Prospect Info: Vadim Zherenko - goaltender - (2019, 208th, STL)

[Ranksu]

Vadim Zherenko at eliteprospects.com





thanks to @MortiestOfMortys finding highlights.

Click to read more...

 

[Ranksu]

When Zherenko comes to NA he does have to look different number in his Jersey then #99.

 

[Stupendous Yappi]

I wonder if there is a calculus there were you take a player with a late pick periodically just to reward the work from a scout. If I were a scout and you never picked a guy I recommended it would get demoralizing. A 7th rounder isn’t much cost to take a chance and show a guy you have confidence in his scouting.

 

[Number 57]

This guy has great stats in AHL. For his age and draft rank, he's looking like a steal. Yes or no?

 

[Linkens Mastery]

This guy has great stats in AHL. For his age and draft rank, he's looking like a steal. Yes or no?

We definitely hope so.

 

[Moose and Squirrel]

I wonder if there is a calculus there were you take a player with a late pick periodically just to reward the work from a scout. If I were a scout and you never picked a guy I recommended it would get demoralizing. A 7th rounder isn’t much cost to take a chance and show a guy you have confidence in his scouting.

appears that scout knew what he was talking about

 

[STL fan in MN]

This guy has great stats in AHL. For his age and draft rank, he's looking like a steal. Yes or no?

Yes, absolutely.

His season is even more impressive IMO considering he wasn’t able to get on the ice much during the off-season hiding out in hotels trying to figure out how to get out of Russia and get over here.

 

[542365]

Goalies are completely unpredictable, but even if he’s “just” a quality AHL goalie, that’s still pretty valuable given the draft position. If he’s even more than that, which his numbers this season in his first year in North America suggest that he might be, that’s just gravy.

 

[Celtic Note]

As we know, workloads can have an impact on stats. When Hofer is up next year, Vadim will really show us whether this year is good because he is playing a backup role or if his stats are a precursor of things to come.

 

[STL fan in MN]

Goalies are completely unpredictable, but even if he’s “just” a quality AHL goalie, that’s still pretty valuable given the draft position. If he’s even more than that, which his numbers this season in his first year in North America suggest that he might be, that’s just gravy.

Yep. Hitting in the 3rd round and later really really helps a team. 7th round? That’s extra tasty gravy.

And the Blues appear to have likely hit in the 7th round 2 years in a row - 2018 with Tucker and 2019 with Zherenko.

Still waiting for Filip Helt and Nikolaj Krag-Christensen to blossom though…

 

[kimzey59]

Yep. Hitting in the 3rd round and later really really helps a team. 7th round? That’s extra tasty gravy.

And the Blues appear to have likely hit in the 7th round 2 years in a row - 2018 with Tucker and 2019 with Zherenko.

Still waiting for Filip Helt and Nikolaj Krag-Christensen to blossom though…

Noah Beck and Ivan Vorobyov haven't exactly been disappointing either. Still far to early to say for sure but the stats look pretty good on both of them.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Future backup for y'all or will he eventually end up back in Russia/Europe?

 

[STL fan in MN]

Future backup for y'all or will he eventually end up back in Russia/Europe?

Hard to say. He clearly has NHL talent but the difference between the 30th best goalie in the NHL and 70th best in an NHL org is not a lot. This season should tell a lot. But he’s big with fast reflexes. He absolutely has the makings of an NHL goalie so I’d bet on him more than some others that are currently #3 on their respective depth charts.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Future backup for y'all or will he eventually end up back in Russia/Europe?

Definitely possible he ends up being the backup but I have a feeling he's going to end up playing elsewhere in the NHL as I don't see the team moving on quickly enough from Binnington to match Zherenko's timeline. He's been very impressive when I've seen him in action but he had a rocky season last year with an injury that kept him out for more than a month. This will be a big season for him.

 

[SirPaste]

Definitely possible he ends up being the backup but I have a feeling he's going to end up playing elsewhere in the NHL as I don't see the team moving on quickly enough from Binnington to match Zherenko's timeline. He's been very impressive when I've seen him in action but he had a rocky season last year with an injury that kept him out for more than a month. This will be a big season for him.

I agree with this. He definitely has NHL upside and should probably get a chance at some point, barring injuries it will be a tough path for him in STL as they seem pretty content with the Binner/Hofer pairing for the foreseeable future. Binny I guess could be moved in a couple years towards the end of his deal if Hofer make some big strides and is the real deal. My bet is Zherenko ends up getting moved at some point but he is third in line at the moment, if there was an injury to Binner/Hofer he would be the guy called up and would see action.

 

[CurrentCS]

Definitely possible he ends up being the backup but I have a feeling he's going to end up playing elsewhere in the NHL as I don't see the team moving on quickly enough from Binnington to match Zherenko's timeline. He's been very impressive when I've seen him in action but he had a rocky season last year with an injury that kept him out for more than a month. This will be a big season for him.

I'd just like to add on his season last year that he had a .937sv% pre-injury and was dominating the majority of the time. So it's really unfortunate he had the injury issues as he's really close to taking the next step to the NHL.

I'm in the camp that feels he has the highest upside of all the goalies in the organization, even more than Hofer who I like very much. While I would love to see him in the NHL this year I think it's a great situation for him to get #1 minutes in Springfield and be ready as the call up if need be. I also hope Colten Ellis continues his growth this year and pushes for time as well, as he seemed to really turn the corner in his development about half way through the season last year (kind of reminds me of what happened with Binnington in his development).

 

[STL fan in MN]

What exactly was Zherenko’s injury?

 

[CurrentCS]

What exactly was Zherenko’s injury?

I only ever saw that it was a "lower body injury" but I believe it was ankle/foot related.

Btw, STL, this is EL Bandito from before. I couldn't get my old account back so had to start a new one.

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

I'd just like to add on his season last year that he had a .937sv% pre-injury and was dominating the majority of the time. So it's really unfortunate he had the injury issues as he's really close to taking the next step to the NHL.

I'm in the camp that feels he has the highest upside of all the goalies in the organization, even more than Hofer who I like very much. While I would love to see him in the NHL this year I think it's a great situation for him to get #1 minutes in Springfield and be ready as the call up if need be. I also hope Colten Ellis continues his growth this year and pushes for time as well, as he seemed to really turn the corner in his development about half way through the season last year (kind of reminds me of what happened with Binnington in his development).

I tend to favor goaltenders like Hofer who are rocks positionally and being massive between the pipes doesn't hurt. It's not as flashy and doesn't create as many highlight-reel saves but I gravitate towards goalies like that because that was my play style as a bigger keeper. Zherenko is more athletic but lacks the polish that Hofer has shown. If Z can tighten up that portion of his game, there's no reason he can't have success in the NHL. He's shown flashes of star potential at times in viewings I've had, including some of his preseason performances with the Blues. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him get the nod as an AHL All-Star keeper this season.

Hofer's mental game is off the charts. He's unflappable, so I have a ton of faith in his ability to withstand the psychological rigors that NHL goalies have to go through, but I do recognize the possibility that Zherenko ends up being an NHL starter as well. Unfortunately we're in a position where we have two good goalies at the pro level in Binnington and Hofer and may run out of time to find Z a spot.

Ellis was a major surprise this past season. I'm interested to see how his development continues this year because I had all but written him off.

Our goaltending pipeline is in fantastic shape right now.

What exactly was Zherenko’s injury?

I feel like I had read that it was a high ankle sprain but haven't been able to find confirmation of that. Ankle sprains can be season-killers for goalies.

 

[Davimir Tarablad]

Out of curiosity, how would people rate his puck handling?

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Out of curiosity, how would people rate his puck handling?

Not great from what I've seen.

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

IF he has a big year, and IF Hofer shows he’s ready for the starter’s job going into 25-26, then I definitely trade Binnington next summer. I’d even consider it at this year’s deadline if we’re out of the race for a playoff spot.

I think Binner ends up being the starter for Team Canada at the tournament in February. If he does really well there, it’ll only make his trade value even higher.

 

[CurrentCS]

I tend to favor goaltenders like Hofer who are rocks positionally and being massive between the pipes doesn't hurt. It's not as flashy and doesn't create as many highlight-reel saves but I gravitate towards goalies like that because that was my play style as a bigger keeper. Zherenko is more athletic but lacks the polish that Hofer has shown. If Z can tighten up that portion of his game, there's no reason he can't have success in the NHL. He's shown flashes of star potential at times in viewings I've had, including some of his preseason performances with the Blues. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him get the nod as an AHL All-Star keeper this season.

Hofer's mental game is off the charts. He's unflappable, so I have a ton of faith in his ability to withstand the psychological rigors that NHL goalies have to go through, but I do recognize the possibility that Zherenko ends up being an NHL starter as well. Unfortunately we're in a position where we have two good goalies at the pro level in Binnington and Hofer and may run out of time to find Z a spot.

Ellis was a major surprise this past season. I'm interested to see how his development continues this year because I had all but written him off.

Our goaltending pipeline is in fantastic shape right now.


I feel like I had read that it was a high ankle sprain but haven't been able to find confirmation of that. Ankle sprains can be season-killers for goalies.

Yeah I definitely agree. I'm a big fan of Hofer and compare his upside to Hellebuyck actually.

All I'm saying is that if Zherenko hits that he has the highest upside potential wise in the organization. Hofer is much more likely to reach his for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I feel like I had read that it was a high ankle sprain but haven't been able to find confirmation of that. Ankle sprains can be season-killers for goalies.

High ankle sprains are killer, especially for goalies. So if the real Zherenko is the one that put up a .937 SV% pre-injury then maybe he really breaks out this season.

Agree that the Blues goalie pipeline looks solid, especially with Ellis showing relevancy again.

 

[ezcreepin]

The issue with Zherenko's numbers is that he has consistently played well in each league he's gone to. He has played well in his seasons with the AHL, but he got toasted with shots nearly ever game. I would consistently see 40-50 shots given up, and he would end up with 3-4 goals against. Obviously there are bad games in between, but I've seen him show enough at the moment to believe that he is definitely on the path to being in the NHL. I think maybe another half or full season, and he could be ready to go (provided he's recovered from his injury). I think he gets out of position a little bit too much, but as a backup, I think he could be a very good quality player.