According to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s director of amateur scouting, Al Murray, there are not any “A+” prospects in this years draft. But, Murray believes that there are five to ten “A” or “A-” players available.
That being said, with the third overall pick, Tampa Bay will be selecting a very special player in the June 30 draft.
This is the third in a series of scouting reports on the top choices in this year’s NHL entry level draft. We look to the prospect guru’s to introduce you to the next Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick.
Today we focus on talented 18 year old forward Valeri Nichushkin.
Al Murray, via TampaBayLightning.com:
“He’s a guy with all kinds of talent. He’s big, he’s a tremendous skater, but in February at the Under-18 tournament, that was maybe the most dominant performance I’ve seen at any of those Under-18 or World Junior tournaments. He absolutely took over the tournament. He was good on the forecheck, he was finishing checks, he was making plays or scored big goals in the third period when his team was behind, he never quit on a shift and he was just spectacular. I think when you see that potential and the level he played at in the Russian men’s league, you see a very good prospect.”
Caveat: “He’s got great one-on-one individual skills with the puck, and that was maybe the problem with him, is that you thought maybe he didn’t see the other options and he didn’t play with other players real well.”
Alex Muscat, JuniorHockey.com, LightningShout:
“The top Russian player in next month’s NHL Draft, Valeri Nichushkin, has the potential to be a scoring threat in the NHL. He already has the size (6’1, 204 lb) and the speed, which has drawn comparisons to Evgeni Malkin. Whoever takes Nichushkin will have to wait at least two more years because he has a contract with the KHL’s Moscow Dynamo. He could go outside the top-five because of his commitment overseas, but for that team who is ready to roll the dice, it could be worth the wait.“
Corey Pronman, Hockey Prospectus:
“Nichushkin is an impressive power forward who has a ton of natural gifts. He could be a potential star, if not an elite power winger in the NHL. His best skill is his skating ability, as he is a true plus-plus skater that defensemen need to respect when he’s barreling down the wing. If a gap gets too tight, Nichushkin will likely be behind the defender in no time. He is also a strong, 6’4” pillar who loves to drive to the net. Combining that with his speed and skill, he draws a lot of penalties. Nichushkin’s north-south game is his strength, but he has a high level of ability with the puck, with the capability to make players miss. He can make plays to his teammates, and he has good offensive instincts, although his hockey sense is an area of division among scouts. Some question his vision, feeling he can be a little selfish. Others think his hockey sense is above average. He has the ability to skate through an entire team, so it cannot be considered surprising that he tries to do a lot. One area of concern: he needs to improve his defensive play.“
Jr. Hockey Recruit:
“A bit of an unknown commodity entering this season, Valeri Nichushkin opened a lot of eyes at the recent Subway Super Series with his size, speed and tenacity. He showed an affinity towards taking the puck wide and driving to the net hard…very hard. He’s not afraid to go into high traffic areas and really uses his size well to get himself around opposing defensemen. When Nichushkin decides to rush the puck, he’s extremely difficult to stop; an attractive quality for any NHL team in need of a big winger.“
NHL player comparison: Alex Ovechkin
Note: Damian Cristodero of the Tampa Bay Times reminds us that Nichushkin may not be willing,
“to use the buyout clause Lightning assistant general manager Julien BriseBois said is in every KHL contract? With no transfer agreement between the NHL and the Russian hockey federation — and with both sides agreeing to respect each other’s in-place contracts — Nichushkin buying out of the deal (estimated at $10 million) might be the only way he comes to North America before 2015.
It’s also safe to assume Dynamo Moscow, after paying $10 million for his services, is expecting him to stick around.”
Next up: Aleksander Barkov
Update: According to the Tampa Bay Times:
“One of the more interesting developments of the Memorial Day weekend was a story on the rsport.ru web site that quoted Valeri Nichushkin as saying he is ready to play in North America.
That likely was of great significance to the Lightning, which it is believed to have a keen interest in perhaps drafting the talented 18-year-old Russian with the No. 3 overall pick of the June 30 draft. In fact, Nichishkin told the web site Tampa Bay and the Predators, with the No. 4 overall pick, have shown interest.
One stumbling block was the two-year contract Nichushkin has/had with Moscow Dynamo which traded for the right wing last season in a deal that included a reported $10 million. But Nichushkin told report the deal wasn’t that rich, the contract has been terminated — no details were given — and that Dynamo is okay with his decision.”
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