And that’s the thing, even I were to give him a pass on the KHL, I’ve felt disappointed by what I’ve seen in the MHL and VHL.
Now I’m the first to admit that I’m not the foremost observer of Russian hockey on here, but I’ve seen enough over the years to have an idea what I’m looking for. For me, even when Podkolzin’s been good, he hasn’t been as good as his talent would indicate. Now that’s fine playing against men, but in the lower leagues he should be really turning heads more consistently.
Then there was the WJC where he sort of deferred to the lead of older talent. Again, that happens, but I found myself wondering when it was finally time to call a spade a spade and say that he needs to show me more.
Scouts who love him will tell you that what he’s displaying is uncommon for kids his age. He won’t even turn 18 until draft time. And they’re correct, it is. But in a draft with talent setting records in their respective leagues, and a number of guys with high ceilings and progressive results, how do you properly weigh that?
And that’s the rub. For me, he lost some ground. Over time I found myself watching players who were able to translate their skills, and what they translated looked like it could play in the NHL. And the more I saw of them, the harder it became to pass on them.