Vasily Zelenov, RW, RedBull (AlpsHL) - 204OA, 2024 | HFBoards - NHL Message Board and Forum for National Hockey League
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Vasily Zelenov, RW, RedBull (AlpsHL) - 204OA, 2024


“Zelenov plays a great net-front game despite being relatively small. He plays a great supporting winger role, playing close to other players. When he receives the puck, Zelenov works well in small areas to help the cycle. He would benefit from adding muscle and speed.” ~ Joe Maciag, EU Scout

“Zelenov just put up the 2nd-best U18 year offensively in the Alps Hockey League’s short history, which is very impressive. It is important to consider, though, that many Austrian teams use this league as a farm league, and that includes Zelenov’s EC Salzberg. Zelenov’s first goal will likely have to be to prove himself in the more competitive ICEHL before he is considered any further.” ~ Taahaa Lone, OHL Scout/Editor
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Some notes/translations from a LAOLA1 article:
-Moved to wing this last season
-English fluency already, as well as German and Russian
-Twin brother's aiming to play NCAA hockey
-Naturalized Austrian citizenship
-Expected to play w/Austria's U20 team in Riga summer tourney
-Eight NHL teams interviewed him, w/Utah & Buffalo projections as late pick
-Strengths: Hockey savvy (finds open spaces with and without the glass, good vision), technique, attitude (seems to have leadership qualities)
-Weaknesses: speed, shooting hardness
 
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I have probably watched more of Zelenov than anyone who is not his family or coaches this year aha... not just saying that.

Very fun player to watch.

The ChatGPT abbreviated version of the report I did on him for PHLY as part of a sleepers piece (Alex Appleyard's sleepers in the 2024 NHL Draft - PHLY Sports) as while I would love for you all to subscribe I doubt any Sabres fans are going to pay to read Flyers content all year...

At 18, Zelenov played against men all season and nearly reached a point-per-game pace in AlpsHL, effectively the Austrian second-tier "pro" league with teams from Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. His team, RB Hockey Juniors, acts as Red Bull Salzburg’s U23 team while many of the other teams feature a more standard age-range for pro hockey. This year, Zelenov produced similarly (or just a step below) many of the North American players in the league who are 5-10 years older than him, and who back when they were 20 and still developing broke the point-per-game mark in the CHL, excelled in the ECHL afterwards, and in some cases even stuck around in the AHL for a while.

Zelenov’s draft position may be impacted by playing in AlpsHL, a less prestigious league for prospects. Virtually no legitimate prospects have ever played in AlpsHL in their draft season. The only exception was during COVID, with Francesco Pinelli and Francesco Arcuri. Incidentally, Zelenov outproduced both on a game-by-game basis, albeit on a stronger team.

Other reasons that Zelenov may go undrafted? His speed is “average,” though he is agile. He is also not physical, and he can get slightly lazy with his stick and take silly penalties. His shot needs to improve in all aspects — he has a slow release and fails to generate velocity. Almost all of his goals were undressing a goalie in close or via tap-ins.

Zelenov handles the puck like a magician. While his creativity can lead to risky overhandling, he's far from a puck-hog and consistently makes incredible passes from any position. He excels on the rush but is easier to defend during slower play. He works hard on the boards, finds dangerous rebound areas, and remains a strong passer in the zone, regularly making accurate cross-ice feeds. In transition, Zelenov shines, carrying the puck from his own zone through both blue lines with ease. He prefers controlled transitions and only dumps the puck when necessary. Beyond his skill, Zelenov's upbringing as a center shows in his defensive attentiveness. He defends zone entries well, takes on tough assignments, supports defensemen, and breaks up plays despite occasional mistakes. Additionally, he is a good forechecker and penalty-killer, making him versatile and not a "top-six or bust" player.

To reach the highest level, Zelenov needs to improve his speed, shot, and overall maturity. Despite his flaws, he’s shown he can play well against men and has a well-rounded game. While he may not reach the NHL, he has the potential to become a solid pro and possibly carve out a role on an NHL third line in the future if things go well.
 
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Chainshot said:
I know @GermanSpitfire had some views of him, put him in his under the radar post back in January-February.
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Oh my god, he is one of my favourite players from the 2024 draft - me and @Chapin Landvogt were probably two of the only people on the internet that were pulling for Zelenov and let me tell you, to see a player that far under the radar that you were pulling for get drafted, it was a great feeling and was gratifying to say the least.

Zelenov is a very skilled player, he loves the puck on his stick and tries to make something, anything happen whenever he is on the ice. He has some slick mits that he can use in tight, and isn’t afraid of the middle of the ice, which isn’t something you see often from a player like this.

The league he was playing in doesn’t have the best Quality of Competition but as a player his age, he was carrying the offence a lot of nights and against men, may I remind you. I think there is a top-6 player in there one day, he just needs the right development to reach it. I was hoping he would get selected in the CHL draft and come over, but I guess he has other plans. I’m extremely exited to see him develop. He was undoubtedly the most skilled player eligible for the draft this year from the Alps Region.
 
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GermanSpitfire said:
Oh my god, he is one of my favourite players from the 2024 draft - me and @Chapin Landvogt were probably two of the only people on the internet that were pulling for Zelenov and let me tell you, to see a player that far under the radar that you were pulling for get drafted, it was a great feeling and was gratifying to say the least.

Zelenov is a very skilled player, he loves the puck on his stick and tries to make something, anything happen whenever he is on the ice. He has some slick mits that he can use in tight, and isn’t afraid of the middle of the ice, which isn’t something you see often from a player like this.

The league he was playing in doesn’t have the best Quality of Competition but as a player his age, he was carrying the offence a lot of nights and against men, may I remind you. I think there is a top-6 player in there one day, he just needs the right development to reach it. I was hoping he would get selected in the CHL draft and come over, but I guess he has other plans. I’m extremely exited to see him develop. He was undoubtedly the most skilled player eligible for the draft this year from the Alps Region.
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Do you think he would come over to the US HL? Green Bay took him in their stage two.
 
Chainshot said:
Do you think he would come over to the US HL? Green Bay took him in their stage two.
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I would like to see it, maybe he’ll be more inclined to move to a better league after being drafted. I know he loves playing with his twin brother and he can with the Red Bull Juniors, so perhaps that’s a part to the equation.
 
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