At the time of the pick, I was a little surprised at first. I was expecting Benning and Co to go with Boldy/Krebs. As I did my homework on the pick, read what scouts had to say and watching YouTube highlights. All I can say is WOW....
7 other GM’s are going to be regretting not taking this guy. I get the Russian X factor, however the one constant in guys who don’t make it is that drive. Think Valeri Nichuskin, Nail Yakupov, heck throw goldobin in that mix.
This kid oozes compete, drive and dedication to his game. He was the captain of that junior team for a reason. This smells just like when Tarsenko slipped to the middle of round 1. Dare I say it Bennings done it AGAIN. Steal of the draft - book it.