Notebook: Klimovich, Voit, Kolosov & more
Every season, FCHockey’s scouts are scouring the globe to get eyes on prospects eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft and beyond.
They spend countless hours watching both live games and game tape to get the best possible analysis on the prospects entering the NHL Draft. Our Unpacking the Notebook series takes a look at some of the reports that FCHockey’s scouts have filed over the past week.
Here’s a glimpse at our scout’s analysis.
DANILA KLIMOVICH, C, MINSKIE ZUBRY (BELARUS VYSSHAYA)
YUNIOR MINSK 2 – MINSKIE ZUBRY 3 – MARCH 26, 2021
Scouting report by Brandon Holmes
This showing for Danila Klimovich in Minskie Zubry’s playoff matchup with Yunior Minsk was somewhat mixed, as the Belarussian winger showcased some high-end flash to his game while also showing red flags in overall game. With the puck on his stick, Klimovich attacks with the mindset of a flashy and dynamic skilled finisher, constantly challenging defenders with one-on-one finesse while prodding for space in the offensive zone. While carrying the puck through the neutral zone, Klimovich is able to find lanes for zone entries with his ability to use skill and agility to weave through traffic, though his overall awareness with where he was on the ice seemed to be lacking at times. Throughout the game, there were multiple instances of Klimovich stick handling his way into trouble, seemingly having tunnel vision while in the offensive zone which led to offensive zone turnovers when a simple dump off to a teammate would have preserved offensive zone possession. Klimovich’s tendency to play what I would call somewhat selfishly with the puck on his stick also fed into his identity as a shoot-first player; his playmaking awareness seemed to be somewhat lacking throughout the game, and far too often he decided to fire the puck into blocked shooting lanes rather than looking for a pass to one of his teammates, and this tendency to do so showing up in the box score with just seven of Klimovich’s 13 shot attempts finding their way on net. When shooting the puck, however, it was clear that Klimovich is well-versed in this area of the offensive game, as his shot release was quick and he more often than not generated good power on his wrist shot. While playing away from the puck, Klimovich routinely left me wanting more, as he was most often coasting on both forechecks and backchecks and seemed to be disinterested in the play when the puck was not on his stick. All-in-all, Klimovich showcased some offensive flash that allowed him to be an effective situational offensive player throughout the game, but I would like to see much further development in his overall 200-foot game in future viewings.
JONATHAN MYRENBERG, D, Sollentuna HC (HOCKEYETTAN)
Sollentuna HC 4 – Stromsbro IF 3 – FEBRUARY 26, 2021
Scouting report by Fredrik Haak
Jonathan Myrenberg is an all-round defenseman with good body strength. He has great skating technique and manages to gain into fast speed both with and without the puck. This game started with some less good efforts though. He gave away a few easy passes and also lost the puck on the offensive blue line, but managed to repair his mistake by chasing and cleared the breakaway. Myrenberg skates fast to get the puck when opponents dump it and he wants to start quick transitions, but today in the first half of the game his passes was not hitting his teammates sticks as it normally do. He was also overplayed sometimes in his own zone and lost his marking around the net. He worked his way into this game and the second half of it was much better overall. He stood up at the offensive blue line to interrupt opponents and capture the puck early. He acted very confident with the puck on the power play and manages to find opportunities to shot which he does well. Myrenberg has a great shot and could use it even more. Sometimes Myrenberg is standing still in both offensive and defensive situations and that is something I’m not used to see him do. When he plays with aggressiveness and acts directly I think he gets to show his great potential. He got a lot of time in special teams tonight in both 5-on-3 and 5-on-4 and he does that part really well. He reads the game and makes it difficult for opponents to start their play and be creative. This evening, Myrenberg mixed good and bad efforts but he has potential if he continues to develop ahead.
TY VOIT, LW, PBHH (PBHH)
INSTAT 2 – PBHH 5 – JUNE 2, 2021
Scouting report by Olivia McArter
Ty Voit showed to have strong compete and momentum throughout the majority of this game and held game pace quite well. He has good stick preparation and always looks ready to receive passes and keep the play moving along. He has quite good reach which often allows him to gain possession and shows decent control. Towards the middle of the game, he was often able to find open ice to stay open and watch for an open puck to push over to linemates for a chance on net. He shows to be decent defensively and tends to be a quick stepped skater when moving up ice. He was able to have quick sharp stops when his opponent would try to switch directions of the play and reacts well to the play. He had moments where he started slowing down and had lower momentum late in the period. Voit showed to have a decent shot when he could generate the opportunity and his puck handling abilities were just as well.
KALLE VAISANEN, LW, TPS U20 (SM-sarja)
TPS U20 9 – HPK U20 1 – MARCH 20, 2021
Scouting report by Curtis Schwartzkopf
Kalle Vaisanen likes to go to the front of the net and camp there, showing a good ability to plant his body for position and keep himself square to the puck. He has good spatial awareness of everyone on the ice and will not take himself out of position or open ice to overcrowd an area. A byproduct of this is he easily won a puck battle on the boards where he was patiently waiting and then fed it to the point for a long shot that ended up in the net. Vaisanen has good forechecking ability and applies pressure when appropriate at both ends of the ice. He has a decent shot though it was inconsistent on how much velocity he could get on it. Given his size, some technical adjustments to Vaisanen’s shot should allow him to get more zip on them. In this game, he also had a goal from the slot where he kept his feet moving as the puck got rotated around, eventually finding him for a point blank shot that he finished. There’s some untapped speed potential in Vaisanen as he has the look of a player who has grown quickly but hasn’t been able to adjust his stride to be more efficient. With his effort level, an NHL skating coach could really turn Vaisanen into an effective two-way forward by improving his speed and acceleration. As this was complete domination by the TPS U20 squad, h wasn’t asked to do much defensively but showed a good understanding of his defensive assignments. Much like in the offensive zone, when in his own end, he likes to move around a lot and is rarely standing still, constantly looking for open ice to help with a breakout. In one instance, Vaisanen identified a safe opportunity to exit the zone early to make himself available for a stretch pass that he wasn’t able to handle. There did seem to be a lack of strength when handling the puck for Vaisanen which may explain his lack of controlled zone exits and entries in this game. Getting stronger overall, combined with working on his skating would certainly help give him more confidence in controlling the puck more often though. Overall, with his size, compete level, and general strength for his positional awareness, Vaisanen certainly is a nice project an NHL team can let develop a few years.
YURI ANUFRIYEV, D, KUZNETSKIE MEDVEDI (MHL)
Novokuznetsk 1 – Omsk 4 – January 22, 2021
Scouting report by Derek Neumeier
Yuri Anufriyev is the type of raw, longshot prospect that is worth gambling on late in the draft, because if he really hits the scout that argued for him will look like a genius. He is a massive physical specimen who is still a long ways away from filling out his frame and hitting his athletic peak, which suggests a lot of possibility for improvement and development. He is surprisingly balanced and agile for a defenseman his size — he’s no Cale Makar or anything, but he can pivot, shift his weight, adjust his feet and change directions smoothly enough. He’s not very quick in a straight line, forwards or backwards, but more strength and conditioning will help him improve that. He’s a very territorial defenseman who doesn’t stay static while defending and will step up on opponents, usually going for the pokecheck with his long stick. Knows how to use his size effectively and plays with an edge at times, including eliminating opposing players who get too close to his crease. Does great work along the boards, utilizing a combination of his size and stick to either get the puck or poke it free to a teammate. Likes to apply pressure while he’s defending, which helps him force possession changes, and he’ll happily join the rush in transition if he’s in the right situation for it. Has a big cannon of a shot from the point, but it’s pretty wild and he tries to force a shooting chance a little too often, instead of looking for better options. Like most huge blueliners, his puck control is a real problem, and he can be prone to turnovers when he tries to pass. He’s just not a guy who you’d want to have the puck on his stick unless he has tons of time and space. Displays good situational awareness and decision-making most of the time, but there is definitely a lot of room for improvement. If he has the right mindset and commitment moving forward, and gets paired up with the right development system, he could become a guy who plays in the NHL on a bottom pair and who helps out on the penalty kill.
ALEXEI KOLOSOV, G, BELARUS (WHC)
BELARUS 0 – RUSSIA 6 – MARCH 6, 2020
Scouting report by Shaun Richardson
Even with his team being generally outplayed on this occasion, Alexei Kolosov put together a very strong performance and played a tidy game. His mobility is very good and his positional awareness was excellent. He was able to come out of his crease to challenge shooters and slide back to either post with quickness and accuracy. His comfort and effectiveness with his glove hand were at another level altogether when compared to several of his peers. He made highly difficult glove saves but there was no sense that he was over using his glove. He didn’t reach across his body to force a glove save and he didn’t handcuff himself trying to use his glove on a low center mass shot that was more suited to just being swallowed up by his torso. On one save in particular Kolosov’s hand speed was shown as he flashed his glove to take away a point blank one-timer that found its way through a crowd. As impressive as that save was, his overall ability to contain the puck and deny rebounds was also a key strength of his. At about 6-foot-1, Kolosov is not a behemoth in the net but certainly plays a style that gives up nothing to taller netminders. He stays on his feet and doesn’t simply drop and let things hit him. He reads shooters well, gets up and down very fast and makes appropriate save selection choices. His puck tracking was very fun to watch and you could tell that he has put in the work to develop that skill. On pucks moving higher through the zone Kolosov was out beyond the blue paint and nice and tall. Ever attentive and fixed on the play, as the situation moved lower into the zone his stance became more athletic and he was noticeably engaged in pre-shot preparation. A strong hint toward Kolosov’s competitiveness was in the final minute of the game, with the result long since determined, he turned away a completely undefended scoring chance with a fully extended sprawled out pad save. Even in that moment he was not willing to give up anything without a battle. Kolosov is not a perfect goalie but in this game there were no glaring deficiencies to note. I did notice he only played the puck outside of his crease a couple times and on each occasion it was only to set it up for his defenseman but it’s hard to fault him for that given the lack of opportunity he had to move the puck himself. Given the strength of his play in this game and the fact that he was facing top notch offensive players, I think it is reasonable to believe that Kolosov has strong future potential. Granted, one performance doesn’t define a player and perhaps that’s even more true when it comes to goalies but, there is enough there to indicate that selecting Kolosov in that second tier of goaltenders in this draft could prove to be less risky and a very shrewd decision.
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