LD Ivan Provorov - Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL (2015, 7th, PHI)

[The Winter Soldier]

One of the more interesting things with Provorov is his stick length.

He plays with an unusually long stick, but it doesn't seem to affect his stick handling and he knows how to use it properly in board battles and in his own zone.

As I've said before, Provorov did not put up as impressive offensive stats in the playoffs as he did in the regular season, but I saw a huge growth in his defensive game. Provorov was a defensive beast in the playoffs and played a more responsible defensive game.

The Doughty comparison is on point, I've thought this all year. In the playoffs especially, like Doughty, Provorov passed up on taking risks to jump into the offensive zone. He favoured his defensive responsibilities in the playoffs and it really showed to people who have played D before or know what to look for in a good D man.

When Provorov shuts down Marner and Tkachuk in the Memorial Cup, I can't wait to argue with Eastern Canadians and explain why Provorov is the best prospect not currently in the NHL.

The Dub is a far tougher league than the OHL and the Knights will be in tough against Provorov, Patrick, and company. The WHL has won substantially more Memorial Cups than any other CHL league. We play a tough brand of hockey in Western Canada that Philly fans especially will appreciate and love.

I don't know how many people remember a guy named Sergei Zubov. But he would be a great comparable to Provorov IMO.

Sergei was truly a great and a very underrated D man. Played a tonne of mins in a lot of big games. You didn't always notice him, and there were times you did. But when he was on the ice, his team was usually safe and under control. And Provorov omits the same confidence as a similar player.

 

[snipes]

I don't know how many people remember a guy named Sergei Zubov. But he would be a great comparable to Provorov IMO.

Sergei was truly a great and a very underrated D man. Played a tonne of mins in a lot of big games. You didn't always notice him, and there were times you did. But when he was on the ice, his team was usually safe and under control. And Provorov omits the same confidence as a similar player.

Of course I remember Zubov. How could I have forgotten, he was huge part of the Stars-Oilers rivalry in the 90s.

That's actually a really good comparison, I completely forgot about Zubov until you mentioned him. He was a very good defenceman. Him and Hatcher were a nightmare to play against on those Stars teams in the 90s.

 

[Boxscore]

I don't know how many people remember a guy named Sergei Zubov. But he would be a great comparable to Provorov IMO.

Sergei was truly a great and a very underrated D man. Played a tonne of mins in a lot of big games. You didn't always notice him, and there were times you did. But when he was on the ice, his team was usually safe and under control. And Provorov omits the same confidence as a similar player.

Zubov is a great style comparison in terms of composure, smarts and instincts... as well as silky smooth play. The difference between the two is that Provorov gets the puck and absolutely motors up the ice like Doughty/Keith whereas Zubov was more methodical and plodding in his approach, often using a pin-point first pass to start the transition. But, man, if Provorov ends up as great as Zubov, all-around, I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

was he not good last night? I heard he was just very average but I missed the game and had to go back a few pages to find his thread so I cant comment on his game. Usually big name player threads are buzzing when the particular player plays a game on TV on national TV

saw he had an assist on Quenneville's highlight reel goal and was a minus 1 in a loss last night

 

[CdnFan]

JMO, but I thought he was pretty ordinary and was outplayed by both Lauzon and Meyers on Rouyn-Noranda.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

was he not good last night? I heard he was just very average but I missed the game and had to go back a few pages to find his thread so I cant comment on his game. Usually big name player threads are buzzing when the particular player plays a game on TV on national TV

saw he had an assist on Quenneville's highlight reel goal and was a minus 1 in a loss last night

JMO, but I thought he was pretty ordinary and was outplayed by both Lauzon and Meyers on Rouyn-Noranda.

Agreed with this. He wasn't great imo. I definitely have seen him play a higher level before.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Agreed with this. He wasn't great imo. I definitely have seen him play a higher level before.

Gonna be VERY curious to see how he does against London tmrw. He will be put up against that lethal line as much as possible I would imagine

 

[Hockeypete49]

JMO, but I thought he was pretty ordinary and was outplayed by both Lauzon and Meyers on Rouyn-Noranda.

Was he not picked 3rd star on a losing team?

 

[Random Forest]

Yeah, I'm not sure "average" is the way to describe his game yesterday. He was still the best Brandon defender by no small amount, just didn't dominate like he has most of the year. He was a bit too aggressive on the third RN goal, but other than that, there weren't any notable mistakes. He was very aggressive in the third period... but that had more to do with Brandon being down by four than anything else. He also generated several offensive chances and made a gorgeous pass to Quenneville that was rightfully overshadowed by Q's sensational move.

 

[daa5250]

He made some mistakes early as him and his team struggled a bit with the speed of the Huskies but was really dynamic the 2nd half of the game. His skating and passing looked great.

 

[Roo Mad Bro]

JMO, but I thought he was pretty ordinary and was outplayed by both Lauzon and Meyers on Rouyn-Noranda.

Disagree with Lauzon. Weak play around his net on Brandon's first goal, got split on the incredible Quenneville goal (after Provorov split the D on a 90 ft. outlet pass) and went for a hit while on the PP that resulted in a Provorov SH breakaway attempt.

This summary from Flyers writer Bill Meltzer which was written yesterday seems pretty apt right now.

"There are are very few weaknesses in Provorov's game. He plays the game the right way, with and without the puck, and can make difficult plays look easy. He's not flashy but he is highly effective most nights and does not need to score or set up goals on a particular night -- although he does plenty of that, too -- to make a positive impact on the game for his team.

It's not that Provorov is immune from gaffes. All players, especially young defensemen, make their share. Anyone who micro-analyzes the player to expect perfect shift after perfect shift is setting themselves up for disappointment, because even Norris Trophy winning defensemen in the NHL can't adhere to that standard. Instead, look at the big picture.

In comparison to most of his peers -- even fellow first-round picks -- Provorov makes NHL-caliber reads and reactions not just some of the time but, rather, far more often than not. The player who returned from an excellent performance at the World Junior Championships elevated his game to a higher level on both sides of the puck. He did not look NHL-ready during camp with the Flyers last September."

Even though Provorov wasn't perfect (could have played the Meier goal a little better) he was still one of the best players on the ice IMO. Consistently got the puck out of his own zone and the play seemed to generally be in the offensive zone while he was on the ice.

Link to article: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=77119

 

[Zaddy]

Can't wait to see this kid in the show. Been a huge fan of him the past 2-3 years.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

He's just not a flashy defender so he's not really going to wow you unless you are really looking for it. He's just a really efficient defender that does a lot of things right that's the attractiveness to him.

The comparisons to players like Josi & Doughty in here just set him up to fail. He's not as skilled as those players nor is he as good of skater as them (especially Josi).

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

JMO, but I thought he was pretty ordinary and was outplayed by both Lauzon and Meyers on Rouyn-Noranda.

I think he stood out above everyone else on the ice. His skating is better. Those guys had decent games but are not at Provorov's level IMO.

 

[Cyborg LeClair]

I thought it showed tremendous IQ to pass the puck so far and to purposely deflect his pass off of Quenneville's skate and to his stick

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

Really reminds me a lot of Ryan Suter.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

I don't know how many people remember a guy named Sergei Zubov. But he would be a great comparable to Provorov IMO.

Sergei was truly a great and a very underrated D man. Played a tonne of mins in a lot of big games. You didn't always notice him, and there were times you did. But when he was on the ice, his team was usually safe and under control. And Provorov omits the same confidence as a similar player.

Zubov is a pretty good comparison. Provorov seems stronger on his skates/edges and might actually have better puck skills. But Zubov, as amazing as it might seem, was possibly more effortless/smooth as a skater, and I think he saw the whole ice a bit better than Provorov does.

 

[Larry44]

Was he not picked 3rd star on a losing team?

Yes, slow night...

http://mastercardmemorialcup.ca/gamecentre/466/boxscore

Provorov had a few really good chances early in the game but just missed. Looking forward to see how he does vs. the London attack.

 

[snipes]

I'm as high on Provorov as anyone, but he's not having a good Memorial Cup at all.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

One of the more interesting things with Provorov is his stick length.

He plays with an unusually long stick, but it doesn't seem to affect his stick handling and he knows how to use it properly in board battles and in his own zone.

As I've said before, Provorov did not put up as impressive offensive stats in the playoffs as he did in the regular season, but I saw a huge growth in his defensive game. Provorov was a defensive beast in the playoffs and played a more responsible defensive game.

The Doughty comparison is on point, I've thought this all year. In the playoffs especially, like Doughty, Provorov passed up on taking risks to jump into the offensive zone. He favoured his defensive responsibilities in the playoffs and it really showed to people who have played D before or know what to look for in a good D man.

When Provorov shuts down Marner and Tkachuk in the Memorial Cup, I can't wait to argue with Eastern Canadians and explain why Provorov is the best prospect not currently in the NHL.

The Dub is a far tougher league than the OHL and the Knights will be in tough against Provorov, Patrick, and company. The WHL has won substantially more Memorial Cups than any other CHL league. We play a tough brand of hockey in Western Canada that Philly fans especially will appreciate and love.

Not the best prediction tbf. I will give you credit for the bold prediction though.

 

[snipes]

Not the best prediction tbf. I will give you credit for the bold prediction though.

Proven wrong . I can admit when I'm wrong, the Knights are incredible. Just amazing to see what this team can do.

Good ol' junior hockey. This is not the same Brandon team I saw all year.

 

[93LEAFS]

Not the best prediction tbf. I will give you credit for the bold prediction though.

Both Fluery and Provorov have been owned by the Knights so far. Both of which have been assigned Marner.

 

[snipes]

Both Fluery and Provorov have been owned by the Knights so far. Both of which have been assigned Marner.

The Line is dominating Provorov. Even the 2nd line with Pu is very talented and crushing Brandon.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Weird to see Provorov getting owned by the skilled guys this tourny. Not used to seeing it but I guess these are potentially the best teams he has faced. I'm surprised how he just hasn't been very good

 

[docbenton]

Weird to see Provorov getting owned by the skilled guys this tourny. Not used to seeing it but I guess these are potentially the best teams he has faced. I'm surprised how he just hasn't been very good

He's also not exactly dynamic on the PP, neither real big nor real fast. He's still a very good player but I never saw the top pairing or #1 D projections in him.