RW Nikita Korostelev - Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL (2015, 185th, TOR unsigned)

[izzy]

Lots of talk about this guys offensive upside but little production from him. Haven't really watched any of him so I'm curious what factors may be holding him back from putting up better points as I've heard he has an unreal shot and is extremely good with the puck

Leading scorer on his team, PPG in his draft year on a poor team. Nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[BayStBullies]

Welcome to the Leafs!

 

[Bravid Nonahan]

lol how does a 2nd round ranked player (by almost every agency) fall to #185?!? did people just forget that he exists???

 

[The Grim Reaper*]

Kirill Kabanov

 

[Rayzorexe]

lol how does a 2nd round ranked player (by almost every agency) fall to #185?!? did people just forget that he exists???

Maybe its his lack of defensive play. Some people compared his defensive play to that of Kessel so that is bit of a glaring hole.

 

[Dempsey]

The NHL scouts generally know more than the ranking agencies. I wonder what they saw that made teams continuously pass on him? Poor skating? Lack of drive or determination, or lack of a defensive game? I'm guessing being under a PPG isn't enough to make up for the deficiencies in his game.

I hope he comes back strong next year and puts in the work to have a monster season in the OHL, but today's fall in the draft has me doubting that.

On a side note, how many people will call him the "steal of the draft" because he fell? "Look, we got a 2nd round quality player in the 7th round" is a phrase we'll be hearing a lot over the next couple days

 

[MapleLife*]

Reading this thread from earlier in the year makes me really excited

Obviously he's a bust now though

 

[Blender]

Reading this thread from earlier in the year makes me really excited

Obviously he's a bust now though

He was picked in the 7th round, not becoming anything is expected, not a bust. Guy has shown good offensive upside and is a solid looking pick for a 7th rounder, but you can't look at any 7th rounder and assume he will work out, and if he doesn't you can't call him a bust as most 7th rounders never work out.

 

[MapleLife*]

He was picked in the 7th round, not becoming anything is expected, not a bust. Guy has shown good offensive upside and is a solid looking pick for a 7th rounder, but you can't look at any 7th rounder and assume he will work out, and if he doesn't you can't call him a bust as most 7th rounders never work out.

Haha, I agree, I didn't mean people would think he was a bust because of where he was drafted, I meant people would think he was a bust because of who drafted him

 

[RyanOhReally]

Why do I get the feeling he'll be the next player after Marner to make the NHL from our draft this year? He's so skilled, he has an NHL frame, he forechecks hard

He really shouldn't have been a 7th round pick and I am so excited we got him. Was screaming for him 3rd round on

 

[McMozesmadness]

Well the Leafs had a gameplan

SKILL

This is a guy I like a lot. NHL level shot already.

Nice pick Leafs.

 

[7even]

Why do I get the feeling he'll be the next player after Marner to make the NHL from our draft this year? He's so skilled, he has an NHL frame, he forechecks hard

He really shouldn't have been a 7th round pick and I am so excited we got him. Was screaming for him 3rd round on

Apparently his skating needs a lot of work. I'm expecting him to be a ~5 year project.

 

[MapleLife*]

Apparently his skating needs a lot of work. I'm expecting him to be a ~5 year project.

Some scouts have listed his skating as a strength

It's his defence that is universally criticized

 

[Mikeaveli]

Still attempting to comprehend why Steve took Imama instead of this guy in the 6th round

 

[kmillzy5]

Kirill Kabanov

everyone that is excited over this pick just died a little inside

 

[FlareKnight]

In the 7th round it's worth a shot whatever the issues that lead to him dropping. Might as well take a shot for success at this point in the draft.

 

[Smif]

everyone that is excited over this pick just died a little inside

Kabanov was a head case, this guy's reason for falling we have no clue, I don't think it's the Russian factor as he's been here for so long and I heard he's a Canadian citizen. Not his scoring, he outscored Senyshen, dunno bout this one, seems too good to be true.

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Does he have the potential to be a steal? Sure, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. I was also reading that skating was a big concern for some. Still, I think there's enough positive attributes there to be well worth taking a flyer on him in the 7th.

 

[MapleLife*]

Kabanov was a head case, this guy's reason for falling we have no clue, I don't think it's the Russian factor as he's been here for so long and I heard he's a Canadian citizen. Not his scoring, he outscored Senyshen, dunno bout this one, seems too good to be true.

Thought the exact same thing

He outproduced Zacha on the same team, and Zacha was drafted 180 spots earlier...

Something's missing

 

[Stand Witness]

From my understanding his skating is an issue (as stated here) and the other issue seems to be his 2nd half. I am pretty sure Hunter said to the press afterwards that he thinks the pressure of the draft got to him and as a result he had a poor second half which scared teams away.

If the later reason is true than hopefully he adapts to the pressure and continues to develop. Considering all the sacrifices that he has made to get to this point I wouldn't be shocked if it was the pressure.

 

[Sundinisagod]

Wanted this guy all year. if CBJ takes him with our 2nd I'll be sooooo disappointed tbh.

Good day for you

 

[7even]

From my understanding his skating is an issue (as stated here) and the other issue seems to be his 2nd half. I am pretty sure Hunter said to the press afterwards that he thinks the pressure of the draft got to him and as a result he had a poor second half which scared teams away.

If the later reason is true than hopefully he adapts to the pressure and continues to develop. Considering all the sacrifices that he has made to get to this point I wouldn't be shocked if it was the pressure.

From Brock Otten of http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/

A tough player to gauge this year. I don't think he had a terrific season, but you have to factor in a few things when evaluating him. Firstly, Sarnia was far from a juggernaut offensively and when Zacha was out of the lineup, Korostelev was counted on as the go to guy offensively. This was something he was not ready for. Secondly, his potential remains sky high. I think for me, the most disappointing aspect of his game this year was his lack of growth away from the puck. As a rookie last year, there were times where he was physically dominant, flashing power forward potential. But he largely shied away from playing that way this year. He'll need to learn that playing that way is going to be the most effective way for him to create room to use his fantastic shot/release. As a goal scorer, the potential is limitless because of how little room he needs to get shots off. When he upgrades his skating, he's going to be a hard player to contain coming down the wing, where he can use defenders as screens. Overall, you draft Korostelev hoping that his skating improves and that he's able to play more aggressively when he upgrades his strength. This is the chance that the Kings took on Tyler Toffoli back in the day and Korostelev's skill level profiles in a similar way.

 

[Kyle93]

From Brock Otten of http://ohlprospects.blogspot.ca/

If his skating is an issue, Barb Underhill will be good for him. She's worked wonders for others.

 

[malton]

Skating is the knock on him. Can easily be fixed. Solid pick.

 

[keon]

When a team is scouting 17 year old players they have to keep a simple point of perspective in mind "drafting a player can result in a Pavel Datsyuk or an Alex Daigle". The results will be better known in 4 years time. I like the pick.