Prospect Info: 10th overall: Vancouver selects Vasili Podkolzin (RW, SKA St. Petersburg)

[Hodgy]

If Podkolzin was from Canada or Sweden he would be considered a safe pick.

To a degree, in that his style of play is relatively safe according to many reports. But many reports think he has high end skill that hasn’t translated to high end production, so in this sense, he absolutely isn’t a “safe pick”.

 

[MS]

To a degree, in that his style of play is relatively safe according to many reports. But many reports think he has high end skill that hasn’t translated to high end production, so in this sense, he absolutely isn’t a “safe pick”.

I don’t see the high-end skill.

He’s big and powerful and has enough skill to project as a 25-30 goal, 50-60 point two-way PF along the lines of an Evander Kane or Erik Cole.

There isn’t some 90-point superstar hiding here waiting to break out.

 

[Hodgy]

I don’t see the high-end skill.

He’s big and powerful and has enough skill to project as a 25-30 goal, 50-60 point two-way PF along the lines of an Evander Kane or Erik Cole.

There isn’t some 90-point superstar hiding here waiting to break out.

But some scouts think he does, though, so there are varying opinions, which in and of itself seems to suggest this isn’t a “safe pick”.

 

[I in the Eye]

When I think of highly ranked Russian player, I naturally associate that with high-end skilled player. Maybe others do as well. My initial thought after drafting him was high-end offensive Russian player who slipped because of the Russian factor. But he seems like a Kreider or Kane-type, which would be fantastic... but not at the level of highly ranked Russian player I normally think of. My expectations are somewhere between a Russian Honey Badger and a Russian Evander Kane. Benning, himself, considers Podkolzin a complimentary player... and he's the type of guy to compare a Juolevi to a Lidstrom, or a Makenze Stewart to a Bob Probert. If Benning's own expectations are tempered, it probably makes sense to temper my own.

 

[DonnyNucker]

When I think of highly ranked Russian player, I naturally associate that with high-end skilled player. Maybe others do as well. My initial thought after drafting him was high-end offensive Russian player who slipped because of the Russian factor. But he seems like a Kreider or Kane-type, which would be fantastic... but not at the level of highly ranked Russian player I normally think of. My expectations are somewhere between a Russian Honey Badger and a Russian Evander Kane. Benning, himself, considers Podkolzin a complimentary player... and he's the type of guy to compare a Juolevi to a Lidstrom, or a Makenze Stewart to a Bob Probert. If Benning's own expectations are tempered, it probably makes sense to temper my own.

I think he projects as a very versatile second line winger. Can play both special teams, forecheck hard and contribute defensively as well. I don’t see top line upside. But that’s ok, he has a high floor and will likely be a very useful player. We just missed Zegras so I don’t have any issues with the pick despite the fact I would have taken Boldy

 

[racerjoe]

Doesn't "safe pick" have more to do with their floor than ceiling?

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

When I think of highly ranked Russian player, I naturally associate that with high-end skilled player. Maybe others do as well. My initial thought after drafting him was high-end offensive Russian player who slipped because of the Russian factor. But he seems like a Kreider or Kane-type, which would be fantastic... but not at the level of highly ranked Russian player I normally think of. My expectations are somewhere between a Russian Honey Badger and a Russian Evander Kane. Benning, himself, considers Podkolzin a complimentary player... and he's the type of guy to compare a Juolevi to a Lidstrom, or a Makenze Stewart to a Bob Probert. If Benning's own expectations are tempered, it probably makes sense to temper my own.

Podkolzin's offensive upside is the concern with him. I don't think he will ever be the top end performer but he will be someone who will be a solid 60 point player who can play in all situations.

Very much a Horvat style pick IMO.

 

[Bleach Clean]

If Podkolzin was from Canada or Sweden he would be considered a safe pick.



I don’t think it’s very good. Like, it’s probably above-average for guys at the U18s or peers in the CHL but projecting up levels it’s going to be very average for a skill forward.

Conversely, I’m confused about reports his skating needs improvement. His skating pops carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

Straight line skating, yes. In open ice he can pick up steam quite well. Agility and acceleration are the question marks. His stride is also choppy and not fluid.

Average IQ may be enough given all of his other abilities.

I don’t see the high-end skill.

He’s big and powerful and has enough skill to project as a 25-30 goal, 50-60 point two-way PF along the lines of an Evander Kane or Erik Cole.

There isn’t some 90-point superstar hiding here waiting to break out.

Just curious, do you see 90 point potential in Zegras?

We see Podkolzin's upside similarly: A 50~ point 2way PWF.

Whom would you have taken instead?

 

[clunk]

Podkolzin's offensive upside is the concern with him. I don't think he will ever be the top end performer but he will be someone who will be a solid 60 point player who can play in all situations.

Very much a Horvat style pick IMO.

Horvat style picks are essential in building a balanced team, no doubt about it, but if you include Pettersson, Boeser and Hughes in the 'top end skill' category, I think we still need at least 2 more 'elite' skill guys. Whether we get that through free agency, trade or the draft is the question. Team isn't ready to perform in the playoffs yet.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Horvat style picks are essential in building a balanced team, no doubt about it, but if you include Pettersson, Boeser and Hughes in the 'top end skill' category, I think we still need at least 2 more 'elite' skill guys. Whether we get that through free agency, trade or the draft is the question. Team isn't ready to perform in the playoffs yet.

Which teams have 5 elite skill guys?

 

[clunk]

Which teams have 5 elite skill guys?

Tampa, St Louis, and Boston just off the top of my head.

Tampa: Point, Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Vasilevskiy

St Louis: Binnington, Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, ROR, Parayko

Boston: Pastrnak, Bergeron, Marchand, McAvoy, Krejci/Krug/Rask

"Elite skill guys" are undisputed 1st line forwards, top pairing d-men and elite goaltenders, in my mind. Players you can stick on your top lines and have no doubt that's where they belong. They have the ability to be absolute gamechangers rather than 2nd line tier guys. All are capable of 70+ points for forwards, top pairing defensive capability for d-men, and .920+ SVP% for goalies.

I don't see either Horvat or Podkolzin as 70+ point guys. They're more second line complimentary guys, not your 'go to' guys.

 

[Bleach Clean]

Tampa, St Louis, and Boston just off the top of my head.

Tampa: Point, Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Vasilevskiy

St Louis: Binnington, Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, ROR, Parayko

Boston: Pastrnak, Bergeron, Marchand, McAvoy, Krejci/Krug/Rask

"Elite skill guys" are undisputed 1st line forwards, top pairing d-men and elite goaltenders, in my mind. Players you can stick on your top lines and have no doubt that's where they belong. They have the ability to be absolute gamechangers rather than 2nd line tier guys. All are capable of 70+ points for forwards, top pairing defensive capability for d-men, and .920+ SVP% for goalies.

I don't see either Horvat or Podkolzin as 70+ point guys. They're more second line complimentary guys, not your 'go to' guys.

Elite skill and top line/top pairing are different. Elite skill is Panarin, Pettersson, P. Kane, Marner, Kucherov etc... Top line could be Bergeron, O'Reilly, Marchand etc... The former group is great because of skill and IQ, and the latter group relies on secondary traits to reach the same height.

I don't think any team has 4 to 5 players of the elite skill variety. It's rare. Maybe you could classify TOR in that category, depending upon how you view Nylander and Reilly. Maybe. Point being, as long as Podkolzin turns out, the Canucks will have about 5 building blocks after 6 long years. That's barely enough, but it's enough. Enough to do damage.

They need him to turn out to be very good is what I'm saying. Beyond that, it's bonus time.

 

[clunk]

Elite skill and top line/top pairing are different. Elite skill is Panarin, Pettersson, P. Kane, Marner, Kucherov etc... Top line could be Bergeron, O'Reilly, Marchand etc... The former group is great because of skill and IQ, and the latter group relies on secondary traits to reach the same height.

I don't think any team has 4 to 5 players of the elite skill variety. It's rare. Maybe you could classify TOR in that category, depending upon how you view Nylander and Reilly. Maybe. Point being, as long as Podkolzin turns out, the Canucks will have about 5 building blocks after 6 long years. That's barely enough, but it's enough. Enough to do damage.

They need him to turn out to be very good is what I'm saying. Beyond that, it's bonus time.

I think the problem here is we just have different definitions for the word 'elite'.

Elite, to me, are your top line studs. Your 'go to' guys. I wouldn't classify Horvat as a top line stud, nor a 'go to' guy. He's a good 2nd line player, but he's never going to be a player that you want centering your 1st line against other teams' top players. If I had Bergeron or O'Reilly centering my 1st line, I would be more than satisfied. I don't see Horvat ever being able to put up a 70 point season. It's obviously possible, but I just don't see it. Maybe with good 2nd line wingers... Plus, he doesn't (yet) have a defensive game that you could justify his lower point totals to put him on your 1st line with key matchups.

The Canucks absolutely need 2~ more of these types of pieces. They have three by my calculation that COULD be, with a degree of certainty. I think Pettersson is guaranteed to be a 70+ point 1C, so there's one locked down. I don't think you can say the same for Hughes or Boeser yet, but it's likely both of them are 1st liners/top pairing d-men going forward.

Simply, if the Canucks want to be up there with the best, they need 5~ for sure 'elite' guys.

It could be:

Top LW - Pettersson - Boeser (3 here)

Hughes - Top RD (2 here)

or, take away one of those and insert a goalie capable of regular .920~% seasons. Could that be Demko? Perhaps, but far, far from a guarantee.

That lineup is considering Boeser and Hughes become top line guys. They still need 2 more pieces.

Tkachuk would have made it 4. It's a shame they botched that pick.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Conversely, I’m confused about reports his skating needs improvement. His skating pops carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

I think his stride is inefficient right now. To me that is a good thing. There should be technical aspects that can be fixed, that might translate to untapped potential.

His stride is also choppy and not fluid.

To me this gives hope that he might be able to Horvat his skating.

Add that to the fact that he is already decent unlike Bo was when drafted.

 

[thefutures]

I get some Timo Meier vibes, if he turns out anything like that id be ecstatic obvs. Have been a fan of Timo for a while and we could really use a piece like that.

 

[Diversification]

I think the problem here is we just have different definitions for the word 'elite'.

Elite, to me, are your top line studs. Your 'go to' guys. I wouldn't classify Horvat as a top line stud, nor a 'go to' guy. He's a good 2nd line player, but he's never going to be a player that you want centering your 1st line against other teams' top players. If I had Bergeron or O'Reilly centering my 1st line, I would be more than satisfied. I don't see Horvat ever being able to put up a 70 point season. It's obviously possible, but I just don't see it. Maybe with good 2nd line wingers... Plus, he doesn't (yet) have a defensive game that you could justify his lower point totals to put him on your 1st line with key matchups.


Tkachuk would have made it 4. It's a shame they botched that pick.

We have myriad problems up and down the line up. Top 6 centers isn't one of them. Bo Horvat plays and produces like a 1b center and he's slotted behind a true 1C. I would definitely classify Horvat as a key building block that masks our lack of top 6 W quality.

Also, it's weird that you would apply 'elite' status to Tkachuk while Horvat would fall short. Grass is always greener, I guess.

 

[clunk]

We have myriad problems up and down the line up. Top 6 centers isn't one of them. Bo Horvat plays and produces like a 1b center and he's slotted behind a true 1C. I would definitely classify Horvat as a key building block that masks our lack of top 6 W quality.

Also, it's weird that you would apply 'elite' status to Tkachuk while Horvat would fall short. Grass is always greener, I guess.

Tkachuk is essentially a ppg player at 21, and only getting better. Horvat is 24 and has only hit 60 points once. Tkachuk is clearly a better offensive player and game breaker imo.

As I said, I don't see Horvat ever reaching 70 points in his career. I would bet good money on that as well. I also wouldn't consider him a 1B. He's more a top end 2C. He won't be a 1B until his defensive game improves.

 

[TruGr1t]

I don’t see the high-end skill.

He’s big and powerful and has enough skill to project as a 25-30 goal, 50-60 point two-way PF along the lines of an Evander Kane or Erik Cole.

There isn’t some 90-point superstar hiding here waiting to break out.

There's certainly some in the scouting and analyst community that seem to think he has elite, top-line upside. All my information, outside of the few international games I've seen, is coming from second-hand reports though, so who knows.

There were a a couple agencies that kept him in the top 5 right through the draft.

Obviously a pretty polarizing player. I also question how much people even scouted him outside of the international tournaments.

 

[lawrence]

Sugar coating but didn’t benning say we drafted a top line winger with the 10th pick ?
Anyways let’s hope he can be one. He’s not s traditional Russian player that has flair and skill although he does have good hands.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

I wasn't high on Podkolzin and I'm still thinking there's a good chance we'll regret not taking Boldy and Newhook. Krebs (post injury) and Caulfield I'd say are 50/50 of doing better, but that would be more of a gamble. Anyway, Russian factor aside, I think Podkolzin will definitely play for us in some middle 6 role and be a fan favourite for his work ethic and balls to the wall playing style.

 

[krutovsdonut]

i just want to throw out the possibility you guys are overthinking this.

 

[BeardyCanuck03]

Tampa, St Louis, and Boston just off the top of my head.

Tampa: Point, Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Vasilevskiy

St Louis: Binnington, Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, ROR, Parayko

Boston: Pastrnak, Bergeron, Marchand, McAvoy, Krejci/Krug/Rask

"Elite skill guys" are undisputed 1st line forwards, top pairing d-men and elite goaltenders, in my mind. Players you can stick on your top lines and have no doubt that's where they belong. They have the ability to be absolute gamechangers rather than 2nd line tier guys. All are capable of 70+ points for forwards, top pairing defensive capability for d-men, and .920+ SVP% for goalies.

I don't see either Horvat or Podkolzin as 70+ point guys. They're more second line complimentary guys, not your 'go to' guys.

So I am a big Ryan O'Rielly fan but I wouldn't call him elite skilled. He's been the league 10 seasons and only just got his first 70 point season. He's been in the 50-60 point range mostly and I'm not sure many people would've said he could've taken that next step before this season.

If the Canucks have Pettersson and Boeser in the 70+ range and Horvat and Podkolzin in the 60 point range, they will be in good hands offensively.

 

[Bitz and Bites]

I think Podzolkin is the perfect fit for Pettersson's wing as he brings the skill and determination to be a top end puck retrieval guy who also an elite level sniper.On top of that he does have good vision and passing skills as well as being responsible defensively so there really aren't any holes in his game.He needs to learn to work with Pettersson (and visa versa) and he will be a key part of an elite top line.
I see him being a PPG player on a line with Pettersson and getting PP1 time.

 

[CanaFan]

There's certainly some in the scouting and analyst community that seem to think he has elite, top-line upside. All my information, outside of the few international games I've seen, is coming from second-hand reports though, so who knows.

There were a a couple agencies that kept him in the top 5 right through the draft.

Obviously a pretty polarizing player. I also question how much people even scouted him outside of the international tournaments.

Scouts? Probably lots.

HF Posters? Doubtful. Are VHL and MHL games even streamable?

Not sure it’s a big deal though, his 25 tournament games are probably as good an indication of his peer-vs-peer talent as his 29 KHL/VHL/MHL games.

 

[Bankerguy]

Podz is a perfect fit for Pettersson's wing. Speed, skill, non-stop motor and puck retrieval. Boeser is a pure sniper, he can finish but he wont generate his own offense with much consistancy. Podz DOES create his own chances and offense....he'd take a huge load off Pettersson..
Excellent mix of talent when you imagine those three together.

Hopefully JT Miller and Horvat mesh well... could be a very good second line style wise if the chemistry is there