LW Daniil Zharkov - Belleville Bulls, OHL (2012 Draft)

[hawksfan50]

He is taking the OHL by storm(a pun on the fact that last year he played inthe USHL for the TRI-CITY STORM and was nothing special (8g+3a and -13 in 36 GP) and nobody had him as a first rounder for this year's NHL Entry Draft -however look at him NOW! After early season injury,since he got back into the Belleville lineup his numbers to date read 11goals and 4 assists in 11GP and +8....He is a big 6'3 200lb LW who skates fluidly and with great speed ,he is a true sniper with a great shot and very quick release and he can score in many ways from the one-timer to carrying the puck around and through d-men and getting off a quick release shot,to scoring from a knack of anticipating and getting to the right position...He ALSO has an edge to his game and is not just the usual "finesse" one-way offensive goal scorer type-he WILL go into the corners to battle for a loose puck,he WILL chip it in and chase IF that is necessary ,he has good hockey sense and anticipates well and works well with linemate (not a puck hog at all) ,he WILL put the effort into back-checking. He is well along enough in English to conduct interviews(albeit still with a heavy accent and some difficulties on understanding some words-but you can see he WANTS to adjust to nA life and be a pro...HE has been a big "difference-maker" for Belleville--sort of puting them over the top now ---the draft eligible trio of goalie Malcolm Subban,Brendan Gaunce and now Danil Zharkov ALL look like top ten talents --I do not think any "conensus" would have put all 3 that high at the start of the year--For instance BobB Mckenzie did not have any of them in the top 10 in his September ranking -he gave GAUNCE only an honourable mention ...


When Redline's Kyle Woodlief downgraded his impression of the 2012 draft because some of the early season favourites in the top 15 either got injured or simply did not produce or dominate to the level as expected -especially some of the ealy top rated d-men --I Beg to differ because OTHERS have elevated themselves beyond the early
"consensus " hyped "letdowns" by the "faves" to in fact replace those early faves on the top of the heap list...KItchener C,RADEK FAKSA is one surprise inclusion, but the biggest surprise is ZHARKOV -who seemed to come from an afterthought to much excitement and consistent "starring " now....Gaunce keeps on improving game after game such that "honourable mention" and mid to late first rounder is now I think top ten on most radars...and SUBBAN has been EXCEPTIONAL to a degree that he looks like the best "FRANCHISE GOALIE" prospect to come down the pike in a long long time ...In short-this fantastic trio of Belleville Bulls has uPSET the apple-cart of what the "experts" had thought was the best players for this draft..
I THINK YOU MUST CONSIDER MALCOLM SUBBAN now as the very best prospect of this draft--because as good as Yakupov is-- a true "FRANCHISE GOALIE" is worth
more-they just do not come around that often,but they can lead you to many Cup
contentions and perhaps many Cups ...

SO yes-I'm now displacing Yakupov ast the #1 --I never thought that possible-but SUBBAN has shown his talent as the GREAT EQUALIZER and "Difference-maker" star
that makes Belleville a legit contender now to go all the way to a Mem Cup -he rarely gets beat on just a shot..he can stop break-aways and win shoot-outs...he is cat-like quick,great glove and smothers shots with no rebounds.. Technically square to the shooters but those athletic moves in his bag of tricks together with the sound technical side of his goaltending make it very tough to score on him-he has elevated his game now into the stratosphere of brightset lights for this draft.. You just can't ignore this anymore...He is SPECIAL ...


IF he is a very young TIM THOMAS (in being a "wall") then you have to be crazy not to grab him in the draft ASAP ...This is not the "usual" late first rounder "typical" top goalie for a draft and the conensus wisdom of never taking a goalie in the top ten let alone #1 mantra-this is more --if a Ken Dryden or Martin Brodeur (in his heyday) or Tim Thomas type PUCK-STOPPER was available--then short of a Crosby or Gretzky LEAGUE-"FRANCHISE" forward or a Bobby Orr or Denis Potvin LEAGUE-franchise D-men of a 'generational" nature -which as good as Yakupov may be -he is no Crosby or Gretzky---so in "value" (for winning) --rather than value for selling tickets (scorers sell tickets,goalies do not in themselves but only do it as an ancilliary to helping teams win) --you have to put FRANCHISE GOALIE projection ahead of mere 'star forward" projection..only a generational MEGA-STAR forward or D-man (of which there are none in this draft) could displace the value of a real "franchise goalie" projection.

NOW-maybe some of the experts still are unsure if Malcolm Subban really is a "FRANCHISE GOALIE" level of projection....but off what I have seen so far this season,he sure looks like the "real deal" in projecting that kind of career for him.

THerefore I have no choice but to drop Yakupov to #2 --MALCOLM SUBBAN I now crown the clear TOP PROSPECT i have seen from this draft.



My top 15 (Dec. 2011) now loks like this:

1. MALCOLM SUBBAN (G)
2. NAIL YAKUPOV (C)
3. FILIP FORSBERG (LW)
4. MIKHAIL GRIGORENKO (C)
5. RADEK FAKSA (C)
6. BRENDAN GAUNCE (C)
7. DANIIL ZHARKOV (LW)
________________________
8. CODY CECI (D)
9. RYAN MURRAY (D)
10. PONTUS ABERG (W)
11. ALEX GALCHENYUK (LW)*
12. MATT DUMBA (D)
13. MORGAN REILLY (D) *
14. SLATER KOEKKOEK (D)
15. JACOB TROUBA (D)
______________________

NOTES:

* denotes injured payers --Galchenyuk with his recent ACL surgery probaly is out the whole season..Morgan Reilly 's injury also could be season-ending...now both these players might be in the top 10 (Galchenyuk certainly) --Reilly on the cusp for sure...BUT if OTHERS who were not on the radar as much at the start of the year for the top ten (Subban,Faksa,Gaunce,and now out of nowhere--Zharkov) have staked claims as LEGIT top ten considerations -it is not certain that even if Galchenyuk and Reilly were playing all year they could displace anyone in the top ten.. Maybe so..maybe not..


Note that I divide my top 7 from the 8-15 group....This is because I am certain of the top 7 and in that order...I am not certain of the 8-15 group -and positions may change there by the time of final rankings.


HOWVER--overall I will note that the early conensus about a special group of d-men,has instead been replaced by a special group of forwards up at the top of the draft... To compare--NO d-man in this draft compared to the talent size and impact of a Dogie Hamilton..in this sense this draft's d-men crop seems nOT SO REMARKABLE anymore --and that is why wOODLIEF probably changed his mind on how good the 2012 draft is...BUT as I said the surprisess in GOAL and at FORWARD
with 4 guys that the earluconensus did not consider top 10 --instead elevating themselves now into the top 10 conversation --THAT is the big surprise about 2012!

WE all thought this draft would be special for the D-man quality-instead it might be remembered for the exceptional crop of forwards and 1 very special FRANCHISE GOALIE projection...

Click to read more...

 

[chaosrevolver]

Thanks for your post, but these guys are getting massively overrated here...and this is from a Bulls die-hard who was a season ticket holder for twelve years.

Malcolm Subban has been amazing and has incredible potential. However, while he is the best goalie in the draft, as we have learned with past goalies, they are the hardest to predict and that is why we don't see top goalies go in the first few picks in the past bit. For example, an exceptional prospect like Markstrom went second round and he had big hype going into that draft. I say he is looking at 20-30 at best right now..

Gaunce - I can't fault you too much for being high on the guy. He is excellent but before being a top-5 player in the draft, he really needs to improve his skating. It is passable but not a strength of his game. The brightside, is the rest of his arsenal is the strength of his game. The shot, size, intelligence, strength, etc. are all great assets that he possesses. I have him between 10-20.

As for Zharkov, most coming into the season had him going late 2nd or early 3rd. He has been exceptional since coming back from his injury and to me, has been their best forward (yes, including Gaunce) over the last ten games. He has it all..and I actually think he could very easily be a better prospect than Gaunce himself. Now while that sounds like I am saying he will go top-ten, I more or less think that when all is said and done, he could play himself into being one of the best prospects in the draft. However, I think that he will go somewhere between 20-30 like Subban. One factor is that he is Russian, and while he left there at an early age, that question will still be there. Another question will be his USHL performance..and the fact he will not play for the WJC team will likely leave a few skeptics around as well, fair or not.

Look..the fact is, while you can point out how great these guys have been. They haven't performed like they are right now for a long period of time like the Yakupov's, Grigorenko's, etc. There is a lot of season to go so we will see how it plays out, but I think you are overrating them and overlooking a lot of talented prospects for this draft.

 

[Grigo25*]

wut? i don't even...Subban is barely 1st rounder at this point

 

[McDNicks17]

Subban, Zharkov and Faksa definitely have 1st round potential, imo, but #1, #5 and #7?

Yikes.

 

[Brock]

I've finally managed to see Zharkov play a couple times in the past few weeks.

He's definitely quite the talent and is worthy of the praise he is starting to generate.

He oozes offensive potential. Big shot. Lots of puck skill. Seems to have good hockey sense. Complete game, as he'll block shots, rub guys out, forecheck. And with that size, it's damn appealing.

He keeps up this high level of play...and he's probably looking at the top 20 for sure.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

I've finally managed to see Zharkov play a couple times in the past few weeks.

He's definitely quite the talent and is worthy of the praise he is starting to generate.

He oozes offensive potential. Big shot. Lots of puck skill. Seems to have good hockey sense. Complete game, as he'll block shots, rub guys out, forecheck. And with that size, it's damn appealing.

He keeps up this high level of play...and he's probably looking at the top 20 for sure.

I was wondering when we were going to hear from Brock about this guy! And to the OP, I'm a Bulls fan myself, and you're definitely picking out the right three guys for this year's draft, but I'd be surprised to see them drafted THAT high at this point. Definitely becoming a more exciting organization to follow again though.

 

[malkinfan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgXkM3ExTYM

Pretty filthy goal by Zharkov.

 

[Aspirine]

Omg lol OP is excited!
Since when is Malcolm Subban first round material? If I remember correctly last year he was only talked about as the less talented of the three brothers.
About Zharkov, he sure looks good, but what if this season was THE season for him? I mean plenty of top scorers for one season (or even more) in juniors have never been drafted or never did anything worth mentioning in the big leagues. Have you ever thought of that? Quite a risk to take when you're a GM and it's your turn to pick in the first if you ask me... You pick the player that has a history of being good.
There are plenty of other rounds to take flyers on enigmatic players.

 

[McDNicks17]

Omg lol OP is excited!
Since when is Malcolm Subban first round material? If I remember correctly last year he was only talked about as the less talented of the three brothers.
About Zharkov, he sure looks good, but what if this season was THE season for him? I mean plenty of top scorers for one season (or even more) in juniors have never been drafted or never did anything worth mentioning in the big leagues. Have you ever thought of that? Quite a risk to take when you're a GM and it's your turn to pick in the first if you ask me... You pick the player that has a history of being good.
There are plenty of other rounds to take flyers on enigmatic players.

Ryan Johansen had 17 points in 47 games playing in the BCHL before putting up 69 points in the WHL in his draft year.

Would you call him an enigmatic player or a bad pick?


A team would draft Zharkov based on his tools and ridiculously steep development curve.

I'm not saying he should go #7 like hawksfan, but in my opinion, he's snuck into the 1st round and he's still quickly rising.

 

[Zine]

Omg lol OP is excited!
Since when is Malcolm Subban first round material? If I remember correctly last year he was only talked about as the less talented of the three brothers.
About Zharkov, he sure looks good, but what if this season was THE season for him? I mean plenty of top scorers for one season (or even more) in juniors have never been drafted or never did anything worth mentioning in the big leagues. Have you ever thought of that? Quite a risk to take when you're a GM and it's your turn to pick in the first if you ask me... You pick the player that has a history of being good.
There are plenty of other rounds to take flyers on enigmatic players.

Zharkov was one of Russia's best 1994s before going to N.A. last year.....so he has a history of being very good.
Seems like the adjustment period was difficult and just took some extra time. He's finally now showing what he's capable of.

 

[MountainGoat]

is he related to the devils player Vladimir Zharkov?

 

[chaosrevolver]

Omg lol OP is excited!
Since when is Malcolm Subban first round material? If I remember correctly last year he was only talked about as the less talented of the three brothers.
About Zharkov, he sure looks good, but what if this season was THE season for him? I mean plenty of top scorers for one season (or even more) in juniors have never been drafted or never did anything worth mentioning in the big leagues. Have you ever thought of that? Quite a risk to take when you're a GM and it's your turn to pick in the first if you ask me... You pick the player that has a history of being good.
There are plenty of other rounds to take flyers on enigmatic players.

Subban has been the best goalie in Ontario this season and perhaps all of Canada. He isn't top-10 or anything but he's the best goalie in the draft and is going in the top two rounds. Zharkov has been coveted for a while..and is more than a scorer. He's a two-way player..so that speaks volumes on how well he's played this year.

 

[Aspirine]

Ok sure then, I was jusk asking questions. Zharkov does look very good!
To the poster who mentioned Johansen, how many flash in the pan juniors are there for each Johansen? He is a very good player and an excellent pick for sure, but more of an exception than an example IMHO.

 

[Edges7*]

Ok sure then, I was jusk asking questions. Zharkov does look very good.

Zharkov came into the USHL around Christmas of last year. I saw one of his early games in Des Moines and then a few times thereafter.

He had a good presence in front of the net and would shoot from anywhere but he was more likely to hit the logo than the back of the net and I was never impressed with his work ethic away from the puck or the defensive zone. He was also a bit of a hotdog at times. I recall him scoring a goal in Indiana and he made like he was swimming on the ice. TC lost that game.

AO and Yeti probably have an opinion about him as well.

My two cents is that if he is doing well in the OHL then good for him. It's not the first time that a forward who had an issue playing in the small spaces of the USHL ended up doing well in the OHL where forwards are given more space.

 

[FeedDaPuck]

http://chl.ca/article/2012-home-hardware-chl-nhl-top-prospects-game-rosters-announced

Zharkov is among the three Russians named.

 

[FeedDaPuck]

Zharkov came into the USHL around Christmas of last year. I saw one of his early games in Des Moines and then a few times thereafter.

He had a good presence in front of the net and would shoot from anywhere but he was more likely to hit the logo than the back of the net and I was never impressed with his work ethic away from the puck or the defensive zone. He was also a bit of a hotdog at times. I recall him scoring a goal in Indiana and he made like he was swimming on the ice. TC lost that game.

AO and Yeti probably have an opinion about him as well.

My two cents is that if he is doing well in the OHL then good for him. It's not the first time that a forward who had an issue playing in the small spaces of the USHL ended up doing well in the OHL where forwards are given more space.

Hmmm... He was considered very good defensively by majority of the scouts when he came out of the USHL. And thats for a 16yo who spoke 0 English.

As for his shot - I would have to agree - due to his skating stance prolly - his "aim" was off. He worked and continues to work on it. Results are evident.

 

[Edges7*]

Hmmm... He was considered very good defensively by majority of the scouts when he came out of the USHL. And thats for a 16yo who spoke 0 English.

He was -13 in 36 games which was right around the average for the team. The Storm was a pretty weak team. I haven't seen him this year. My opinion is asterisked from seeing him in a handful of games 9-11 months ago.

I did have some conversations about this player during the latter course of the season. I don't recall anyone promoting his defensive zone play. I do recall that all thought that he had offensive zone upside. I liked the fact that even though his general accuracy was a problem he still got the puck off of his stick quickly. He seemed to me to be as capable of scoring from 15 feet away as he was poking in a rebound. The speed of the game as well as the physical nature of the USHL was not a problem for him either.

 

[FeedDaPuck]

He was -13 in 36 games which was right around the average for the team. The Storm was a pretty weak team. I haven't seen him this year. My opinion is asterisked from seeing him in a handful of games 9-11 months ago.

I did have some conversations about this player during the latter course of the season. I don't recall anyone promoting his defensive zone play. I do recall that all thought that he had offensive zone upside. I liked the fact that even though his general accuracy was a problem he still got the puck off of his stick quickly. He seemed to me to be as capable of scoring from 15 feet away as he was poking in a rebound. The speed of the game as well as the physical nature of the USHL was not a problem for him either.

all of his coaches were generally surprised - at how well he played d for a Russian. Take a look at some of the highlights in games that he has scored - he has a laser from the right circle - quick release and very accurate. From what I understand - he is one of the leaders on the team in blocked shots.

 

[Yeti]

He had a good presence in front of the net and would shoot from anywhere but he was more likely to hit the logo than the back of the net and I was never impressed with his work ethic away from the puck or the defensive zone. He was also a bit of a hotdog at times. I recall him scoring a goal in Indiana and he made like he was swimming on the ice. TC lost that game.

AO and Yeti probably have an opinion about him as well.

Zharkov did that same move against Lincoln. Last regular season game of 2010-11. I was in Kearney, NE watching that one. Kind of a hot dog move for sure with that goal celly. And yes, the Storm lost that game as well. I didn't realize he did the same move on the road in Indy. He seemed like the type that was more concerned about individual stats than team wins.

I agree with your synopsis of him. He did play on a very weak TC team, so maybe his skills were hidden. However, he never really stood out to me in the times I watched him live. I was kinda shocked when I heard a OHL team was interested in him. Good to hear he's playing well.

 

[FeedDaPuck]

Zharkov did that same move against Lincoln. Last regular season game of 2010-11. I was in Kearney, NE watching that one. Kind of a hot dog move for sure with that goal celly. And yes, the Storm lost that game as well. I didn't realize he did the same move on the road in Indy. He seemed like the type that was more concerned about individual stats than team wins.

I agree with your synopsis of him. He did play on a very weak TC team, so maybe his skills were hidden. However, he never really stood out to me in the times I watched him live. I was kinda shocked when I heard a OHL team was interested in him. Good to hear he's playing well.

He only "swam" in Lincoln. He did score in Indy and got into a fight. Indy game highlights are on youtube.

More concerned about individual stats than team wins???? Lol - again read what is being said about the kid - loved by his teammates and coaches. In USHL and in the O.

 

[Yeti]

He only "swam" in Lincoln. He did score in Indy and got into a fight. Indy game highlights are on youtube.

More concerned about individual stats than team wins???? Lol - again read what is being said about the kid - loved by his teammates and coaches. In USHL and in the O.

The game was in Kearney, not Lincoln.

Sorry you don't agree with my opinions. Just basing mine after what I saw if him last season. Like I said, glad he is playing better.

 

[TheOrganist]

I always find it amusing how these players who started their junior careers in the USHL and did absolutely nothing go up to the CHL and start putting up Pejorative Slured offensive numbers.

The USHL game is much more polished defensively with more older players so it isn't hard to see why that happens when kids go north but the fact that Zharkov is having newfound success doesn't impress me.


Every kid I've spoken with who came from either the BCHL or CHL always said how much harder it is to point in the USHL.

 

[FeedDaPuck]

I always find it amusing how these players who started their junior careers in the USHL and did absolutely nothing go up to the CHL and start putting up Pejorative Slured offensive numbers.

The USHL game is much more polished defensively with more older players so it isn't hard to see why that happens when kids go north but the fact that Zharkov is having newfound success doesn't impress me.


Every kid I've spoken with who came from either the BCHL or CHL always said how much harder it is to point in the USHL.

Ok, then I will counter with Galiev - whatever happened to his goal production in the CHL?

The fact is - USHL is an "older" league and the Dmen are generally less offensive - therefore there are less breakdowns - less scoring opportunities. I like USHL, same goes for the O.

Zharkov was very impressive in the U for a 16yo who had no English and never played NA game. His physicality is undisputed, and he is pretty fearless around the net. He has a ton of things that he needs to improve, but he also possesses the work ethic. He does have a very high ceiling in terms of his development. I would liken him to Jeff Carter.

 

[Edges7*]

He only "swam" in Lincoln. He did score in Indy and got into a fight. Indy game highlights are on youtube.

If so then I stand corrected. As I stated, I'm recalling events from several months ago.

I view a lot of clips and I'm old.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Did I really just see a posted list with Malcom Subban going first overall in 2012?