AstoriaIceNinja
Registered User
Some links before I start:
EP: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=223789
Old Hockey Writers Profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/nikita-lyamkin-the-next-ones-nhl-2014-draft-prospect-profile/
I think this guy is one of the KHL's better young defensemen at the moment, and unlike the likes of Gavrikov, Tryamkin, etc., he wasn't drafted at all and his three years of eligibility seem to have passed him by.
Some highlights from the HW article:
Granted, his offensive statistics in the QMJHL were not altogether impressive and the HW has noted as such, but in both international competitions (U18 WJC) and in European leagues his production in in a whole different stratosphere from that of his NA years. And before we inevitably get into the NA vs Europe development debate, the Hockey Writers profile demonstrates that based on the primary assets NA scouts covet in d-men (size, defensive presence) he probably could have been drafted in the bottom rounds and no one would have batted an eye.
Before I proceed, here is a spreadsheet I've been working on to try and assess the MHL/VHL/KHL development track: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sH4vCA8RHMnOTocRRaESJfgWWlyx9rqSyDLIdwBuLdU/edit?usp=sharing
Seems like it works, but it looks god-awful because importing to Google Docs from Excel sucks.
Back to Lyamkin. Now that he is back in Russia, his MHL PPG for his Draft +2 season (19-20) was 5 points (1g, 4a) in 4 games, good for 1.25 PPG. While the spreadsheet I created does not denote that information (because he played the most games in the KHL that season), I point it out because while the sample size was small it was good for the best PPG pace of any defenseman in the MHL that season as per EliteProspects. Combined with his 5 points in 5 U18 WJC games and an average KHL scoring rate for a Draft +2 player (that IS on the spreadsheet, in case you were wondering), I think it's fair to say that he has some offensive potential.
So what gives? Size, defense, and at least the promise of some offense? And what happened to him in Chicoutimi? Sounds like a serious case of someone not getting enough chances to attack with the puck, especially given what we have already established about his ability to skate, etc.
Would love to hear some updates from people who have seen him play. I feel like he, Zhuldikov, and Bereglazov all have very appealing qualities and yet no draft day for them. Given the propensity to draft other overage Russian players (especially this year), why not them?
EP: http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=223789
Old Hockey Writers Profile: http://thehockeywriters.com/nikita-lyamkin-the-next-ones-nhl-2014-draft-prospect-profile/
I think this guy is one of the KHL's better young defensemen at the moment, and unlike the likes of Gavrikov, Tryamkin, etc., he wasn't drafted at all and his three years of eligibility seem to have passed him by.
Some highlights from the HW article:
Nikita has excellent size and displays an exceptional level of hockey sense. He is extremely strong positionally and always seems to be in the right place on the ice. He is a strong skater with good mobility allowing him to match up against forwards very well one on one. He rarely if ever gets beat. Nikita shows a willingness to battle along the wall with a nastiness in his game. He won the majority of battles, he will win even more as he gets stronger within his big frame.
A tournament all-star at last year’s under-17s, the Russian projects as a rock-solid shutdown defender who can put up big minutes...Look for him to go late in the second or early in the third round.
Granted, his offensive statistics in the QMJHL were not altogether impressive and the HW has noted as such, but in both international competitions (U18 WJC) and in European leagues his production in in a whole different stratosphere from that of his NA years. And before we inevitably get into the NA vs Europe development debate, the Hockey Writers profile demonstrates that based on the primary assets NA scouts covet in d-men (size, defensive presence) he probably could have been drafted in the bottom rounds and no one would have batted an eye.
Before I proceed, here is a spreadsheet I've been working on to try and assess the MHL/VHL/KHL development track: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sH4vCA8RHMnOTocRRaESJfgWWlyx9rqSyDLIdwBuLdU/edit?usp=sharing
Seems like it works, but it looks god-awful because importing to Google Docs from Excel sucks.
Back to Lyamkin. Now that he is back in Russia, his MHL PPG for his Draft +2 season (19-20) was 5 points (1g, 4a) in 4 games, good for 1.25 PPG. While the spreadsheet I created does not denote that information (because he played the most games in the KHL that season), I point it out because while the sample size was small it was good for the best PPG pace of any defenseman in the MHL that season as per EliteProspects. Combined with his 5 points in 5 U18 WJC games and an average KHL scoring rate for a Draft +2 player (that IS on the spreadsheet, in case you were wondering), I think it's fair to say that he has some offensive potential.
So what gives? Size, defense, and at least the promise of some offense? And what happened to him in Chicoutimi? Sounds like a serious case of someone not getting enough chances to attack with the puck, especially given what we have already established about his ability to skate, etc.
Would love to hear some updates from people who have seen him play. I feel like he, Zhuldikov, and Bereglazov all have very appealing qualities and yet no draft day for them. Given the propensity to draft other overage Russian players (especially this year), why not them?
