12th Overall: Minnesota Wild – Vasili Podkolzin, RW (Sebastian)
The most polarizing prospect of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft is undoubtedly Vasili Podkolzin. He was touted as being the clear third best player available as recently as January. However, the hard-working winger failed to impress in the various Russian leagues he played in this season. Thus, he falls into the laps of the Minnesota Wild who will swing for the fences with their selection. Podkolzin has the potential to be an elite scorer in the NHL, but he could also fail to develop into a player capable of playing against grown men. Minnesota will look past these warning signs and pick Podkolzin at #12, a selection that may very well be seen as a steal in a few years time.
Source:
Montreal Canadiens: Mock Draft for the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft
4.
Vasili Podkolzin, RW / 06-24-01 / 6’1 190lbs / VHL
An absolute pit bull. Podkolzin offers high-end offensive awareness, lightning quick hands and a confrontational style. Despite some muted point totals coming from his club team, he’s made a habit of showing up in a big way on the international stage. A potential high-end producer in the NHL.
For a more in-depth look, check out our
Deep Dive on Podkolzin
Source:
Cam Robinson’s 2019 NHL Draft Rankings – April 2019
6) Detroit Red Wings — Vasili Podkolzin (RW, Russia, SKA St. Petersburg MHL)
Height/Weight: 6-foot-0.75, 196 pounds (CO)
Playoff Stats: 8 GP-2 G-1 A-3 PTS (VHL), 3 GP-2 G-1 A-3 PTS (MHL)
Regular Season Stats: 14 GP-2 G-3 A-5 PTS (VHL), 12 GP-6 G-2 A-8 PTS (MHL)
Central Scouting: 2 EUS
THW Larry Fisher: 3
THW Ryan Pike: 9
THW Andrew Forbes: 3
ANALYSIS: Podkolzin has become one of this draft’s most polarizing prospects and it’s no secret that he’s still under contract in Russia for two more seasons. That will scare off some teams in the top five, in the top 10, but I don’t think he’s falling past Detroit. Podkolzin will be worth the wait and Steve Yzerman has time on his side in taking the GM reins there with a rebuild in mind.
Yzerman has had a ton of success with Russians throughout his career — winning Stanley Cups as a player in Detroit with Sergei Fedorov, Igor Larionov, Slava Kozlov, Slava Fetisov and Vladimir Konstantinov, and coming close as a manager in Tampa Bay with Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Mikhail Sergachev. So, rest assured, Yzerman won’t be scared off by the ‘Russian factor’ when it comes to Podkolzin, who dominated his draft peers at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and was every bit as impressive at the World Juniors as Hughes and Kakko. Podkolzin’s stock took a hit at the under-18 tournament, but he was playing hurt there, and his overall body of work on the international stage suggests he’s the third-best forward available in 2019.
Source:
https://thehockeywriters.com/2019-nhl-mock-draft-round-1/
6. Vasili Podkolzin
Podkolzin is one of the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. Early in the season he seemed like the consensus No.3 overall pick but has slipped a little over the course of the season. Whether that is due to his play or teams fearing that he may stay in Russia (or both), Podkolzin will absolutely go in the top-10 and Detroit seems like the most logical landing spot.
The Red Wings organization has always been linked to Russian talent and their new GM has never shied away from taking Russians in the NHL Draft:
Another red flag for Podkolzin is his skating. He is rated as a below-average skater but does everything else so well that it doesn’t seem to matter. Podkolzin has great hands, a great shot, and great vision but it’s his work ethic that sets him apart. When he has the puck, Podkolzin is constantly driving the middle and taking the puck to high-danger areas. When he doesn’t have the puck he is in hard on the forecheck and working to get it.
Podkolzin bounced between the MHL (Russia’s top junior league) and the VHL (second tier pro league behind KHL) and put up decent numbers as a 17-year-old. He had eight points (6G / 2A) in 12 MHL games and five points (2G / 3A) in 14 VHL games while seeing limited ice-time. While representing Russia, he had four points (1G / 3A) in seven games as the captain of their U18 World Juniors team and three assists in seven games at the U20 World Juniors.
SKA St. Petersburg, which is the richest team in the KHL,
has Podkolzin under contract through the 2021 season. He plans to play out the duration of that contract and many believe that he will come to the NHL after that. However, whenever you are dealing with a SKA and their deep pockets, it can be difficult to get a player to come to North America.
Scouting Report
He’s a complete winger with all the qualities that you want in a player. He’s competitive and smart, he can score and make plays and he kills penalties. He has some of the things that Pavel Datsyuk had – strong on the puck and maneuvres the puck in tight and you can’t get it away from him. He’s got that uncanny ability to open up the puck for great opportunities. —
Craig Button (TSN.ca)
I see a forward with high-end skill, high-end vision, a high-end shot, an elite compete level and physicality, all despite iffy skating, I think he has the potential to be a top-line power winger in the NHL. —
Corey Pronman (The Athletic)
Source:
NHL Mock Draft 2019: No.6 — Vasili Podkolzin
6. Detroit Red Wings
Vasili Podkolzin (right wing, SKA St Petersburg)
The 6-foot-1, 183-pounder won’t even be 18 years old at the draft, but is expected to be the first Russian player selected despite some disagreement about his game. Some see him as a future dominant right wing just coming into his own, and others see him as more of a hard-nosed, hard-working type who doesn’t have some of the natural offensive gifts of the other forwards taken at the top of the first round. Certainly the Red Wings aren’t afraid of taking a Russian player, and they could be big beneficiaries of that approach if Podkolzin pans out.
Source:
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/br...ft-10-hughes-leads-way-usa-hockey?int#slide-8
9. Anaheim Ducks — Vasili Podkolzin (RW, VHL)
With Dach and Cozens off the board, Podkolzin seems like the next best fit for Anaheim. He’s physical— sometimes described as a “pit bull”— and he has a bit of a mean streak. Philip Broberg or Cole Caufield could also be in play here, but I think Anaheim goes for the Russian.
Podkolzin put himself on the map with a dominant Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, quickly leapfrogging to the consensus top 5. He lagged behind in league play, failing to crack a point-per-game in the MHL, which is quite concerning, but his all-around offensive toolkit should be very attractive to NHL teams.
Source:
2019 NHL Mock Draft - DraftGeek
3. Vasili Podkolzin
When you talk about "North-South" players, Podkolzin is exactly what comes to mind. Nearly every time you watch him, it may look like the ice is tilted towards the net he's attacking. He's a top-three talent in this draft and just finds away to break through defenses and maintain puck control. The points didn't come easy for Podkolzin all the time this year, but it's clear he is an elite offensive threat. The biggest knock against him is his skating: he generates good speed despite a very choppy stride.
Source:
2019 NHL Draft Rankings: No. 31 to 1
A LOT of information at SBNation's mock draft here where they have him going 12th:
NHL Mock Draft 2019: Minnesota Wild select Vasili Podkolzin with the No. 12 pick
