no offensive talent because of his stats, but he has a lot of undeveloped offensive potential. The few times he has the confidence to experiment in the offensive zone, his above-average passing skills and his hard shot are very evident. He maybe not be one of the top 50 of draft-available players in current ability, but he has the qualities of a good #2-#3 D-man. Since I am a Sharks fan, I'd compare his future upside to a tougher and meaner version of Mike Rathje. He certainly has more heart. If he develops the offensive side of his game, he could be even more dangerous.

 

[BLACKBURN]

Thanks superroyain10, the scouting reports were VERY appreciated!

 

[Ted Hoffman]

The knock on Vasyunov early in the year was that he had elite NHL-level skills but absolutely no heart to go with it - is that still accurate?

 

[RayLeeCharles]

Is he a player considering going the CHL way?

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

He looks like the typical bust player. Good skating, excellent hands and shot but almost nothing else... Possible attitude problem, bad defensive game and lack of hockey sense; that usally sums up a player with 1 chance in 75 000 to pan out.

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

That being said, I never saw him play. He could be a very athletic player with a great off-ice work ethic and an underrated hockey sense. That's why nhl teams send scouts to see those players.

 

[Gwyddbwyll]

Remember Enver Lisin was labelled as selfish and terrible defensively and Alexander Radulov had a bad attitude to the game and clashed with his coach. These things can be exaggerrated.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Remember Enver Lisin was labelled as selfish and terrible defensively and Alexander Radulov had a bad attitude to the game and clashed with his coach. These things can be exaggerrated.

Exactly

Vasyunov has sub-average hockey sense, but all his "attitude problems" are hearsay, so take them with a grain of salt. He does need to work harder, though.

 

[Hobey Baker]

How do you guys think he compares to Afinogenov at a similar age/stage in development? What I've read makes it a close comparison.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

He has more finalization than Maksim

 

[OrrNumber4]

How do you guys think he compares to Afinogenov at a similar age/stage in development? What I've read makes it a close comparison.

Hmm...I don't remember how Afinogenov was being heralded as in his draft year. Was he ever considered an elite prospect? Did people question his work ethic and attitude, or his defensive awareness?

 

[CH Wizard]

I"m really interested as well....to hear more about this kid. Has anybody seen him play? Thx for the reports super....

I want to hear even more about him. His goalscoring abilities seem elite.

 

[OrrNumber4]

I"m really interested as well....to hear more about this kid. Has anybody seen him play? Thx for the reports super....

I want to hear even more about him. His goalscoring abilities seem elite.

He has really good skills (I guess elite, for a prospect) and his potential is obvious. But it means nothing if he does not have the proper work ethic and attitude. These problems should hopefully correct themselves, but a lot of players don't have the mentality required to become an athlete.

 

[cmdevisser]

Vasyunov has sub-average hockey sense, but all his "attitude problems" are hearsay, so take them with a grain of salt. He does need to work harder, though.

How can you have a sub-par hockey sense if you dominate Russian Junior A?

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

How can you have a sub-par hockey sense if you dominate Russian Junior A?

still possible with an amazing shot and good speed. Translating your game to upper levels is harder though.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Plenty of players with sub-average hockey sense dominate their leagues because their skillsets are so much better/advanced/polished than the rest of the competition.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I've never heard of Vasyunov having poor hockey sense. Ever.

Just the fact that he is possibly one of the worst players in the defensive end of all time! (exaggeration)

Everything I've read says he has very good offensive instincts to go along with his elite puckhandling skills and amazing offensive zone vision. Just that he really hates playing defense.

 

[X-SHARKIE]

Hmm...I don't remember how Afinogenov was being heralded as in his draft year. Was he ever considered an elite prospect? Did people question his work ethic and attitude, or his defensive awareness?

Yeah Afinogenov had some hype behind him. Comparions to Bure where made, he was excellent at the WJC's.

 

[The Old Master]

Yeah Afinogenov had some hype behind him. Comparions to Bure where made, he was excellent at the WJC's.

hey sharky when are you comeing out with your list? i'm looking foreward to it

 

[BobMarleyNYR]

It's become a natural law that really skilled Russian kids have poor hockey sense, work ethic and attitude problems. Czechs are generally able to adapt, Scandanavians are even better because they're grown in a multi-dimensional system... Russians have the most trouble. I'd like to do some sociological investigation there. And why can't they play defense? Isn't RSL defense-based?

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

It's become a natural law that really skilled Russian kids have poor hockey sense, work ethic and attitude problems. Czechs are generally able to adapt, Scandanavians are even better because they're grown in a multi-dimensional system... Russians have the most trouble. I'd like to do some sociological investigation there. And why can't they play defense? Isn't RSL defense-based?

Back following your Rangers homeboy.........................................

 

[OrrNumber4]

The guy was making a valid observation...

I can't speak about the defense (maybe its because Russian coaches encourage offensive development, which has created guys like Kovalchuk and Bure), but the problems with work ethic may be that many Russian players come from upper-class families, where because most things in life are handed to them, they don't have to work for much and are not used to working really hard.