There is sure a lot of Podkolzin / KHL disinformation here. The people who have actually analyzed him give a much more positive take.
First of all, the KHL is NOT equivalent to the AHL. Points conversion wise each KHL point is equivalent to .8 NHL points, while an AHL point is equivalent to about .5 NHL points. You can play with an NHLe calculate
here.
Now, it's obviously not a straight conversion; some players that have underperformed in the NHL have become stars in the KHL, and some players who don't shine in the KHL have become useful depth NHLers. It's a different game with a bigger rink. And there's a ton of disparity - the top teams in the East (like Podkolzin's team SKA) could likely compete in the NHL, but the bottom teams in the West are closer to ECHL quality.
However, by all accounts of people who have watched Podkolzin play, his game should translate well to the NHL. Some quotes from recent Athletic articles:
Dayal:
A top-five talent, Vasili Podkolzin has the tools to be a home run pick for the Canucks
Podkolzin has the tools to mature into an extremely rare and coveted commodity — a bona fide two-way power forward with no holes in his game. The young Russian creates a ton of zone entries and is dynamic in how he combines soft hands, strong skating, heads-up vision and a sheer will to drive to the net.
The tenacity and commitment to playing a complete 200-foot game will ensure he can be trusted and thrive in any role handed to him.
Once established in the offensive zone, he’s very strong along the boards and is more than capable as both a distributor and finisher.
All told, Podkolzin shows the all-around tools of a top-five talent. Should the production and continued development follow, the Canucks might have hit another home run.
Tons of video in the above article, worth checking out if you have a subscription (only $1/month right now)
Dayal and Drance:
NHL prospect rankings: Wheeler's top 50, post-2020 draft edition
We picked Pavel Buchnevich as his comp partly because they’re both 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, which is as close as a physical match gets. Buchnevich was a much lower draft pick than Podkolzkin, although that was in an era when the “Russian Factor” and sign-ability concerns caused mass inefficiency in how Russian-born players were evaluated in the draft process.
The days of Vladimir Tarasenko falling to 16th overall, or Nikita Kucherov falling all the way to the end of the second round, are long gone.
It’s not a perfect comp – Podkolzin’s calling card is his two-way play, while Buchnevich’s defensive play can still be inconsistent – but the point is that they’re both physically assertive Russian-born wingers who produced at a pedestrian rate in the KHL in their draft-plus-one seasons.
Counting stats don’t tell you a lot about young players in the KHL. It’s a really tough league to earn ice time in.
In fact, Podkolzin’s scoring rate in the KHL in his draft-plus-one season – eight points in 30 games – may not seem like much, but it actually compares almost identically with Kucherov’s, is in the same realm as Tarasenko’s and compares favourable with Buchnevich’s.
Pronman:
NHL prospect rankings: Wheeler's top 50, post-2020 draft edition
I think it’s fair to say at this point that Podkolzin has been misused in the KHL. He should be playing more and should be playing with better players. But I also think it’s fair to say that Podkolzin can get carried away out there, that there are times when he needs to relax and settle down his game with and without the puck and that running around and trying to use his skill and tenacity to make things happen isn’t always his best approach. Podkolzin is a player who sees an available play, knows he has the skill to make it and tries it. There are times, though, when it feels like he’s running on instinct and when the first play or opening that he sees may not be the best play. I wonder, despite his physical maturity and obvious talent, whether he’s going to be able to bend to his eventual NHL linemates or whether they will have to bend to him.
Now as for Podkolzin's stats.. they are perfectly fine for someone playing 4th line minutes on an NHL quality team. But the sample size is small and the basic stats don't tell the entire story. Chris Faber of Canucks Army has been watching each of Podkolzin's games and, aside from the most recent game, has been dominating possession, often upwards of 80%. Not bad for a 4th liner! (you can follow along on
Faber's Twitter).
