Yakupov Vs Grigorenko

J17 Vs Proclamation

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Oct 29, 2004
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I think at this precise moment in time, it is correct to assume that these two are (Aside from Galchenyuk) the best Forward prospects for the 2012 draft.

Despite both being Russian, their development paths could not be more different. Grigorenko is taking the more traditional (and historically more successful) route whilst Yakupov came to the OHL as a 16 yr old.

So how do they compare? In your view who is the better long-term hockey (Not neccessairly NHL) prospect? At this precise time Yakupov seems to be ranked #1 ; his season is actually better than Hall's pre-draft year for instance. Production wise he has #1 pedigree. Grigorenko had a productive year in the MHL ; when is he likely to see servicable + KHL time?
 

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Yakupov everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. Kid is dynamic.
 

member 30781

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This is irrelephant, its about forwards

And Grigorenko is better but will go later

irrelephant.jpg
 

Pick Six

@Lafortune_FC
Jan 1, 2009
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I think at this precise moment in time, it is correct to assume that these two are (Aside from Galchenyuk) the best Forward prospects for the 2012 draft.

Despite both being Russian, their development paths could not be more different. Grigorenko is taking the more traditional (and historically more successful) route whilst Yakupov came to the OHL as a 16 yr old.

I have never seen Grigorenko, so I won't comment on him. But just a small correction, Yakupov did come to the OHL as a 16 year old, but turned 17 a few weeks into the season. If he came to the OHL last year (which he could not), that would have been his 16 year old season.

Yakupov is a great talent and it should be interesting to see what he does next year in the OHL and in the WJC.
 

R S

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Sep 18, 2006
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I think that the North American-Russian factor will play huge into the decision of whoever is picking 1-2-3 in June 2012.

Teams will probably be very split on who they like more come that time, so the fact that Yakupov already players in NA could be HUGE for him.
 

Kshahdoo

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Mar 23, 2008
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I think that the North American-Russian factor will play huge into the decision of whoever is picking 1-2-3 in June 2012.

Teams will probably be very split on who they like more come that time, so the fact that Yakupov already players in NA could be HUGE for him.

It all can change. If say Tarasenko will come and have a good season, GMs can decide that the KHL way isn't worse than developing in NA...
 

Fulcrum

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This was my post from another thread:

"Grigorenko's slight edge over Yakupov is that he doesn't rely on physical effort as much to be effective- rather a gifted smart player. You can't teach someone at 16 to have the vision and complete a rink long/wide pass and finish off the play with a one-timer.

He also had 5 more points than Yakupov at U18s."

That's not to say that Grigorenko is a weak skater, on the contrary- he is a great top-speed player that makes creative decisions. I found also that he was able to change 'the play' based on how it was developing and use his linemates better, whereas Yakupov was more predictable with crashing the net.

Yakupov does seem slightly more clutch though.

Here is hoping that they both grow up to be superstars for Russia, still waiting for the next Malkin / Ovi...
 

rocketdan9

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Feb 5, 2009
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Yakupov is better.

Grigorenko is a nicer looking player but he can't match the intensity of Yakupov on the ice.

What he did in his first year in the ohl (score 100 plus points) is rarely done
 
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Granlund2Pulkkinen*

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The mere fact that Yakupov is in the OHL and Grigorenko is in Europe will push Yakupov ahead of him no matter how much more talented Grigorenko may be.
 

clefty

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After talking about Russian flame outs yesterday, I thought this thread was going to be about Mikhail and Igor.
 

Granlund2Pulkkinen*

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Good call. Because a player who plays in Europe has never been taken first overall over someone in the CHL.

Okay, since the transfer agreement fell through when has a player from Russia been drafted first overall...

Ummm...

2005... Sidney Crosby.. No he's Canadian
2006? Erik Johnson.. Noo... American
2007.. Patrick Kane... ****... American too.
2008!? Steven Stamkos... No... Sounds Macedonian.. Probably a Canadian
2009? John Tavares... No... Not Ilja Tavarov... Canadian
2010... Taylor Hall... Well technically he was drafted by a KHL team but nope.. Sorry. CHL.


Good call though there Pick Six. Since the transfer agreement woes we're 6/6 North American first overalls.
 

scoutman1

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Feb 19, 2005
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Okay, since the transfer agreement fell through when has a player from Russia been drafted first overall...

Ummm...

2005... Sidney Crosby.. No he's Canadian
2006? Erik Johnson.. Noo... American
2007.. Patrick Kane... ****... American too.
2008!? Steven Stamkos... No... Sounds Macedonian.. Probably a Canadian
2009? John Tavares... No... Not Ilja Tavarov... Canadian
2010... Taylor Hall... Well technically he was drafted by a KHL team but nope.. Sorry. CHL.


Good call though there Pick Six. Since the transfer agreement woes we're 6/6 North American first overalls.

what you fail to mention though is that in those years there has not been a Russian either to push for 1st overall....who was overtaking Crosby I mean really.....

2006 there were no russians pushing for 1st overall, not even close

2007...Cherepanov at the time was a great player but Kane was far and away the best player for the draft.

2008 - Stamkos and Doughty no one was knocking them out, Filitov still went high in the draft.

2009 - Tavares and Hedman not a russian close, Kulikov was still a 1st rounder in the draft.

2010 - Tarasenko, Kuznetsov, Burmistrov all went high in the draft but no one was coming close to Hall in the draft except for Seguin.

2011 there are no Russians I would consider in the top 3 either.

2012 though I can't see why Grigorenko and Yakupov will not fight it out.
 

Zine

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Feb 28, 2002
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Yakupov is more of a safe bet and I think he will be a star in the NHL.

By 'safe' do you mean he's already playing in NA? Because, in terms of talent, I think Grigorenko is a safer pick.

Like Fulcrum already noted, in addition to Grigorenko's great physical tools, he has the added dimension of a incredibly cerebral game. He's one of those rare players with the ability to slow the pace of the game down and see plays before they happen.
 

Breakfast of Champs

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Apr 15, 2007
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I say if Grigorenko states that he wants to play in the nhl theres no reason why he couldnt go 1st if teams feel he is the best player in the draft. And just because yakupov is here now doesnt mean he will be forever. I mean I know its rare to leave but radulov did after winning a memorial cup and having a few successful seasons in the nhl, so anything is possible when it comes to russian players
 

Pick Six

@Lafortune_FC
Jan 1, 2009
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Okay, since the transfer agreement fell through when has a player from Russia been drafted first overall...

Ummm...

2005... Sidney Crosby.. No he's Canadian
2006? Erik Johnson.. Noo... American
2007.. Patrick Kane... ****... American too.
2008!? Steven Stamkos... No... Sounds Macedonian.. Probably a Canadian
2009? John Tavares... No... Not Ilja Tavarov... Canadian
2010... Taylor Hall... Well technically he was drafted by a KHL team but nope.. Sorry. CHL.


Good call though there Pick Six. Since the transfer agreement woes we're 6/6 North American first overalls.

As Scoutman said, there's been no Russian even close to being the best overall player to be considered in the first overall discussion in recent years, so I don't know what point you're making. The last players out of Russia worthy of being selected first overall, went just there (Kovalchuk and Ovechkin). Even Malkin was selected 2nd overall despite rumours of him not coming over to the NHL.
 

Fulcrum

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Yakupov is better.

Grigorenko is a nicer looking player but he can't match the intensity of Yakupov on the ice.

What he did in his first year in the ohl (score 100 plus points) is rarely done

Intensity is heavily reliant on being in great shape. As soon as a player is out of that GREAT shape, we get what we saw with Ovechkin this year- weaker play. Not to mention it will only last him until about 30 anyway, at best. Meanwhile I like that he is being compared to Bure in many ways, there are some drawbacks in this approach.

You don't have to look far to see that smartest players (Gretzky, Jagr, Selanne, Fedorov) pan out better than intense players in the long run.

As far as OHL vs Europe - Grigorenko WILL play, some games, in the KHL next year with CSKA. Meanwhile Yakupov willl be in Sarnia, and possibly without playoffs again. We shall see how that works out...
 

J17 Vs Proclamation

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Oct 29, 2004
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Reading.
what you fail to mention though is that in those years there has not been a Russian either to push for 1st overall....who was overtaking Crosby I mean really.....

2006 there were no russians pushing for 1st overall, not even close

2007...Cherepanov at the time was a great player but Kane was far and away the best player for the draft.

2008 - Stamkos and Doughty no one was knocking them out, Filitov still went high in the draft.

2009 - Tavares and Hedman not a russian close, Kulikov was still a 1st rounder in the draft.

2010 - Tarasenko, Kuznetsov, Burmistrov all went high in the draft but no one was coming close to Hall in the draft except for Seguin.

2011 there are no Russians I would consider in the top 3 either.

2012 though I can't see why Grigorenko and Yakupov will not fight it out.

2007 ; Cherepanov fell. He was a concensus Top 5 talent who well because of the Russian factor.

2009 ; Kulikov fell because of the Russian factor. Was a Top ten talent.

2010 ; Tarasenko was ranked as a Top 5 talent from many sources. Fell to 16. Kuznetsov was considered a Top 15 talent and fell.

The Russian factor does exist and is an issue. It has seen Russian based players fall in the rankings nearly every year. Which is odd to me ; No 1st round Russian player who was good enough to be a good NHL player has ever not come over yet. The Russian factor shouldn't scare teams off the really good ones ; it's the mid level guys where it really kicks in.

Still, it is likely Grigorenko could see a drop off because he is Russian based. Though if people had read the thread properly, i stated best hockey prospect ; not best NHL prospect. This thread was meant to determine their respective talent levels, not signability.
 

duga

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Jan 28, 2010
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I agree with Fulcrum and Zine.

When it comes to draftrankings, Yakupov is definitely in the lead.

When it comes to value for Russia. It must be Grigorenko. I mean they are capable of producing elite skill on Wing like no other nation in the world. What they got true lack of is cerebral Centers who can pace and develop plays.

IMO Grigorenko is the best combination of brain and skill since Datsyuk for Russia. And what I like most about him: He doesn't showcase his talent in brainless action, despite his exceptional hands and vision he oftenly plays simple, very effective passes (or he makes them look simple) and shows his flash when there's a need for it...

I can't think of any prospect, whose development I'm more eager to follow , than Grigorenko.
 

thomast

Registered User
Oct 23, 2009
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I agree with Fulcrum and Zine.

When it comes to draftrankings, Yakupov is definitely in the lead.

When it comes to value for Russia. It must be Grigorenko. I mean they are capable of producing elite skill on Wing like no other nation in the world. What they got true lack of is cerebral Centers who can pace and develop plays.

IMO Grigorenko is the best combination of brain and skill since Datsyuk for Russia. And what I like most about him: He doesn't showcase his talent in brainless action, despite his exceptional hands and vision he oftenly plays simple, very effective passes (or he makes them look simple) and shows his flash when there's a need for it...

I can't think of any prospect, whose development I'm more eager to follow , than Grigorenko.

I heard Grigorenko is as talented as malkin at his age but doesen't have same passion in his game. If that is true i would take Yakupov at this point but it's hard to ignore grigorenko's vision skills and calmness. They're 2 different players yakupov plays with a huge intensity, Grigorenko play with an calmness and likes to control the pace of the game. I would choose Grigorenko if i had to pick 1 to build a succesful team around him.
 

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