Vasily Podkolzin | #92 | RW

[SilentSam]

9 hours ago, Elias Pettersson said:

Rogers Arena is a morgue compared to the old Pacific Coliseum.  That first game of Bure was absolutely electric.  I was there.  People were literally standing on their feet, they weren't sitting down.  Nobody could actually believe what they were seeing.  Nobody had ever played like that in a Vancouver uniform before.  It was shocking to us all who were there.  The playoffs at the Coliseum were even better,  1994 was the greatest year ever.  When those towels came out oh boy.  And Bure on the ice, it was legendary.  I don't think we will ever experience that again unfortunately.  Maybe Petey, Brock and Quinn can bring some of that magic back.  Not sure it will ever be the same though.  Times were different back then.  Rogers Arena is mostly corporate now.  

I sometimes wonder if playing in Vancouver, put less shine on his career and evolution of the game  he brought to the NHL .

Had he started his career in New York, Boston, or Toronto, I think the legendary play of Bure would be 10 fold to what is talked about here.

Perhaps the League would have been better off now from his play back then.

 

Nobody, or not many fans watch Canuck Home games at 10:30 pm - 1:30 am EST.

Bure at Home was a ritual for us.. a meteor that crashed into our arena, on time, every time.

I still shake my head in amazement, and feel grateful to have witnessed what brought here.

I think What we had in Pavel was someone even more special than Gretzky..  @Alflives said it..

”electrifying “ .. perhaps that’s what separates Bure from Gretzky.

[Canuck Surfer]

17 hours ago, 48MPHSlapShot said:

He's not going to be able to pull stuff like this off on a consistent level against NHL competition imho. 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I think he'll be a good player

We have 31, going on 32 teams.  

 

Some team defences are watered down. Cap problems, so they have slugs many tears on their bottom pair; Toronto? Many cannot find right shot defenders & the cannot clear the puck on their backhand; Philly until this year? More are big, fast & physical. But cannit handle the puck with their head up; Gudbrandson? Some are old. Some are slow. Some just never had any lateral agility. Could get turned inside out... 

 

Phaneuf? Bartkowski?? Andy MacDonald??? Brandon Manning! Mark Stone?

 

Hell even good defenders get beat by guys with no more speed than, say, Podkolzin Matthew Tkachuk... 

 

He'll walk plenty of guys.

[Elias Pettersson]

2 hours ago, SilentSam said:

I sometimes wonder if playing in Vancouver, put less shine on his career and evolution of the game  he brought to the NHL .

Had he started his career in New York, Boston, or Toronto, I think the legendary play of Bure would be 10 fold to what is talked about here.

Perhaps the League would have been better off now from his play back then.

 

Nobody, or not many fans watch Canuck Home games at 10:30 pm - 1:30 am EST.

Bure at Home was a ritual for us.. a meteor that crashed into our arena, on time, every time.

I still shake my head in amazement, and feel grateful to have witnessed what brought here.

I think What we had in Pavel was someone even more special than Gretzky..  @Alflives said it..

”electrifying “ .. perhaps that’s what separates Bure from Gretzky.

Yes I agree.  If Bure had played in New York to start his career he would have had a much bigger impact on the league.  Bure was more exciting than Gretzky.  I would say he was the most exciting player ever.  The Gretzky Oilers as a team was the most exciting team ever.  They were my favourite team to watch back in the day.  I even preferred them over Vancouver during the 80's as we sucked bad during that decade other than the 1982 playoff run.  I still remember the Oilers coming into the Coliseum and literally destroying us every time.  

Edited July 29, 2019 by Elias Pettersson

[Nucker 67]

Bure - Flash and dash excitement

Gretzky - Smarter and more gifted than everyone else

[Yung1]

A lot of people penciling Podkolzin into the 1st line. I actually see him as more of a supporting cast player. Someone whose effort level will always been apparent, but whose skill level has him topping out around 25 goals, with maybe a 30 goal season or two mixed in in his prime, but I also wouldn't be surprised in he never hits 30.

He has a good shot and amazing wheels in a straight line, but he isn't overflowing with agility. Doesn't really have a ton of play-making skills. Not necessarily known for IQ. He's kind of like a rich man's Jake Virtanen.

 

My ceiling for Podkolzin is this: He will be best suited in the top 6 as a supporting player. Someone who won't drive the play on his line but will be an extremely valuable asset for zone entry and puck retrieval. I also think his floor isn't far from this either though.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Yung1
words

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, Yung1 said:

A lot of people penciling Podkolzin into the 1st line. I actually see him as more of a supporting cast player. Someone whose effort level will always been apparent, but whose skill level has him topping out around 25 goals, with maybe a 30 goal season or two mixed in in his prime, but I also wouldn't be surprised in he never hits 30.

He has a good shot and amazing wheels in a straight line, but he isn't overflowing with agility. Doesn't really have a ton of play-making skills. Not necessarily known for IQ. He's kind of like a rich man's Jake Virtanen.

 

My ceiling for Podkolzin is this: He will be best suited in the top 6 as a supporting player. Someone who won't drive the play on his line but will be an extremely valuable asset for zone entry and puck retrieval. I also think his floor isn't far from this either though.

 

 

He’s said to have one of the best senses of vision in the draft? He knows where his teammates are at all times? He’s a 17 year old who can improve in every facet?

[Nucker 67]

34 minutes ago, Yung1 said:

He's kind of like a rich man's much better version of Jake Virtanen.

FTFY

 

Pod has bullish speed and force, but he's also a very smart player. He's good in all facets of the game and hates to lose.

 

Jake looks like he plays scared at times. He might suffer from lack of confidence too, because he's a one trick pony (so far). He's got speed, and he can hit, but he's got to do more than that. Skating fast alone, while throwing the odd hit, doesn't win games.

Edited July 29, 2019 by NUCKER67

[Noble 6]

3 hours ago, Canuck Surfer said:

We have 31, going on 32 teams.  

 

Some team defences are watered down. Cap problems, so they have slugs many tears on their bottom pair; Toronto? Many cannot find right shot defenders & the cannot clear the puck on their backhand; Philly until this year? More are big, fast & physical. But cannit handle the puck with their head up; Gudbrandson? Some are old. Some are slow. Some just never had any lateral agility. Could get turned inside out... 

 

Phaneuf? Bartkowski?? Andy MacDonald??? Brandon Manning! Mark Stone?

 

Hell even good defenders get beat by guys with no more speed than, say, Podkolzin Matthew Tkachuk... 

 

He'll walk plenty of guys.

 

So we're hoping that Podkolzin will generate offense against other team's bottom pairings? That doesn't sound like a high end forward talent to me. Guys like Pettersson and Horvat are producing against the other team's top defensive unit most nights. 

[Yung1]

50 minutes ago, Stamkos said:

 

 

He’s said to have one of the best senses of vision in the draft? He knows where his teammates are at all times? He’s a 17 year old who can improve in every facet?

His vision in the defensive zone is quite good from what I've seen from his play and heard about from scouts/experts. He certainly is not a playmaker and is sometimes out of position offensively.

He can definitely improve in a lot of ways. Playmaking is a hard one to teach though.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Yung1

[Yung1]

49 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

FTFY

 

Pod has bullish speed and force, but he's also a very smart player. He's good in all facets of the game and hates to lose.

 

Jake looks like he plays scared at times. He might suffer from lack of confidence too, because he's a one trick pony (so far). He's got speed, and he can hit, but he's got to do more than that. Skating fast alone, while throwing the odd hit, doesn't win games.

Your "FTFY" edit was literally just another way to say what I was trying to say lol.

 

Something tells me your opinion is based off of reading about him and not watching him play. He can be out of position offensively at times and is known to have his head down too often. Every once in a while he gets popped as a result.

Edit: I want to add that I think Podkolzin is going to be a great player and an extremely valuable asset for us. The kind of player you win championships with. I just think we're miscasting him a bit.

Edited July 29, 2019 by Yung1

[Nucker 67]

39 minutes ago, Yung1 said:

Your "FTFY" edit was literally just another way to say what I was trying to say lol.

Yeah, I kind of realized that after I FIFY lol I guess I really didn't fix anything

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Yung1 said:

His vision in the defensive zone is quite good from what I've seen from his play and heard about from scouts/experts. He certainly is not a playmaker and is sometimes out of position offensively.

He can definitely improve in a lot of ways. Playmaking is a hard one to teach though.

Examples? The scouting reports and what I've seen say otherwise.

 

Lastwordonhockey.com 

Spoiler

Skating

Podkolzin is a good skater, featuring a powerful stride that generates good speed and also allows him to fight through checks and control the puck down low. He has a good first step and above average acceleration. Once he gets a step on a defender he can drop his shoulder and take the puck to the net. Podkolzin has excellent balance and wins battles on the boards and in front of the net. Overall his speed is good but not great, however, the power and balance set him apart. Profiling as a power winger, he works well below the hash marks in the cycle game. Podkolzin can take the puck to the front of the net and has the ability to finish when he gets there.

Offensive Game

Podkolzin has good stickhandling skills which make him tough to defend in one-on-one situations. He can beat defenders out of the corner, or off the rush. Podkolzin also has very good passing skills with the vision to find open teammates and the skill to open up passing lanes and get the puck through. He creates turnovers and offence through a strong forecheck and by quickly putting pressure on defenders. Podkolzin is powerful and wins his battles on the boards and creates problems in front of the opponent’s net.

All that said, the true standout area of Podkolzin’s game is his ability to be a sniper. A natural goal scorer, Podkolzin has a strong wrist shot with a lightning quick release. This release can fool goaltenders and he beats them off the rush. He has shown the smarts to use a defender as a screen when taking this shot. His soft hands also allow him to finish in close to the net. Most impressive though is his one-timer, which is a rocket. Podkolzin finds the soft spot in the defence and gets himself open for the pass.

Defensive Game

Podkolzin brings high-compete level and an effective defensive game. He is willing to show the same battle in his own end that he brings in the offensive end. Podkolzin fights for loose pucks and supports the defence down low. He uses his stick well to break up plays. Podkolzin has shown his instincts and defensive play on the penalty kill and is trusted by his junior level coaches in key situations.

Projection and Comparison

Podkolzin is close to being NHL ready but as mentioned above, whatever team drafts him will need to have patience due to his KHL situation. He could be a first line winger in the NHL, using both skill and power to put up points. While this is by no means a talent comparison, his game and style is reminiscent of Rick Nash.

 

[Yung1]

14 minutes ago, Stamkos said:

Examples? The scouting reports and what I've seen say otherwise.

 

Lastwordonhockey.com 

  Hide contents

Skating

Podkolzin is a good skater, featuring a powerful stride that generates good speed and also allows him to fight through checks and control the puck down low. He has a good first step and above average acceleration. Once he gets a step on a defender he can drop his shoulder and take the puck to the net. Podkolzin has excellent balance and wins battles on the boards and in front of the net. Overall his speed is good but not great, however, the power and balance set him apart. Profiling as a power winger, he works well below the hash marks in the cycle game. Podkolzin can take the puck to the front of the net and has the ability to finish when he gets there.

Offensive Game

Podkolzin has good stickhandling skills which make him tough to defend in one-on-one situations. He can beat defenders out of the corner, or off the rush. Podkolzin also has very good passing skills with the vision to find open teammates and the skill to open up passing lanes and get the puck through. He creates turnovers and offence through a strong forecheck and by quickly putting pressure on defenders. Podkolzin is powerful and wins his battles on the boards and creates problems in front of the opponent’s net.

All that said, the true standout area of Podkolzin’s game is his ability to be a sniper. A natural goal scorer, Podkolzin has a strong wrist shot with a lightning quick release. This release can fool goaltenders and he beats them off the rush. He has shown the smarts to use a defender as a screen when taking this shot. His soft hands also allow him to finish in close to the net. Most impressive though is his one-timer, which is a rocket. Podkolzin finds the soft spot in the defence and gets himself open for the pass.

Defensive Game

Podkolzin brings high-compete level and an effective defensive game. He is willing to show the same battle in his own end that he brings in the offensive end. Podkolzin fights for loose pucks and supports the defence down low. He uses his stick well to break up plays. Podkolzin has shown his instincts and defensive play on the penalty kill and is trusted by his junior level coaches in key situations.

Projection and Comparison

Podkolzin is close to being NHL ready but as mentioned above, whatever team drafts him will need to have patience due to his KHL situation. He could be a first line winger in the NHL, using both skill and power to put up points. While this is by no means a talent comparison, his game and style is reminiscent of Rick Nash.

 

I don't see anything in that report that is out of line with what I'm describing, though I disagree with the Rick Nash comp. Rick Nash had elite hands from a young age, where Podkolzin's hands are like a 7.5 out of 10. EDIT: nvm, it does mention good passing. My bad.

The Scouching Report has a good review...

 

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by Yung1
i was wrong

[Canuck Surfer]

3 hours ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

 

So we're hoping that Podkolzin will generate offense against other team's bottom pairings? That doesn't sound like a high end forward talent to me. Guys like Pettersson and Horvat are producing against the other team's top defensive unit most nights. 

When he's a rookie?

 

Absolutely the coach will be looking for favourable match ups for him. And after an icing. And when a top opposing D takes a penalty. And when a player is injured, or playing injured. And, and, and...

 

Its one of the cool things about good coaches & hockey.

 

But lets be fair?  Podkolzin was reported as a consensus top 3 overall pick for much of the year.. All those scouts and commentators were seeing something  you, as a fan, are not seeing. Has the type of explosive acceleration, power and strength to beat players 1 on 1. He will, MOST DEFINITELY also embarrass more than a few NHL D.  https://dobberprospects.com/consolidated-2019-nhl-draft-rankings-top-130-january-2019/

 

[Canuck Surfer]

5 hours ago, NUCKER67 said:

Bure - Flash and dash excitement

Gretzky - Smarter and more gifted than everyone else

There have been a fair few players more effective than Pav? Obviously Gretzky was mesmerizing beyond any description.

 

Man, who was ever more a pure adrenaline rush?  Fluck he was fun to watch!

 

 

But were in for such a treat with Elias Pettersson. He breaks ankles like Datsyuk, drops backhand dimes  like Hank Sedin and still shoots as good as anyone not named Ovechkin.

 

That said...  Who is the closest to Pavel Bure, in todays game?

 

Kucherov has the speed, and is pretty slick. Not quite the power? The Hughes brothers are also going to be sic! Maybe MacKinnon or Patrick Kane??

[theo5789]

I noticed various posts around suggesting that they hope we can get Podkolzin here earlier (before his KHL contract ends), my question is why?

 

He's developing in a men's league and isn't burning any contract years with us. He will come in as an ELC right around when we will be giving raises to EP and Hughes. If he comes as advertised as can step into our top 6, it will be good for our cap. If he's honouring his contract, it's a good thing. I don't feel any concern about him not wanting to come over as all he has said is that he wants to play in the NHL, but wants to be ready for the NHL when he arrives.

 

This isn't any different then say a college prospect signing later after a couple years of school. We just need to be patient and there's no need for us to rush him in.

[Pete M]

On 7/28/2019 at 3:54 PM, 48MPHSlapShot said:

I know this isn't directed at me, but I worry about his ability to use his teammates. I'm still pretty ignorant on the player and basing this almost entirely on hilights, but from what I've seen, he tries to do too much himself. Almost every goal I've seen is a largely individual effort, with him breaking his way through the opposing defenders and powering his way to the net himself with his strength. Players are much bigger and stronger in the NHL, and I just don't think he'll be capable of pulling off the type of offense that he tends to deliver on a consistent level in this league. I imagine he'll break through once in a while, but it's difficult for me to watch his hilights and say with any certainty that his game will translate into top 6 NHL production. I see comparable traits to Virtanen in his game. Obviously they're different players, with Podkolzin being stronger and having a higher hockey IQ, while Virtanen obviously has the advantage in speed and probably with his shot as well, but they're both players that have a north-south game and both players made a name for themselves by being able to power their ways to the net. I just don't think that's going to translate when he starts playing against stronger competition. 

 

He's not going to be able to pull stuff like this off on a consistent level against NHL competition imho. 

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I think he'll be a good player. A coaches dream and I can see him being a dangerous penalty killer as well, but I don't see him generating a ton of even strength offense. We'll see how he fares in the KHL this year, but I have the feeling that he's going to struggle to produce a lot more than people here seem to think.

 

Obviously I hope I'm wrong and that I wind up with egg on my face, but I'm honestly not in love with the pick at 10. If it makes you feel any better I was dead wrong about Pettersson when he was drafted 

Dude...this was less than 3 minutes in the game with Sweden ahead by a goal....he is going to be a beast....he took this game over because no one else was doing it.

[48MPHSlapShot]

11 minutes ago, Pete M said:

Dude...this was less than 3 minutes in the game with Sweden ahead by a goal....he is going to be a beast....he took this game over because no one else was doing it.

I'm just using that clip as an example. The point is that much of his offense looks pretty similar, with him powering his way through to the net. I just wonder how consistently he's going to be able to play his offensive game when he doesn't have a decisive strength advantage like he does playing kids his own age.

[Noble 6]

3 hours ago, Canuck Surfer said:

When he's a rookie?

 

Absolutely the coach will be looking for favourable match ups for him. And after an icing. And when a top opposing D takes a penalty. And when a player is injured, or playing injured. And, and, and...

 

Its one of the cool things about good coaches & hockey.

 

But lets be fair?  Podkolzin was reported as a consensus top 3 overall pick for much of the year.. All those scouts and commentators were seeing something  you, as a fan, are not seeing. Has the type of explosive acceleration, power and strength to beat players 1 on 1. He will, MOST DEFINITELY also embarrass more than a few NHL D.  https://dobberprospects.com/consolidated-2019-nhl-draft-rankings-top-130-january-2019/

 

I was talking about his ceiling, which would be throughout his prime. Not one season.

 

Podkolzin was a consensus top 3 pick for most of this year and there are a lot of people who were pretty high on him throughout the year. I just don't see that level of talent in the player. I question his producing ability and high end offensive skillset as he has not produced at a high level outside of short tournaments. However, nobody can question his attention to detail, determination, grit and two way ability. 

 

Horvat has embarrassed defenseman multiple times in his career, including the Norris trophy winning Victor Hedman. As much as I love the player, I don't think his hands and overall skill level are anything elite. 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, 48MPHSlapShot said:

I'm just using that clip as an example. The point is that much of his offense looks pretty similar, with him powering his way through to the net. I just wonder how consistently he's going to be able to play his offensive game when he doesn't have a decisive strength advantage like he does playing kids his own age.

If he plays in a mens league as a 17 year old... and much of his offence is the same... 

 

Hasn't he lost the decisive strength advantage already then?