NHL Prospects: The future of Russia’s Blueline
Russia might not be known for their defensemen, but a young group of intriguing NHL prospects hopes to change that.
If there is one thing that Russia is known for amongst the NHL, it is their talented group of forwards. Russia has produced some of the top forwards in the NHL today with the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Nikita Kucherov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and many more, including some NHL prospects. They have also produced some of the NHL’s best goaltenders like Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
One thing, however, Russia is not as well-known for in the hockey world are defensemen. Although they do have some strong defenseman, they are definitely not amongst the leagues best. Currently, in the NHL, the top Russian blueliners are Ivan Provorov, Mikhail Sergachev, and Dmitry Orlov. Nikita Zaitsev and Nikita Zadorov are also among the best Russian defenders in the NHL today, but this is largely because Russia is so thin on the blueline
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Putting this into perspective, imagine if the World Cup of Hockey were to occur tomorrow and team Canada was playing Team Russia. It would be a great matchup filled with a high degree of intensity. The offense would be elite on both sides as well as the goaltending, but the defense would be far off in terms of skill.
A team of NHL players from Russia would potentially line up on the blue-line with Provorov, Sergachec, Orlov, Zaitsez, Zadorov, and Dmitry Kulikov. Meanwhile, Canada could potentially counter with the likes of Drew Doughty, P.K. Subban, Brent Burns, Kris Letang, Morgan Reilly, and Dougie Hamilton.
This probably would not be the exact roster for team Canada, but it is extremely similar to what the skill level would be compared to Russia’s blue-line. If you look at prospects there is not really a big difference either. Teams like Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. have many skilled defensive prospects and while Russia does have some, they do not have nearly the same extent of defensive prospects that have a shot of making it to the NHL.
Russia continues to produce forwards and goaltenders that have a strong chance of making it to the NHL but the same cannot be said about their defencemen. As it stands right now there are some talented defencemen from Russia who will have a shot at cracking the NHL but it does not yet look like they will be able to compete with Canada in terms of defense any time soon.
The question now is, what can we expect to see on Russia’s blue-line in regards to NHL players? Will Russia have to result on having defenceman from other leagues like the KHL play for them in world tournaments, or will there be enough skilled Russian NHL blue-liners to avoid having Team Russia to call up KHLers to play in tournaments such as the World Cup Of Hockey and the World Championships?
Here’s a look at some young Russian defensemen who could make an impact in the NHL. All the players listed are either NHL drafted prospects or draft-eligible prospects for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
Alexander Alexeyev
As thin as Russia’s defensive prospect corps look, there are some big bright spots in the future. The brightest may be Alexander Alexeyev. Alexeyev was drafted 31st overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Stanley Cup-winning Washington Capitals. Not only did the Capitals select a solid defenceman, but they selected arguably the best young Russian defensive prospect in hockey.
Alexeyev has the potential to earn a roster spot on the Capitals in the next couple of years. He is a strong two-way player that can pass and shoot the puck just as well as he can defend the puck. He is currently the second highest scoring defenceman in the WHL with 25 points in 21 games (as of Monday, Nov. 19) and the fourth-highest scoring defenseman in the entire CHL.
He is a big bodied player at 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds, and he knows how to use the body effectively. Alexeyev does not shy away from the physical game which is a big boost to his game. But what makes him so impressive it that he plays such a strong two-way game. He is as dependable as they come both in the offensive zone and the defensive zone. He is rarely seen out of position which is a good trait for a defenseman.
Alexander Romanov
Montreal Canadiens assistant general manager Trevor Timmins may have said it best when he said that Alexander Romanov is like “an Alexei Emelin with a ton of energy“. Romanov was a surprise second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Canadiens. Not too many people had heard about him before his high draft selection, but that has changed.
Romanov has spent the 2018-2019 season playing in the KHL as an 18-year old. He is a physical defender who is not known for his offensive contributions but this should not deter you from his game. Romanov is a strong two-way player and is able to contribute offensively although his stats might not show it.
He has a strong hockey IQ and is able to read the game very well. Although Romanov is only 5-foot-11, he uses his body to his advantage and can consistently be seen checking and putting up the body.
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In the professional level, Romanov probably will not be recording a lot of points, but his hockey smarts and physicality should be enough to give him a strong reputation around the league. When you think of him, do not think of a big physical fourth-line player that is only really good for playing 10 minutes a night and will not do much besides hitting the opposition. That is not the kind of player that Romanov is.
He is the kind of player that can be relied upon in important situations. Romanov reads the game very well and can help create chances while also being able to break off chances for the opposition. He might not be the dynamic playmaking defenceman that many Russians are hoping for, but he is the kind of player who can do it all defensively and will surprise you offensively as well.
Andrei Pribylsky
Whatever team ends up drafting Andrei Pribylsky has got to pat themselves on the back. Although he is not yet drafted, the young Russian defenseman has impressed so far during the 2018-2019 season.
He is the youngest defenceman in the KHL at just 17-years old and already has 2 assists in 14 games. Although those might not be high-end numbers, the kid is just 17 playing in the second-best hockey league in the world, which is no easy task. The fact that Pribylsky is a defenseman which makes his job even harder at such a young age.
He has an NHLe of 10.14 which is impressive for a 17-year-old defender in the KHL. To compare Pribylsky to a current Russian NHL defenceman, Orlov is quite interesting. In his draft season, Orlov had one goal in 15 games in the KHL. Pribylsky already had double the points then Orlov had in one fewer game.
It will be interesting to see how he continues to develop this season and see if/where he gets drafted this season. Keep an eye out for Pribylsky in junior tournaments this year, hopefully, he will be selected to the World Juniors this winter as it would be a great chance for him to get his name out there.
The problem is that Pribylsky does not seem to be on many scouts radars. Not too many people know about him, which could affect his chances of being drafted by an NHL team. Hopefully, teams notice Pribylsky in the KHL this season and see that he has the skill to play against men at an elite level and give him a shot.