"If skill was the only factor in hockey, Sergei Shumakov would be a name known from Oregon to Osaka and back again. There are questions surrounding the young Russian winger, but none of them involve his talent. His hands are to die for, and watching him play hockey can, at times, be mesmerizing. He regularly makes the impossible seem possible both with his passing and his bag — well, it is actually more like a flight-case — full of tricks. Oh, and did I mention his shot? Wrist, snap and slap, all three he gets away quickly, powerfully and accurately. Playing the left side on the power-play, his positioning and wind-up are reminiscent of another Russian winger who has wowed the world with his skills over the last decade.
So what are the cons with the electric winger from Chelyabinsk? Well, his skating is solid but not overly impressive. It would be unfair to call him anything less than solid, as it does not hinder him, but his stride can be choppy and he will likely never be a speedster. He is also not a strong defensive player. Still, he’s an exciting player who has started the KHL season with a bang, posting 15 points in 12 games. Add this onto his impressive end to last season and his resume is becoming increasingly hard to ignore. With a contract that expires at the end of this season expect a host of NHL teams to show interest in the highly-skilled Russian. It would really not be too absurd to see his skating on an NHL second line in the not-so-distant future."