I've caught 3 or 4 Chicoutimi games this year but had my first opportunity to see Zhukenov live last night. He made a strong impression.
His anticipation, by which I mean ability to predict the play, was outstanding. It often seemed the puck was following him around when in reality he was finding the right spots. He got a greasy rebound goal on the pp out from a pile of bodies because of it, as example.
His compete level seems high. He took a pair of heavy hits, one in the second and one in the third, that certainly left their mark. On both occasions he tried to give it back , to any one he could line up really, the very same shift.
He wasn't perfect. He made a few unforced turnovers on low percentage passes. He took an untimely tripping penalty late in the third with his team down by a goal and on the powerplay. Also with their net empty he tried to stickhandle through three Tigres at the blue line, only to turn it over, leading to the empty net goal that iced the game. He did manage to make it through two though..
All in all I thought he was one of the best players on the ice last night.