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C German Rubtsov (2016, 22nd, PHI)

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KarIgo87 said:
I, personally, don't think that he has such a great offensive upside, I'll be glad if he becomes Russian Sean Couturier. U18 NT in MHL isn't some powerhouse though (3,6 GPG), they played mostly against guys who are 2-3 years older than them. And since it was national team coach tried a lot of things, changed lines, invited other U18 players from their teams, gave all the lines pretty much equal time on the ice. So it would be naive to expect OHL-like numbers, 2PPG or something. But he was pretty good in terms of points at first half of the season, especially when they were on a winning streak. But at the end of the season the team and him quieted down a bit. Maybe because they were preparing for WJC-U18.
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I'm a Flyers fan. If he was anything like Couturier I'd draft him in a heartbeat. That's elite defensive 50+ point potential.. But even Coots was a prolific junior scorer in pre draft and draft years. And I certainly wasn't comparing his stats to CHL numbers, just his own countrymen that have been through the MHL.

Thank you for this info though. I was wondering if Rubtsov, while good, may be a case of the top Russian forward in a weaker class getting overrated. Everyone's eyes light up at the thought of the next underrated Russian gem like Kucherov or Kuznetsov or Tarasenko...and German's stats seemed to pale in comparison. I'm a huge believer in all around IQ though, and he seems to have that in spades. Players like that can surprise. And you don't need to be a Kuzy level scorer to be a damned good NHL'er, especially with a mature 2-way game. But those smart guys find ways to score.

I was just wondering if there was untapped offense there beyond the stats. How does his potential, especially offensively, compare to similar draft year point producers in Buchnevich and Guryanov?
 
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Magua said:
I'm a Flyers fan. If he was anything like Couturier I'd draft him in a heartbeat. That's elite defensive 50+ point potential.. But even Coots was a prolific junior scorer in pre draft and draft years. And I certainly wasn't comparing his stats to CHL numbers, just his own countrymen that have been through the MHL.

Thank you for this info though. I was wondering if Rubtsov, while good, may be a case of the top Russian forward in a weaker class getting overrated. Everyone's eyes light up at the thought of the next underrated Russian gem like Kucherov or Kuznetsov or Tarasenko...and German's stats seemed to pale in comparison. I'm a huge believer in all around IQ though, and he seems to have that in spades. Players like that can surprise. And you don't need to be a Kuzy level scorer to be a damned good NHL'er, especially with a mature 2-way game. But those smart guys find ways to score.

I was just wondering if there was untapped offense there beyond the stats. How does his potential, especially offensively, compare to similar draft year point producers in Buchnevich and Guryanov?
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Yes, that's what I'm hoping for - elite defensive 50+ point potential. Maybe 45-50. And I really dig Coots, I think he's pretty underrated. Rubtsov isn't that big and physical though.
Well, if you compare him to offensive dynamos like Kucherov, Gusev, Grigorenko and Buchnevich then sure, his stats can look a bit pale. He doesn't have such a great shot and doesn't use it that much, and when you play 2-way game you inevitably sacrifice some of your offense (like Datsyuk easily could have a couple of 100-pts seasons if it had been his goal). Buchnevich btw even though looks good offensively (great vision, slick passes, nice shot) still doesn't convince defensively, he needs more time learning how to battle for puck and choose position. 1 year in AHL could be useful for him, Soshnikov is a great example.
Guryanov's high draft number was a bit inflated by WJC-U18 i think. He has great shot and solid size but this season proved that he wasn't that ready for a grown man's game. Lada wasn't very good at his development, yes, it didn't help, but you would expect from a kid with his talent and size that he easily cracks roster of a team like Lada (they're not exactly stacked with quality players).
And Rubtsov I think won't have such a problem next season. If it weren't for U18 NT project he'd definitely played 10 or more games in KHL for Vityaz this season already. And they are eager to have him on their roster (which is gonna look pretty good for such a low-profile team). This is Panarin's first KHL team btw. With his reliable defensively style I don't think he'll be having problems with ice time. The rest is entirely on him.
His success depends mostly on how successfully he'll translate his 2-way game to pro level. And let him stay in K for at least 2-3 years, there's no need to rush his development. We don't need another Burmistrov.
 
He doesn't use his shot that much, but I think its a pretty good shot. He just needs to learn to use it more.

He's not Ovechkin or Tarasenko or Malkin, in terms of offensive upside. Thats just not his game. If you want a Russian forward to compare him to, he's loosely comparable to Datsuyk in terms of his type of game.

Could Rubtsov surprise everyone and be Kopitar or Toews level two way player? Possible, its hard to predict players with that skill-set whether they will be elite or level below elite, but I agree that he shouldn't be much worse than Couturier level. Think of him as a less proven Barkov style player from the 2013 draft, if you want.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
He doesn't use his shot that much, but I think its a pretty good shot. He just needs to learn to use it more.

He's not Ovechkin or Tarasenko or Malkin, in terms of offensive upside. Thats just not his game. If you want a Russian forward to compare him to, he's loosely comparable to Datsuyk in terms of his type of game.

Could Rubtsov surprise everyone and be Kopitar or Toews level two way player? Possible, its hard to predict players with that skill-set whether they will be elite or level below elite, but I agree that he shouldn't be much worse than Couturier level. Think of him as a less proven Barkov style player from the 2013 draft, if you want.
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Datsyuk has arguably the best hands and spatial awareness I've ever seen. To be honest from how he's described he sounds closer to Igor Korolev (RIP) than Datsyuk. This is coming from someone who really like Korolev, so don't take it as an insult, I thought he was a great middle 6 center adaptable to all situations and still hate Holik for breaking his finger.
 
boredmale said:
For some reason I see Detroit picking this guy
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Wings haven't drafted a Russian high in awhile. It seems that the two guys who moved on from there to take GM jobs elsewhere though do (Lightning and Stars), plus you can never rule out Washington. Granted, Wings will have first crack.
 
93LEAFS said:
Wings haven't drafted a Russian high in awhile. It seems that the two guys who moved on from there to take GM jobs elsewhere though do (Lightning and Stars), plus you can never rule out Washington. Granted, Wings will have first crack.
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Yeah it's almost been a year since they picked a Russian high. lol
 
93LEAFS said:
Datsyuk has arguably the best hands and spatial awareness I've ever seen. To be honest from how he's described he sounds closer to Igor Korolev (RIP) than Datsyuk. This is coming from someone who really like Korolev, so don't take it as an insult, I thought he was a great middle 6 center adaptable to all situations and still hate Holik for breaking his finger.
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I had a feeling someone was going to misinterpret what I was saying.

I'm not saying each attribute of his game is similar to Datsuyk. Im saying if you take the main style of the recent Russian players in the NHL, I'd consider Ovechkin a sniper, Tarasenko a sniper, Tarasenko a playmaker, Datsuyk a two way forward, etc.

So if Rubtsov would have to fit a label, it'd be a two way forward, which is the style of Datsuyk. Thats not to say every aspect of his game is similar to Datsuyk, I'm just talking about how I'd label his game in a few words.
 
boredmale said:
Yeah it's almost been a year since they picked a Russian high. lol
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Was thinking of a Russian based Russian, different situations in regards to scouting. They haven't drafted a Russian based player outside of the 7th round since like 2001 with Igor Grigorenko at 62.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
I had a feeling someone was going to misinterpret what I was saying.

I'm not saying each attribute of his game is similar to Datsuyk. Im saying if you take the main style of the recent Russian players in the NHL, I'd consider Ovechkin a sniper, Tarasenko a sniper, Tarasenko a playmaker, Datsuyk a two way forward, etc.

So if Rubtsov would have to fit a label, it'd be a two way forward, which is the style of Datsuyk. Thats not to say every aspect of his game is similar to Datsuyk, I'm just talking about how I'd label his game in a few words.
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Woudln't someone like Anisimov be a better comparison then, over Datsyuk who is a small shifty guy, and while being a 2-way player still got close to 100 points? I mean there both 2-way players but on almost completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
 
93LEAFS said:
Woudln't someone like Anisimov be a better comparison then, over Datsyuk who is a small shifty guy, and while being a 2-way player still got close to 100 points? I mean there both 2-way players but on almost completely opposite ends of the spectrum.
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That could be another comparison. I think he has higher upside than Anisimov level, but thats probably his floor.
 
93LEAFS said:
Wings haven't drafted a Russian high in awhile. It seems that the two guys who moved on from there to take GM jobs elsewhere though do (Lightning and Stars), plus you can never rule out Washington. Granted, Wings will have first crack.
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They literally just picked Svechnikov last year in the same general area of the first round though I understand your point about him playing in Russia when compared to Svech. I see Rubtsov as a 2 way 2c, mostly because I don't think he has the pure offensive tools that guys like Keller, Jost, and Brown have. I wouldn't be surprised to see him be very highly valued regardless.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
He doesn't use his shot that much, but I think its a pretty good shot. He just needs to learn to use it more.
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That's true of many players, a lot of whom never learn to use it more. I mean this is true of Grigorenko and I'm never expecting Greg to learn to utilize his shot; despite the great progress he showed this season to change my expectations of him so drastically.
 
93LEAFS said:
Was thinking of a Russian based Russian, different situations in regards to scouting. They haven't drafted a Russian based player outside of the 7th round since like 2001 with Igor Grigorenko at 62.
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Its kind of hard to say how they view Russians at this point. McDonnell (now the DOS for Dallas) was with the Wings for 18 years. Wright has been here for just 2 drafts and there's already been a pretty noticeable shift in drafting philosophy, FWIW.
 
Reddwit said:
Its kind of hard to say how they view Russians at this point. McDonnell (now the DOS for Dallas) was with the Wings for 18 years. Wright has been here for just 2 drafts and there's already been a pretty noticeable shift in drafting philosophy, FWIW.
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Yeah, and one of your big Euro scouts is now head of Leafs euro scouting in Vuori. When your that good, for that long people start to poach your talent. A gift and a curse.
 
93LEAFS said:
Wings haven't drafted a Russian high in awhile. It seems that the two guys who moved on from there to take GM jobs elsewhere though do (Lightning and Stars), plus you can never rule out Washington. Granted, Wings will have first crack.
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Wrong we just drafted Evgeny Svechnikov at #19 just last year, So your statement isn't factual. German Rubtsov would be the perfect Wings target considering Datsyuk going back to Russia and all.
 
Number1RedWingsFan52 said:
Wrong we just drafted Evgeny Svechnikov at #19 just last year, So your statement isn't factual. German Rubtsov would be the perfect Wings target considering Datsyuk going back to Russia and all.
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Here's my next comment where I explain what I meant.

93LEAFS said:
Was thinking of a Russian based Russian, different situations in regards to scouting. They haven't drafted a Russian based player outside of the 7th round since like 2001 with Igor Grigorenko at 62.
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boredmale said:
Way I look at it Detroit need centers and defensemen so it's either this guy, McLeod(if he drops) or Fabbro, McAvoy or Bean(whoever is left over)
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Rubtsov, McAvoy, or Fabbro would be ideal. Also like Kunin a lot.
 
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