Blade Paradigm
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2017
- 823
- 1,172
In response to the minor controversy about whether Nikolay Goldobin should be recalled, as well as to provide a chance for everyone to observe and evaluate this player for themselves, here is a close look at how Goldobin has played so far this season. Below you will find every shift from five of this player's performances in October 2017 with the Utica Comets. I encourage you to share your thoughts here.
NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN: FIVE-GAME SCOUTING PACK (2017-18 AHL SEASON)
Nikolay Goldobin is a player who requires further development in the AHL at this point in time if he is ever to succeed in the NHL. Scouts and analysts have often referred to him as an enigma who exudes NHL-level skill, but who tends to puck-watch and drift around the ice without the intensity required to play in the NHL. While he is unquestionably talented, his concept of hockey needs to be significantly revised for him to succeed at the NHL level. Fortunately, the Vancouver Canucks seem committed to helping Goldobin rebuild his game within a framework that allows him to excel. Furthermore, he is still young -- just 22 years old years of age. With patience, dedication, and perseverance, a year with the Utica Comets should be beneficial for the young winger.
After a disappointing 2017 preseason with the Vancouver Canucks, Goldobin was sent to the club's AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he has slowly gained the trust of the team's new coach, Trent Cull. After a season debut that saw Goldobin play approximately 15 minutes worth of ice time, his ice time per game over the course of the month started to increase. By the end of the month, Cull had placed Goldobin on the team's penalty kill, and his ice time now exceeds 20 minutes per game on the team's top line with Reid Boucher on the other wing. Goldobin leads the team with 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points in 10 games, but his shortcomings must still be addressed.
The games featured (and corresponding time stamps) are:
(0:15) 2017-10-07: Utica Comets @ Toronto Marlies
(16:42) 2017-10-13: Utica Comets @ Rochester Americans
(36:36) 2017-10-21: Utica Comets @ Rochester Americans
(53:21) 2017-10-28: Utica Comets @ Charlotte Checkers
(1:12:06) 2017-10-29: Utica Comets @ Charlotte Checkers
From the start of the season to the end of October, the Comets have worked with Goldobin to better involve himself with the play, to be less prone to making high-risk plays when the danger outweighs the benefits, and to skate with greater intensity on a more frequent basis. He still turns the puck over occasionally with errant passes. He doesn't carry the puck enough in the offensive zone and is much more interested in give-and-go plays when he could probably do more to influence a shift with the puck on his stick. Once every so often, he gets the puck in open ice off the rush and picks up speed, but, for the most part, he does not play with that kind of hustle or assertiveness.
Currently, he is a fundamentally east-west player who loves to make lateral passes and who plays a cerebral game around the middle of the offensive zone with a strong bias towards the left half of the zone; he is much more reserved on the right side, especially along the boards, than he is on the left. More often than not, if a teammate has the puck on the left side of the ice, he transitions into the middle for a one-time attempt. He can look passive at times, as he is always positioning himself around the middle of the zone with his stick on the ice to receive the puck, often opting to remain there rather than make himself open along the boards. He often is reactive to plays, waiting for the puck to become loose among a crowd rather than putting his own pressure on the opposition. If he does forecheck along the boards, he fishes for the puck and doesn't engage with his body, or he won't hustle hard enough to get to the boards before the opposition gets there. He shows very little willingness to pressure the opposition or force the opposition to turn the puck over; more often than not, he waves his stick at the puck but nearly always keeps himself awkwardly at a stick's length from the opponent as if he is playing non-contact hockey, giving the opposition time to move the puck; if he is skating towards the puck carrier along the boards, he may even stop skating so that he can poke at the puck from a stick's length instead of skate into a body check. He does not play with pace, nor does he play with any sense of physicality. He never steals pucks forcefully or pushes through bodies to make a play; he never dictates the pace of the game and instead tends to let the puck come to him.
Goldobin is, at his essence, a very highly-skilled finesse player with uncanny puck skills; however, his positioning and habits need to be reworked if he is to take full advantage of his skill set. He does not play with enough tenacity or courage. He does not battle through obstacles and tends to let others do a lot of the hard work in traffic for him. He is a sublime passer and is a lethal threat with his shot; he isn't the most dangerous one-on-one player, but he protects the puck well, has sufficient edge work skills to weave his body around obstacles and remain elusive with the puck on his stick, and has terrific puck retention skills. He also can be explosive at times, but needs to play at a higher tempo and utilize this speed more frequently to pressure the opposition. If there is a loose puck, he can gather it in, control it, and distribute it effectively. Through the neutral zone, he is skilled at zone entries with good side-stepping abilities. The Comets are in the process of changing some of his habits so that he doesn't handcuff teammates with unexpected puck decisions and also puts himself in better position to affect the play positively without the puck.
Last week -- the week of October 29, 2017 --, the Utica Comets started to utilize him on the penalty kill; they are implementing better structure into his game.
Hopefully, the Utica Comets can refine his decision-making with the puck and have him play with greater intensity, tenacity, and assertiveness. This is a player who, despite his success in the AHL, must remodel his game and change his mindset in order to fully take advantage of his skill set. This is not the time to recall him to the NHL.
NIKOLAY GOLDOBIN: FIVE-GAME SCOUTING PACK (2017-18 AHL SEASON)
Nikolay Goldobin is a player who requires further development in the AHL at this point in time if he is ever to succeed in the NHL. Scouts and analysts have often referred to him as an enigma who exudes NHL-level skill, but who tends to puck-watch and drift around the ice without the intensity required to play in the NHL. While he is unquestionably talented, his concept of hockey needs to be significantly revised for him to succeed at the NHL level. Fortunately, the Vancouver Canucks seem committed to helping Goldobin rebuild his game within a framework that allows him to excel. Furthermore, he is still young -- just 22 years old years of age. With patience, dedication, and perseverance, a year with the Utica Comets should be beneficial for the young winger.
After a disappointing 2017 preseason with the Vancouver Canucks, Goldobin was sent to the club's AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he has slowly gained the trust of the team's new coach, Trent Cull. After a season debut that saw Goldobin play approximately 15 minutes worth of ice time, his ice time per game over the course of the month started to increase. By the end of the month, Cull had placed Goldobin on the team's penalty kill, and his ice time now exceeds 20 minutes per game on the team's top line with Reid Boucher on the other wing. Goldobin leads the team with 5 goals, 7 assists, 12 points in 10 games, but his shortcomings must still be addressed.
The games featured (and corresponding time stamps) are:
(0:15) 2017-10-07: Utica Comets @ Toronto Marlies
(16:42) 2017-10-13: Utica Comets @ Rochester Americans
(36:36) 2017-10-21: Utica Comets @ Rochester Americans
(53:21) 2017-10-28: Utica Comets @ Charlotte Checkers
(1:12:06) 2017-10-29: Utica Comets @ Charlotte Checkers
From the start of the season to the end of October, the Comets have worked with Goldobin to better involve himself with the play, to be less prone to making high-risk plays when the danger outweighs the benefits, and to skate with greater intensity on a more frequent basis. He still turns the puck over occasionally with errant passes. He doesn't carry the puck enough in the offensive zone and is much more interested in give-and-go plays when he could probably do more to influence a shift with the puck on his stick. Once every so often, he gets the puck in open ice off the rush and picks up speed, but, for the most part, he does not play with that kind of hustle or assertiveness.
Currently, he is a fundamentally east-west player who loves to make lateral passes and who plays a cerebral game around the middle of the offensive zone with a strong bias towards the left half of the zone; he is much more reserved on the right side, especially along the boards, than he is on the left. More often than not, if a teammate has the puck on the left side of the ice, he transitions into the middle for a one-time attempt. He can look passive at times, as he is always positioning himself around the middle of the zone with his stick on the ice to receive the puck, often opting to remain there rather than make himself open along the boards. He often is reactive to plays, waiting for the puck to become loose among a crowd rather than putting his own pressure on the opposition. If he does forecheck along the boards, he fishes for the puck and doesn't engage with his body, or he won't hustle hard enough to get to the boards before the opposition gets there. He shows very little willingness to pressure the opposition or force the opposition to turn the puck over; more often than not, he waves his stick at the puck but nearly always keeps himself awkwardly at a stick's length from the opponent as if he is playing non-contact hockey, giving the opposition time to move the puck; if he is skating towards the puck carrier along the boards, he may even stop skating so that he can poke at the puck from a stick's length instead of skate into a body check. He does not play with pace, nor does he play with any sense of physicality. He never steals pucks forcefully or pushes through bodies to make a play; he never dictates the pace of the game and instead tends to let the puck come to him.
Goldobin is, at his essence, a very highly-skilled finesse player with uncanny puck skills; however, his positioning and habits need to be reworked if he is to take full advantage of his skill set. He does not play with enough tenacity or courage. He does not battle through obstacles and tends to let others do a lot of the hard work in traffic for him. He is a sublime passer and is a lethal threat with his shot; he isn't the most dangerous one-on-one player, but he protects the puck well, has sufficient edge work skills to weave his body around obstacles and remain elusive with the puck on his stick, and has terrific puck retention skills. He also can be explosive at times, but needs to play at a higher tempo and utilize this speed more frequently to pressure the opposition. If there is a loose puck, he can gather it in, control it, and distribute it effectively. Through the neutral zone, he is skilled at zone entries with good side-stepping abilities. The Comets are in the process of changing some of his habits so that he doesn't handcuff teammates with unexpected puck decisions and also puts himself in better position to affect the play positively without the puck.
Last week -- the week of October 29, 2017 --, the Utica Comets started to utilize him on the penalty kill; they are implementing better structure into his game.
Hopefully, the Utica Comets can refine his decision-making with the puck and have him play with greater intensity, tenacity, and assertiveness. This is a player who, despite his success in the AHL, must remodel his game and change his mindset in order to fully take advantage of his skill set. This is not the time to recall him to the NHL.
Last edited:
