Diversification
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- Jun 21, 2019
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Interesting pick. Getting a bit of a Dustin Brown vibe from the limited video I’ve seen. Not a bad return for 10 OA if that’s the case.
Prospect Info: 10th overall: Vancouver selects Vasili Podkolzin (RW, SKA St. Petersburg)
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Pip
Registered User
Agreed. Some rankings had him as high as 4th. Were it not for the Russian factor it's likely he's long gone by the time we're picking. I like this pick.
Melvin
21/12/05
The Russian Factor is a real thing though; it shouldn't be dismissed so casually.
Who dismissed it casually? What I said is true. Were it not for the Russian factor he's long gone by the time we're up. I have little doubt we'll be able to get him over here. He was one of the top players in the draft and we got him at 10th. it was a great pick.
If he keeps showing the level of drive that he plays with now, the kid’s gonna be alright. After watching a bunch of clips of him I think he has more than enough talent to be a very good player in this league. Looks like a tailor made line mate for EP and Boeser.
Melvin
21/12/05
Getting him over isn't hard. Getting him to stay is another matter.
logan5
Registered User
This line in that article stood out for me - "He is clearly the third best talent in this draft..."
Is this the consensus among scouts? If so, this pick could turn out brilliantly. I remember teams passing on Jagr because they thought he might not come to the NHL. Hope this has the same result.
I pretty much loathe highlight videos as you can put them together for any draft eligible player. They don’t convey much.
I’m reading about his lack of production or inconsistent production. How his upside isn’t likely top line etc. but that he forechecks hard and that will his ticket to be a sure fire nhler. That’s simply my impression based on what I’ve seen. That historically has not been a comforting impression. I’m not saying it’s a bad pick as he went where he likely should have went. It wasn’t off the board or anything but concern comes to mind for me on some of what I’ve read that it’ll end up being an effective pick for the team.
Keeping him isn't going to be a problem if he turns out to be the player he's capable of.
That’s not really what people like about him. Yes his effort and intensity is foundational to his game, but it certainly isn’t *all* there is. This isn’t Tyler Motte on a cocaine bender.
I’m more worried about him being talked about like Raffi Torres. Decent enough player but not really one that helps the organization take a step forward. Again he’s not a reach. He seems to have gone where he should have so we will wait and see if the scouts got it right.
BeardyCanuck03
@BeardyCanuck03
The top end Russians always come over though.
Now, I can understand the Russian factor being you aren't sure exactly what you are getting because these kids get bounced around from team to team way too much in their younger years.
For sure he *could* end up exactly like Raffi Torres or even worse, but that’s a risk of any prospect. I don’t think it’s any more true of Podz than of any of the guys who we could have taken at 10 instead. Even Boldy who I would have preferred could end up as just a Brett Connolly. But that isn’t the upside for Podz nor is his floor really what people like about him (or least for myself). I’m not trying to sell you on him - I have my own concerns and he wouldn’t have been my top pick (Boldy) or even my second (Newhook). But I don’t think he’s terribly far off those two and he might even be ahead of them in the mainstream scouting circles.
All the top Russian Players come over. Everyone keeps mentioning Kaprisov, he was a 4th round pick. Nothing like Podkolzin
Melvin
21/12/05
Again, it's getting them to stay that's the hard part. A lot of them come over but if things aren't going well then they are a higher risk to bolt than non-Russian players. And things probably aren't going to go well. Because it's the Canucks.
Well if things aren’t going well that essentially means they aren’t a good player or along those lines which is another ball game
Derp Kassian
Registered User
he played in 3 different leagues in his draft year, from what I'm reading this is highly unusual... his d1 year will be the true indicator of what he will be imo
Mr. Canucklehead
Kitimat Canuck
It definitely caught me off guard at the draft, in that there had been virtually no pre-draft buzz linking the Canucks to Podkolzin, but after the initial surprise some real excitement. A longer term project to be sure, but a very skilled, versatile player that I’m excited to have in the pipeline going forward.
mathonwy
Positively #toxic
- Jan 21, 2008
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I dunno.
Vancouver is a small city comparatively speaking and Russians seem to like to live big and spend big.
Bleach Clean
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- Aug 9, 2006
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I understand. With that said, if his true talent puts him in the top5, perhaps all of this is a risk worth taking?
Follow up question: Where do you rank just his skill level? Total package implies that he gives up something in pure sill, but has a well rounded game.
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