Vasily Podkolzin | #92 | RW

[TGT68]

Skates like Virtanen.  Passes and controls the offensive zone like JT Miller.  Drives the net like Horvat.  Checks like Motte.  Can play up and down the lineup.  

 

Totally on the team next year  

[-DLC-]

Quote

Is always "on the hunt".... moving into opportune spots...which just happened (and he set up a beautiful chance).   I like how he thinks the game.

(Edit is broken:   this was what I spoke of)

[Googlie]

4 minutes ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Overall rather quiet game offensively. A criticism of Podkolzin still is his overall spacing and tracking from his teammates. He still tends to lurk too closely to his own teammates on up ice breakouts and in the ozone which sort of eliminates himself as a passing option. You can tell though how hungry he is to dictate play with the puck on his stick. Something he will learn though is that spacing himself out and finding the open spot on the ice will get him the puck more often rather than hovering closely to the puck carrier. 

There is a difference between puck support and lurking around because he wants the puck and its the latter. Great to see, but he will afford himself more offensive looks if he grows his trust for his teammates and lets them do his thing. It also allows defenders to easily zone in on two players rather than worrying about the pass going to an outlet.

Good observation - I was thinking that too, but couldn't frame it as eloquently as you did

[BarnBurner]

2 minutes ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Overall rather quiet game offensively. A criticism of Podkolzin still is his overall spacing and tracking from his teammates. He still tends to lurk too closely to his own teammates on up ice breakouts and in the ozone which sort of eliminates himself as a passing option. You can tell though how hungry he is to dictate play with the puck on his stick. Something he will learn though is that spacing himself out and finding the open spot on the ice will get him the puck more often rather than hovering closely to the puck carrier. 

There is a difference between puck support and lurking around because he wants the puck and its the latter. Great to see, but he will afford himself more offensive looks if he grows his trust for his teammates and lets them do his thing. It also allows defenders to easily zone in on two players rather than worrying about the pass going to an outlet.

True. But first of all, it's a great trait to have at such a young age. And secondly, once he's surrounded with quality players on the Canucks, that should free him up to create more offense. 

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

Twice on Germany's powerplay Podkolzin quickly jumps on the puck carrier leading to reversal of puck possession. This is something Green is going to love, Podkolzin's line always subsequently never spends much time in the dzone because his conscientious defensive play leads to forays the other way of the end of the ice.

 

Hasn't had much offensive generation today's game but his impact is being felt defensively. 5v5 Russia has spent much of the game in the German's zone thanks largely to Podkolzin and his line doing the heavy lifting in the dzone.

[-DLC-]

8 minutes ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Overall rather quiet game offensively. A criticism of Podkolzin still is his overall spacing and tracking from his teammates. He still tends to lurk too closely to his own teammates on up ice breakouts and in the ozone which sort of eliminates himself as a passing option. You can tell though how hungry he is to dictate play with the puck on his stick. Something he will learn though is that spacing himself out and finding the open spot on the ice will get him the puck more often rather than hovering closely to the puck carrier. 

There is a difference between puck support and lurking around because he wants the puck and its the latter. Great to see, but he will afford himself more offensive looks if he grows his trust for his teammates and lets them do his thing. It also allows defenders to easily zone in on two players rather than worrying about the pass going to an outlet.

Hmmm, I don't know.

 

I almost see it as a tactic he uses.   Like a sneak handoff where they don't know WHO the puck carrier will be...that he is a distraction by doing that.

 

Just my opinion....but it could be slightly intentional.  Not sure it's based in not trusting the other guys.

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

3 minutes ago, debluvscanucks said:

Hmmm, I don't know.

 

I almost see it as a tactic he used.   Like a sneak handoff where they don't know WHO the puck carrier will be...that he is a distraction by doing that.

 

Just my opinion....but it could be slightly intentional.  Not sure it's not trusting the other guys.

It could be.

 

It just more so resembles kind of the Tim Bits hockey players at intermission where the congregate so closely because they want the puck haha. I think overtime coaches will eventually tell players, keep moving your feet, we get you want the puck, but if you move your feet more and find the open space the puck is more likely to find you in those spaces.

 

Podkolzin does a great job usually to do that but he has a tendency to lurk around too closely to the puck carrier and kind of negates himself time to time. A lot of times he does had very good puck support but overall he would be more effective if he had a little bit more spacing. The idea of being too close too also leads to the defender to zone in on two guys rather than wondering where the pass will go.  Not a bad criticism on Podz though, I like that it can be an option but knowing Green's tendencies is to move your feet, keep moving them and find the open space to create puck support. When you bunch up too closely it can lead to watching the puck rather than reading the actual play itself.

[-DLC-]

Good points...thing is though, he's seldom stationary and is mostly on the move.  So even if in close proximity...doesn't stay there for long.

[Ghostsof1915]

But...but...according to CDC, Benning screws up every draft pick, does nothing but bad contracts, and is the worst GM we've ever had?

[Googlie]

Won't happen now, but I wonder how he might have teamed with Goldy.  For Podz it would give him a skilled Russian speaking linemate who had already made the jump to  North America, while for Goldy it would likewise give him a Russian speaking buddy who could show by example what Green wanted him to become - a 200' player 

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

2nd period summary:

 

- Podkolzin hasn't done very much offensively on the stat sheet, but he has been a factor that has led to a lot of ozone chances for his linemates and other lines.

- consistently shift after shift his attention to the dzone work has led to Russia going on the offensive attack because his subtle chips, dumps, clears, and active stick work in passing lanes has disrupted Germany's continuity on the offensive attack.

- Podkolzin had two really good ozone shifts where he stole the puck and made really good passes in the middle of the ice. High danger passes was critique in his game, where he always elected to make a safe pass, but overall his time in this tourney has seen his vision and playmaking skills as he is now electing to find the open man in high danger areas specifically seem passes through the middle of the ozone.

- Tiresless worker, if I can recall he had 4 takeaways in that period.

- Would like to see the play run through him more often, finding that Khusnutdinov and Amirov are making some blind passes into nowhere, or skating themselves into traffic only to lose the puck.

[JM_]

6 minutes ago, Googlie said:

Won't happen now, but I wonder how he might have teamed with Goldy.  For Podz it would give him a skilled Russian speaking linemate who had already made the jump to  North America, while for Goldy it would likewise give him a Russian speaking buddy who could show by example what Green wanted him to become - a 200' player 

I don't think that would have worked well at all, Goldy was too lazy away from the puck and I can't see Podz putting up with that for too long. 

[Googlie]

2 or 3 years down the road I could see Podz becoming Russia's national team captain 

[Googlie]

2 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I don't think that would have worked well at all, Goldy was too lazy away from the puck and I can't see Podz putting up with that for too long. 

That's exactly why I think it could work- Podz would ream him out ... that's what leaders do

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

He totally sees the game up to the level of a first-liner - but rather than a Tarasenko type, he's the Landeskog that plays with the likes of MacKinnon and Rantanen.

 

But wow. Just the high pace he plays with (from his movements to his passing) and his overall strength is just something to marvel at - similar to a guy like Brady Tkachuk in some senses, but his passing ability reminds me a lot of Radulov's. He's only going to continue to grow too... I can't believe it. 

[Ghostsof1915]

1 minute ago, Googlie said:

That's exactly why I think it could work- Podz would ream him out ... that's what leaders do

Leadership from a young player. Hard work. What's not to love?

[Ghostsof1915]

Just now, Herberts Vasiljevs said:

He totally sees the game up to the level of a first-liner - but rather than a Tarasenko type, he's the Landeskog that plays with the likes of MacKinnon and Rantanen.

 

But wow. Just the high pace he plays with (from his movements to his passing) and his overall strength is just something to marvel at - similar to a guy like Brady Tkachuk in some senses, but his passing ability reminds me a lot of Radulov's. He's only going to continue to grow too... I can't believe it. 

Stop it. You're going to make me drown in my drool.

[Googlie]

Fun fact -  3 of the Canucks most maligned players in recent years were on the ice for Petey's first goal .. Eriksson and Goldy with the assists, and Pouliot as the decoy

[JM_]

1 minute ago, Googlie said:

Fun fact -  3 of the Canucks most maligned players in recent years were on the ice for Petey's first goal .. Eriksson and Goldy with the assists, and Pouliot as the decoy

so you're saying Smith was asleep? 

[Googlie]

3 minutes ago, Jimmy McGill said:

so you're saying Smith was asleep? 

Or maybe sleep-deprived ..... he blinked,  and the shot was past him