F Danila Yurov - Metallurg Magnitogorsk, KHL (2022, 24th, MIN)

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Once again, it's overblown. You only think that because your expectations say it isn't normal. In Russia, it is normal. Many players, some of them great, have been in this position before. Frustration only comes if you fail to accept the role that you knew you are going to play.

Being with the first team is seen (mostly) as a perk to a kid - you train with men, you get paid like one, etc. I have no doubt that if it really came to Yurov considering contract termination and such Magnitka would be happy to send him down. Almost certainly, he is the one who doesn't want it to happen.

How do you know he’s okay with not playing and only training? I don’t believe Russian’s are so different than most others where they would buy into that message.

 

[SoundAndFury]

How do you know he’s okay with not playing and only training? I don’t believe Russian’s are so different than most others where they would buy into that message.

Because, once again, it's not like he has no voice whatsoever. If he truly saw the problem he can ask to be sent down and Magnitka has no reason to refuse it, it's not like they NEED him sitting on the bench for them. It would be the easiest-to-fix problem of all time. Yet it would cost Yurov 9/10 of the salary, not the other way around.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Because, once again, it's not like he has no power whatsoever. If he truly saw the problem he can ask to be sent down and Magnitka has no reason to refuse it, it's not like they NEED him sitting on the bench for them. It would be the easiest-to-fix problem of all time. Yet it would cost Yurov 9/10 of the salary, not the other way around.

I think it’s a lot more likely that this would happen after a full season as opposed to half a season. Let’s see how much he’s played after the end of the season. I think he probably wasn’t expecting to play much last season, but I think this season his expectations were probably higher. That doesn’t mean he’ll start a conflict with the team after a few months of not playing too much. A full season after being drafted top 10 by an NHL club and having some leverage there might be a different situation.

 

[SoundAndFury]

That doesn’t mean he’ll start a conflict with the team after a few months of not playing too much. A full season after being drafted top 10 by an NHL club and having some leverage there might be a different situation.

He doesn't need any leverage to ask to be sent down because he wants to play more. Nor does it cause any serious conflict. Again, Magnitka isn't losing anything in that situation, they have no reason to be upset or deny his request.

 

[Zine]

Yeah but for the talented 18 year old Russian AHL players who faced similar situations in Russia as Yurov, Guryanov and Kostin are looking pretty good so far in the NHL. Yurov if he indeed has that level of talent shouldn't be too hindered by a move to the AHL either

Kostin? He was wasting away in the AHL, being turned into a no skilled grinder.
Kostin ‘re-discovered’ his game last year with Avangard; starting with low minutes and working his way up. That success has carried over to this year.

 

[NotProkofievian]

The usual tale about minutes again. Let it rest. He is with a good org where the coaches care a lot about his development. He can't play in the VHL because their VHL affiliate team is too far away. Playing in the MHL wouldn't do much for him as he is at this point a 2 PPG player there.

Sorry, who was the last NHLer developed by Magnitogorsk again?

 

[SoundAndFury]

Sorry, who was the last NHLer developed by Magnitogorsk again?

Samsonov. Dorofeyev has played in the NHL this year albeit you can't call him an NHLer quite yet. Antipin came pretty close, Dronov might still have a chance (he definitely would if not for all the injuries). So.. Dare I say that's not too bad?

 

[NotProkofievian]

Samsonov. Dorofeyev has played in the NHL this year albeit you can't call him an NHLer quite yet. Antipin came pretty close, Dronov might still have a chance (he definitely would if not for all the injuries). So.. Dare I say that's not too bad?

A goalie and nobody since Malkin sounds pretty bad to me. Particularly if we're including Dorofeyev who actually did end up leaving Magnitka, I imagine due to not getting playing time.

 

[SoundAndFury]

A goalie and nobody since Malkin sounds pretty bad to me. Particularly if we're including Dorofeyev who actually did end up leaving Magnitka, I imagine due to not getting playing time.

"If that guy doesn't count, and that guy was a long time ago, and this guy doesn't count quite yet, it sounds pretty bad to me". Ok then. Your unbiased point of view aside, Magnitka obviously has above average hockey school.

It would be pretty bad if there were hundreds of Russian NHLers and the team was expected to produce one every year. There aren't though and considering they aren't very active in the teenager market the way SKA are, they are doing just fine.

 

[NotProkofievian]

"If that guy doesn't count, and that guy was a long time ago, and this guy doesn't count quite yet, it sounds pretty bad to me". Ok then. Your unbiased point of view aside, Magnitka obviously has above average hockey school.

You literally said ''this guy almost made it, and this guy isn't yet but might be someday, and this guy might still have a chance.'' I asked for NHLers, and this is what you came up with.

Above average program from an NHL perspective? Clearly not.

 

[Atas2000]

Sorry, who was the last NHLer developed by Magnitogorsk again?

Sorry, why does it matter?

Also, have you ever heard of changing staff?

I judge by listenining to the current coaching staff, and I judge by what I see from Yurov on the ice both on junor level and in the KHL.

By your logic though SKA is great at devloping NHLers. All prospects to SKA ASAP!

 

[Atas2000]

A goalie and nobody since Malkin sounds pretty bad to me. Particularly if we're including Dorofeyev who actually did end up leaving Magnitka, I imagine due to not getting playing time.

Dorofeyev is an idiot, just like Kamenev and others who IF they stayed with MMG would have become much better layers than they are now. But they were idiots who think that "getting playing time" equals good development. They got their playing time in NA minors. How are they doing?

 

[NotProkofievian]

Sorry, why does it matter?

Also, have you ever heard of changing staff?

I judge by listenining to the current coaching staff, and I judge by what I see from Yurov on the ice both on junor level and in the KHL.

By your logic though SKA is great at devloping NHLers. All prospects to SKA ASAP!

Now, if I had asked ''what players has Novokuznetsk developed?'' would you complain about my logic? Just to be clear, here, my logic is just asking for evidence for a claim lol.

 

[Atas2000]

You literally said ''this guy almost made it, and this guy isn't yet but might be someday, and this guy might still have a chance.'' I asked for NHLers, and this is what you came up with.

Above average program from an NHL perspective? Clearly not.

You are bending reality to a pretty silly premise of all KHL junior orgs should spawn NHLers at some exorbitant rate of one every year. If they would, that would mean around 20 first rounders out of Russia every year(an I am being generous as not every frst rounder pans out). Sorry, but that's not how it works IRL.

 

[Flynn84]

His talent is obviously ahead of every center not named Savoie or Wright (I personally can't even rule out Yurov being on that top tier level). Emphasis on obvious. If he doesn't go top 5 in the draft I don't think it will be because scouts are unaware of his abilities, it will probably be the Russia factor - when does he want to come over, etc... Unless things change on the ice, everyone should know how good he is by the draft.

But ...he's not a center if that is what you meant.

 

[majormajor]

But ...he's not a center if that is what you meant.

I actually wasn't thinking about position. But now that you mention position, I did think Yurov was playing center recently in the MHL. Can anyone confirm?

That would actually have a big influence on where he is drafted.

 

[NotProkofievian]

You are bending reality to a pretty silly premise of all KHL junior orgs should spawn NHLers at some exorbitant rate of one every year. If they would, that would mean around 20 first rounders out of Russia every year(an I am being generous as not every frst rounder pans out). Sorry, but that's not how it works IRL.

Well, Magnitka is certainly due for an NHLer. Any time now, I'm sure they've got it this time.

 

[Atas2000]

Now, if I had asked ''what players has Novokuznetsk developed?'' would you complain about my logic? Just to be clear, here, my logic is just asking for evidence for a claim lol.

You have no logic. That's the same "logic" as expecting some OV, Malkin drafts to happen every other year because it happenned once. Some people actually were that hyped that when OV, Malkin and Crosby emerged they expected superstars of the same caliber to come up every year or every other year. That's an emotional misconception and history taught us how it really works i.e. no such talent until McDavid.

The fact that several NHLers hail from Novozuznetsk tells us there is a good hockey development there. But it does NOT tell us that their recent rate of prospect success is sustainable or should be a meausring stick to all others. Maybe if you would look into it more throughly i.e. looking at overall talent developed in a system rather than set your standrad right at "NHLer" you would realize MMG is producing a fair amount of talents. Just like the other good hockey schools in Russia.

I am a strong proponent of supproting those development systems in Novokuznetsk and giving them their KHL team back, just like Yugra. But the worst idea imaginamble would be be to degrade MMG in that regard for no reason. The hockey hotbeds do and will continue to develop talent. It does not mean there will be PPG NHLers springing from the ground.

And being in the system of the currently best team in the KHL, two time Gagarin Cup winner with one of the best MHL teams every year is a bliss. Accept it.

Edit: btw don't forget Ural is a general hockey hotbed as a bigger region. Yurov is Chelyabinsk born and moved to Magnitogorsk. It seems the MMG school did a lot right with his development so far.

 

[Atas2000]

I actually wasn't thinking about position. But now that you mention position, I did think Yurov was playing center recently in the MHL. Can anyone confirm?

That would actually have a big influence on where he is drafted.

I don't think he ever payed center.

 

[NotProkofievian]

You have no logic. That's the same "logic" as expecting some OV, Malkin drafts to happen every other year because it happenned once. Some people actually were that hyped that when OV, Malkin and Crosby emerged they expected superstars of the same caliber to come up every year or every other year. That's an emotional misconception and history taught us how it really works i.e. no such talent until McDavid.

The fact that several NHLers hail from Novozuznetsk tells us there is a good hockey development there. But it does NOT tell us that their recent rate of prospect success is sustainable or should be a meausring stick to all others. Maybe if you would look into it more throughly i.e. looking at overall talent developed in a system rather than set your standrad right at "NHLer" you would realize MMG is producing a fair amount of talents. Just like the other good hockey schools in Russia.

I am a strong proponent of supproting those development systems in Novokuznetsk and giving them their KHL team back, just like Yugra. But the worst idea imaginamble would be be to degrade MMG in that regard for no reason. The hockey hotbeds do and will continue to develop talent. It does not mean there will be PPG NHLers springing from the ground.

And being in the system of the currently best team in the KHL, two time Gagarin Cup winner with one of the best MHL teams every year is a bliss. Accept it.

You're obviously quite emotional about this, and that's okay. But I'm just curious, IYO, are there any bad KHL teams in terms of development? It seems like when a team develops NHLers, that is evidence they are good at developing prospects. But when they don't develop NHLers, that's also evidence of the superior Russian development model. Thanks I'll hang up and listen.

 

[Atas2000]

You're obviously quite emotional about this, and that's okay. But I'm just curious, IYO, are there any bad KHL teams in terms of development? It seems like when a team develops NHLers, that is evidence they are good at developing prospects. But when they don't develop NHLers, that's also evidence of the superior Russian development model. Thanks I'll hang up and listen.

There are teams with no traditional development structure. For the simple fact that they are built from a scratch. That does not mean you can't create a good developmental system from a scratch too. Look at Vityaz. They have one of the most productive hockey schools. And even if a team does not have a traditional development structure or a good newly built it still does not mean it is bad for development. Say Sochi. It is a Petri dish KHL team, but it is a bad one(sort of an expansion team exuivalent). Obviously their below the KHL system isn't anything. But as a young player you might be in a good place if you can play on their main KHL roster. You'll get plenty of trust and minutes and all that. On the other hand they of course don't have say SKA's facilities and staff to help you along.

So it is a single case scenario. Some teams are good for certain aged and skilled players, some are not. Yugra was a perfect stepstone for Gusev before joining SKA for example.

I will even go top to bottom. Starеing in the West:

Jokerit is a special case obviously, I will leave them out.

CSKA has a good school. They are much better than what they were during Kucherov's days in their system. On junior level they seem like a good option. It might be tough for a young player to find a roster spot in the K with them though. They are by no means a bad place for young players though and they do give young kids chances. They have a rather conservative approch as opposed to SKA.

SKA has the policy of hoarding prospects from all over the country. The result is hurting their KHL success at this point. They have too many players they try to give icetime. Even with two MHL teams and a VHL team in the same city they have it does not work. But there is a plus side to SKA. Their facilities, junior coaches(not only plain hockey coaches, they have dedcited specialists for everything) are top notch. Probably no other team in the league can offer that much infrastructure. It is probably the best place for a player who can play in the MHL early. As their 2nd MHL team basically consists of "underagers"? i.e. it is younger than the league average by a lot. It gets more and more crowded the further you develop though. Unless you are Michkov you might find yourself with less opportunity to play than elsewhere. Even if they have a policy of giving youth some VHL and KHL time, there are simply too many high level prospects there.

Dynamo Moscow is another Moscow based old-school system just as CSKA. They are solid and conservative reagrding development in a good way. Ask Rashevskiy. They also preach loyalty. Probably the most out of the Moscow and top teams in general. A lot of home grown talent on their roster.

Severstal is everybody's fan-favorite this year with some astounding success for a low-budget team. They are though a traditionally strong cradle of talent. Guslistov is their newest product. Obviously a good place to develop. Guslistov probably gets the most KHL time out of this year's WJC players. Just like it always was on Severstal(for Buchnevich or Shipachyov) as they are never a top team in the KHL.

Lokomotiv is a great talent factory. Michkov while Perm born is a Loko product. Their trouble is the lack of VHL team in the system. That and some recent turmoil(as rumored) with the coach now fired made it enticing for their prospects to leave. So basically a great junior system and MHL team with a little trouble on top.

Spartak has suffered from financial trouble when they were out of the KHL even. That did hurt their junior development too as their MHL team from that time was basically bought out by SKA and AkBars . But they are back on track as one of the traditional Moscow teams. And it is now not at all a bad place for a prospect, also with opportunity to ascend to the KHL quicker as their roster is not too loaded.

Minsk is again a special case a Belarusian club. Whether it is a good place for belarussian prosects is a complicated story.

Torpedo has a decent hockey system on all levels. It is certainly not a bad place to develop.

Riga is again a Latvian field of excercise.

Vityaz while in last place in the West currently is traditionally a well oiled junior prospects spawning machine. They leave though, mostly for SKA. And I think many of them would benefit more from staying and playing in the KHL on a weaker team.

East:

MMG, Traktor and Avto basically draw from the same most hockey region in Russia. If you count in Ufa, Perm and Tyumen, all within some 800km which is nothing by russian standards you basically have the core of russian hockey(with Moscow and surroundings being the other big region by design, just population wise and traditionally. And then you have some hotspots in Siberia and Far East). Ufa as you know is a somewhat declining, but still a KHL powerhouse. Tyumen and Perm don't have KHL teams, but are absolutely sources of young talent in their own right.

Growing up in that region chances are you will get in touch with hockey.

All three (East)Ural teams are very similar with Traktor still being the most traditional system. Jokes are a cat from Chelyabinsk knows more about hockey than you. They never managed to assemble the resources for a high flying KHL team. They did have a miracle run in the past and they have assembled a very strong team this season and are certainly aiming very high. Other than that Traktor was always a good place for prospects as the the walls ooze hockey there. In terms of KHL team though there was some trouble here and there. Not much money, coaching caroussels and so on.

MMG is a regional rival, but the same kind of situation basically with more money on KHL level as they are sponsored by the actual MMG.

Avto is the weaker and less renowned of the three, but is still producing talent and does have a good junior system. Whether they are a good place for prospects under the Peters regime in the K I don't know. I have my doubts though.

Ufa is a good place for homegrown prospects. They are rather consistent with developing some and also giving them time and chances on higher levels. Again, not every Vasilevkiy brother is going to be a NHL superstar.

AkBars and Neftekhimik are a product of adressed and well funded development of hockey in Tatarstan since the 90s. Tatarstan is somwehat of an anomaly in that regard. The 90s were still bad in all of Russia, but in Tatarstan at least some good things were done at all. As a result there are two KHL teams and two decent hockey schools where there was not much during the soviet days. The "fun" part for me as an AkBars fan is that Neftekhimik seems to have a better development system for juniors than the richer and far more successful AkBars. The reason is simple. AkBars was from the get go designed for success on the highest level and had the money to just lure good players who were already developed elsewhere. Neftekhimik gets lot of respect from me for building such an effective junior development with much less money.

Both siberian teams are similarily good at developmet. Omsk is an another traditional hockey hotspot and now one of the rich teams gunning for the Cup every year. That might be their only "weakness" as in for prospects. Tougher to get a spot on a team going for the Cup. Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia on population. Their KHL team isn't rich, but they still have a decent hockey school.

Admiral and Amur might be the only teams where I would question their quality as junior development systems. Both basically built from a scratch to give the Far East some top level hockey which is great in itself, but they since inception lack money to really excell. And while there are kids schools there, but my guess is a lot of parents would prefer their kid to join some better, more renowned junior system at certain age. Both teams still could be a place where a player who can get a KHL spot(on a weaker team) would get a lot more KHL experince than elsewhere. There is though an another factor - geography. A lot of tiring travel is involved for every player of the teams. I bet a lot of them consider that when thinking about Far East teams.

Barys is probably a good place to be as a Kazakh prospect.

Kunlun is a spherical horse in a vacuum as the meme goes. No one really knows what it's good or bad for. Yiou can still play there as a prospect, but the travel thing applies too(under normal non-COVID cirsumstances) and it is a team in a state of constant fluctuation between bad and catastropically bad.

You see, there are basically very few places that are not a good place for a prospect. It is just a lot of different factors come into play in single cases. Also you can't say "a team" develops NHLers. Whose product Michkov will be? SKA? Loko? Perm?

 

[Atas2000]

His talent is obviously ahead of every center not named Savoie or Wright (I personally can't even rule out Yurov being on that top tier level). Emphasis on obvious. If he doesn't go top 5 in the draft I don't think it will be because scouts are unaware of his abilities, it will probably be the Russia factor - when does he want to come over, etc... Unless things change on the ice, everyone should know how good he is by the draft.

He is a winger and it will obviously be a factor at draft day. My understanding is that Savoie did not get the WJC invite. I really wanted to see them all in the same tournament. But that is the tier I want to compare him to. Wright, Savoie select few who are projected to go in the Top5.

For the russian team It think Chibrikov, Michkov, Yurov will be the top three players in the tournament. With Miroshnichenko falling behind a bit this season. Obviously Chibrikov is older and Michkov is the 2nd coming of Jesus in 2023. Which basically makes Yurov the best 2022 draft class player while still an underager and eligible for the 2023-23 WJC.

 

[Atas2000]

Russia factor is definitely not an issue here. Anyone playing 1 minute a game wants out. I would bet on Yurov in the AHL (or even NHL) next season. What the KHL is doing to his development is tragic.

That's where you are wrong because you don't underatnd how different development systems work. That is indeed tragic.

 

[NotProkofievian]

There are teams with no traditional development structure. For the simple fact that they are built from a scratch. That does not mean you can't create a good developmental system from a scratch too. Look at Vityaz. They have one of the most productive hockey schools. And even if a team does not have a traditional development structure or a good newly built it still does not mean it is bad for development. Say Sochi. It is a Petri dish KHL team, but it is a bad one(sort of an expansion team exuivalent). Obviously their below the KHL system isn't anything. But as a young player you might be in a good place if you can play on their main KHL roster. You'll get plenty of trust and minutes and all that. On the other hand they of course don't have say SKA's facilities and staff to help you along.

So it is a single case scenario. Some teams are good for certain aged and skilled players, some are not. Yugra was a perfect stepstone for Gusev before joining SKA for example.

I will even go top to bottom. Staring in the West:

Jokerit is a special case obviously, I will leave them out.

CSKA has a good school. They are much better than what they were during Kucherov's days in their system. On junior level they seem like a good option. It might be tough for a young player to find a roster spot in the K with them though. They are by no means abad place for young players though and they do give young kids chances. They have a rather conservative approch as opposed to SKA.

SKA has the policy of hoarding prospects from all over the country. The result is hurting their KHL success at this point. They have too many players they try to give icetime. Even with two MHL teams and a VHL team in the same city they have it does not work. But there is a plus side to SKA. Their facilities, junior coaches(not only plain hockey coaches, they have dedcited specialists for everything) are top notch. Probably no other team in the league can offer that much infrastructure. It is probably the best place for a player who can play in the MHL early. As their 2nd MHL team basically consists of "underagers"? i.e. it is younger than the league average by a lot. It get more and more crowded the further you develop though. Unless you are Michkov you might find yourself with less opportunity to play than elsewhere. Even if they have a policy of giving youth some VHL and KHL time, there are simply too many high level prospects there.

Dynamo Moscow is another Moscow based old-school system just as CSKA. They are solid and conservative reagrding development in a good way. Ask Rashevskiy. They also preach loyalty. Probably the most out of the Moscow and top teams in general. A lot of home grown talent on their roster.

Severstal is everybody's fan-favorite this year with some astounding success for a low-budget team. They are though a traditionally strong cradle of talent. Guslistov is their newest product. Obviously a good place to develop. Guslistov probably gets the most KHL time out of this year's WJC players. Just like it always was on Severstal(for Buchnevich or Shipachyov) as they are never a top team in the KHL.

Lokomotiv is a great talent factory. Michkov while Perm born is a Loko product. Their trouble is the lack of VHL team in the system. That and some recent turmoil(as rumored) with the coach now fired made it enticing for their prospects to leave. So basically a great junior system and MHL team with a little trouble on top.

Spartak has suffered from financial trouble when they were out of the KHL even. That did hurt their junior development too as their MHL team from that time was basically bought out by SKA ansd AkBars . But they are back on track as one of the traditional Moscow teams. And it is now not at all a bad place for a prospect, also with opportunity to ascend to the KHL quicker as their roster is not too loaded.

Minsk is again a special case a Belarusian club. Whether it is a good place for belarussian prosects is a complicated story.

Torpedo has a decent hockey system on all levels. It is certainly not a bad place to develop.

Riga is again a Latvian field of excercise.

Vityaz while in last place in the West currently is traditionally a well oiled junior prospects spawning machine. They leave though, mostly for SKA. And I think many of them would benefit more from staying and playing in the KHL on a weaker team.

East:

MMG, Traktor and Avto basically draw from the same most hockey region in Russia. If you count in Ufa, Perm and Tyumen, all within some 800km which is nothing by russian standards you basically have the core of russian hockey(with Moscow and surroundings being the other big region by design, just population wise and traditionally. And then you have some hotspots in Siberia and Far East). Ufa as you know is a somewhat declining, but still a KHL powerhouse. Tyumen and Perm don't have KHL teams, but are absolutely sources of young talent in their own right.

Growing up in that region chances are you will get in touch with hockey.

All three (East)Ural teams are very similar with Traktor still being the most traditional system. Jokes are a cat from Chelyabinsk knows more about hockey than you. They never managed to assemble the resources for a high flying KHL team. They did have a miracle run in the past and they have assembled a very strong team this season and are certainly aiming very high. Other than that Traktor was always a good place for prospects as the the walls ooze hockey there. In terms of KHL team though there was some trouble here and there. Not much money, coaching caroussels and so on.

MMG is a regional rival, but the ame kind of situation basically with more money on KHL level as they are sponsored by the actual MMG.

Avto is the weaker and less renowned of the three, but is still producing talent and does have a good junior system. Whether they are a good place for prospects under the Peters regime in the K I don't know. I have my doubts though.

Ufa is a good place for homegrown prospects. They are rather consistent with developing some and also giving them time and chances on higher levels. Again, not every Vasilevkiy brother is going to be a NHL superstar.

AkBars and Neftekhimik are a product of adressed and well funded development of hockey in Tatarstan since the 90s. Tatarstan is somwehat of an anomaly in that regard. The 90s were still bad in all of Russia, but in Tatarstan at least some good things were done at all. As a result there are two KHL teams and two decent hockey schools where there was not much during the soviet days. The "fun" part for me as an AkBars fan is that Neftekhimik seems to have a better development system for juniors than the richer and far more successful AkBars. The reson is simple. AkBars was from the get go designed for success on the highest level and had the money to just lure good players who were already developed elsewhere. Neftekhimik gets lot of respect from me for building such an effective junior development with much less money.

Both siberian teams are similarily good at developmet. Omsk is an another traditional hockey hotspot and now one of the rich teams gunning for the Cup every year. That might be their only "weakness" as in for prospects. Tougher to get a spot on a team going for the Cup. Novosibirsk is the third largest city in Russia on population. Their KHL team isn't rich, but they still have a decent hockey school.

Admiral and Amur might be the only teams where I would question their quality as junior development systems. Both basically bult from a scratch to give the Far East some top level hockey which is great in itself, but they since inception lack money to really excell. And while there are kids schools there, but my guess is a lot of parents would prefer their kid to join some better, more renowned junior system at certain age. Both teams still could be a place where a player who can get a KHL spot(on a weaker team) would get a lot more KHL experince than elsewhere. There is though an another factor - geography. A lot of tiring travel is involved for every player of the teams. I bet a lot of them consider that when thinking about Far East teams.

Barys is probably a good place to be as a Kazakh prospect.

Kunlun is a spherical horse in a vacuum as the meme goes. No one really knows what it's good or bad for. Yiou can still play there as a prospect, but the travel thing applies too(under normal non-COVID cirsumstances) and it is a team in a state of constant fluctuation between bad and catatstropically bad.

You see, there are basically very few places that are not a good place for a prospect. It is just a lot of different factors come into play in single cases. Also you can't say "a team" develops NHLers. Whose product Michkov will be? SKA? Loko? Perm?

If he were in Omsk, or in Chelyabinsk, I would have nothing to say. Why? I have personally watched prospects get sufficient icetime there recently. Kravtsov had about twice as much icetime, for example. Chinakhov got decent minutes in his D+1. There is a definite development pattern with successful Russian NHLers that you have pointed out many times. They get ice time in the KHL, they stay in the KHL until they're ready, and then they come over. But Yurov isn't getting the ice time now, and there's no guarantee he will in the future.

If he were even getting a regular 4th line shift, I would say ''fine.'' But he's not even getting that much. I very much doubt that Kaprizov put up 8 points in 31 KHL games playing 4 minutes per night. This is a different situation.

 

[Atas2000]

If he were in Omsk, or in Chelyabinsk, I would have nothing to say. Why? I have personally watched prospects get sufficient icetime there recently. Kravtsov had about twice as much icetime, for example. Chinakhov got decent minutes in his D+1. There is a definite development pattern with successful Russian NHLers that you have pointed out many times. They get ice time in the KHL, they stay in the KHL until they're ready, and then they come over. But Yurov isn't getting the ice time now, and there's no guarantee he will in the future.

If he were even getting a regular 4th line shift, I would say ''fine.'' But he's not even getting that much. I very much doubt that Kaprizov put up 8 points in 31 KHL games playing 4 minutes per night. This is a different situation.

It always also comes down to say head coach of the KHL team and his preferences and similar factors. The thing is the feel I get about how Yurov's development is treated(and it is hot topic as Yurov is one of the top prospects) is good. I don't see a coach there who does not care about the 17 year old or is being an old-school hardass who wants the kid "to earn it first" sitting on the bench for a whole season, but rather coaches who pay a lot of attention to his development and give him what they feel is right. If not, they are pretty good liars. There is a unique situation that I think I already described in this thread. MMG's VHL affiliate is too far away. VHL would probably be a good option for Yurov. And he is like Michkov and a couple of others on that upcoming WJC squad too good for the MHL obviously.

And let's not mix up ages and seasons. He might get way more time in his D+1 season easily. Kravtsov was playing more with Traktor as a 17 year old. But first of all it s very rare in general for a 17 year old and then it's not like it was by much. And it's not like Kravtsov was not getting a lot of games where he would get under 5 minutes of icetime. Add to that again the MMG is the best team in the league right now and Traktor was not back then.

There is no guarantee for anything in the future. Anywehere. But a good guess is given Yurov's level of talent his role withe team will increase. For now I expect a dominant WJC performance.