http://stats.hockeycanada.ca/game/show/7851571?subseason=165586&referrer=1253933&referrer=1253933
Here's Russia vs Sweden if you guys wanted to see.
Here's Russia vs Sweden if you guys wanted to see.
WJC - Russia - 2015
- Thread starter cska78
- Start date
This one looks like a blowout. The Russian defense is completely outmatched by the Swedish forwards, and they are just walking in uncontested and getting all kinds of point blank shots. Bragin believes in having his defense back up rather than contest the blue line, and they are backing in all the way to the crease. The Swedish team is really big and fast. 2-0 after one period.
cska78
Registered User
It's strange because Russian 95s were known to be an elite age group starting from u16 national teams.
cska78
Registered User
Well they did come back though, but the answer to me is pretty clear - left to na toon soon. The biggest disappointment to me is Zykov -:he was a huge talent and now he is horrid based on the 3 out 4 games I had seen. Then there is Dikushin who was the second most talented forward (arguably) and after bolting to ushl is now toying with the end of career getting garbage time on a weak mhl team. The strongest player on this team is buchnevich who, oh by the way stayed home.
Deffence is horrendous not a single player who can shoot or jump up on the play... I hope sherbak and goldobin take tkachyov and zykov's spot
And Voribiev an elite dman for his age turned into a shadow of himself after bolting to na, now that he is back
Forgot an absolute beast serebryakov who went to nowhere after the move to na and tolchinskiy is a shadow of himself as well
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cska78
Registered User
This post makes me look like the idiot I am, but who cares! Yet another amazing comeback by Bragin and his team. He just has an ability to resurrect his team when it looks like they are dead. They were down 4-1 at the beginning of the 3rd, but then took total control of the game and literally bombed the Swedish net for the rest of the period. This gives me a lot of hope going into hockey season, especially when we get some of the missing guys back, that this could be a successful WJC.
Hey folks, you guys seem to know a lot about the Russian junior team. As a Habs fan, Scherbak has made a great impression but just through interviews that I have seen. He has a great attitude and personality. He wasn't chosen to play for team Russia for this summer camp. I haven't seen him play yet so I'm just wondering if he isn't considered good enough to play for team Russia? or is there something else at work here?
cska78
Registered User
Bolting has to stop, no doubt. Amazingly there is fairly big number of blind kitten fans in Russia who support this BS and want every player to leave at at age 15. Just crazy!
cska78
Registered User
This summer camp roster has a number of leftouts. Has nothing to do with players' qualities. Some have personal issues, there are visa issues for some, minor injuries and so on. There were so single case decisions obviously between the coaching staff and the players. A lot of ppl in Russia argue they should let the kids attend their respctive KHL camps instead. The pre-season is well under way there.
Bragin wants to have a look at a bigger number of players before WJC. Scherbak is expected to participate at SSS in November.
Aftergame thoughts: I always liked Gavrikov. Wearing the C he's had a great game. He has all the tools to be Zadorov-like. I think they have similar upside and that upside is high. Other than Gavrikov and Baldaev no real standouts on the D. We've had 2 offensive lines and that's it. Finally without Tkachev the Barabashev line looked good(Bucha, please learn to finish. Scored in the game, failed on the SO attempt, ugh...). Kudos to Leschenko, I think Bragin liked him on that line. The Mamin, Sharov, Zykov line was steadily improving over the games and I now see why Bragin mentioned Mamin and Sharov in an interview before the tournament. The other 2 lines were extremely dull and ineffective. That's what I don't like about Bragin. Varnakov may be to meat-an-potatoes to many, but he's had a solid line system with a clear cut 4th line, that was able to shut down, wear out and suffocate. Bragin doesn't have that. His 4th line is just a worse scoring line, in this case a much worse scoring line.
And yes, 10 minutes of pure Bragin hockey in the 3rd. He gets the guys flying and the other team has no idea they still could. Btw, they weren't bad in this game. That critisizm above looks emotional to me. They couldn't finish, but were consitently outplaying the Swedes on the offence. The D just lacks names, as always.
The Swedes: they disappointed. Some players lack basic skills. Yes, they have a system. Their PP is a swiss watch, but they have not impressed me at all.
cska78
Registered User
at even strength Russia was better throughout the game, but all the crazy minors and majors were just shooting us in the foot. It seemed, that as soon as we establish our dominance on the ice we get a pk - that was frustrating.
Like you and many others, I think the biggest factor Pejorative Sluring growth of Russian juniors is the best prospects going off to NA, supposedly to become big NHL stars. But then when they get there, despite genuine efforts by NA host cities and teams, they just don't fit in to the hockey system, they don't speak the language (Nichushkin could have done far better as a rookie if he was able to communicate with someone other Gonchar), and unless they are exceptionally gifted, they often end up like Dikushin, depressed and demoralized and looking at ending his career. And yet they keep lining up to leave.
For Russian national teams, this is a big problem even at the senior level, where the players are almost evenly divided between the NHL and KHL, and they play as if they are almost from different planets.
I couldn't agree more. Gavrikov and Baldaev were clearly the two best defensemen, and I really liked the play of the Sharov line throughout the series. They will definitely need a functioning checking line in time for the WJC.
It was interesting how some adjustments were apparently made to reverse the tide of the game. In the first period, the Swedish team was freely flowing into the Russian zone and setting up scoring chances, and by the middle of the 3rd period they could barely get the puck across the blue line. It looked like the Russian D was challenging more before the Swedish team could get organized.
I was actually getting mad watching the CHL draft and seeing so many top Russians taken, most likely 85 % of them will come as well. Russian hockey should have some harsh penalty for players who leave, unless they are 19.
I don't know if there is any penalty that they could levy on these kids for leaving. They're free to go if they choose, and the only option that they might have would be to issue some kind of ban if they return, but that would be pretty harsh for someone who merely went overseas to play hockey. Most of them are in effect penalizing themselves by Pejorative Sluring their own growth and development as players.
I can't blame the CHL for drafting talented prospects, and by all accounts, the kids receive royal treatment when they get to NA. The problem is that the CHL is not designed to be a place where kids go to learn how to play hockey - they're one step below the NHL, KHL or AHL. They're expected to be close to a finished product, and most of the young Russian kids who go have almost no prior experience in playing in a competitive league with competitive hockey players. They're completely new to Canadian style of hockey, and they don't even speak the language. In some cases agents looking to make a buck have persuaded them that they are just a couple of years away from the NHL, but its almost never true.
I believe that the novelty will eventually wear off, and kids will realize that they have a much better chance of fully developing at home. The NHL will still be there, if that's their personal goal after fully developing in youth hockey.
Well one thing with Dikushin he is 173 cm so was never much hope of an NHL future anyways. Anyways, I completely agree with this, even amongst Canadians most players who become first rounders for the NHL are 1st or 2nd round players in the drafts of their respective CHL leagues. They come into the league as elite players and the CHL prepares them for the pros. There are few late bloomers who undergro growth spurts, puberty and whatnot and improve dramatically within the CHL, come into their own as 17-18 year olds like Sanheim, Pearson, etc. However, most come as finished products and rarely improve dramatically unless they undergo drastic physical development which improves their speed/power. Practices are short and not meant to teach skills, it is mostly systems and to loosen up before the game though teams can have grueling physical practices if struggling. There is not as most focus on stickhandling, skating drills etc. These were drilled intensively in lower levels of hockey and it's almost like they expect the players to be professionals already and work on these skills on their own time. Russians, whom generally tend to come over less physically developed come and get drilled systems which I doubt many even understand and get beaten down with a 68 + game schedule with physical games. It's no wonder many end up a shadow of their former selves. If you're a 17 year old Russian player and physically underdeveloped, getting drilled hard by players over 200 lbs I doubt you will trust your abilities as much as when you much more had time and space in the Russian leagues. Only super talents and top 6 players like Yakupov, Grigs, Khok will get let loose by the coach and these are the players who develop best. 17 year old Russians who get placed on 3rd and 4th lines will NEVER develop in NA and that's a fact.
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cska78
Registered User
Yes I think he had good European league potential but always difficult to make the NHL at that size unless you're extremely quick and play with alot of heart.
Agreed. The CHL has nearly the same 80+ game schedule as the NHL, so its obvious that there is little time for practice and skills development. They are either on the road or resting from the last road trip, just like in the pros.
Also, its amazing how many little guys go over to NA expecting an NHL career on the other end. Even if they are really talented like Dikushin, they are one dimensional in the physical CHL/NHL style of game. They have to be extra dazzling in skill and talent in order to compensate for their inability to contribute to the physical game. NHL scouts have to discount them because of the availability of the same level of talent among guys that are 185-190 cm.
cska78
Registered User
beyond that - these guys take a lot longer to mature, since they not only need to bulk up, but also manage not to loose the speed and the skill, while doing it. And where's a better place to do that, than in the MHL???
Tolchinskiy
Alexeyev
Nikolishin
will most likely all evaporate from the map of hockey. There's one St. Louis example for 1000 Dikushins
Tolchinskiy
Alexeyev
Nikolishin
will most likely all evaporate from the map of hockey. There's one St. Louis example for 1000 Dikushins
