Prospect Info: Vitali Kravtsov: Part IX

[will1066]

Yegor Rykov, remember him? Looks like James Franco

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Yegor Rykov, remember him? Looks like James Franco

Holy shit he does!

 

[FireGerardGallant]

If were talking about doppelgängers me and friends swear Panarin looks like the rapper Jack Harlow

 

[TheDirtyH]

Like the coaches I’ve been surprised just how fast he is. The NA rinks really bring out his speed more.

 

[bleedblue94]

Damn has he looked good. Makes me wonder what the hell happened last year.

He has made all the right decisions with the puck, which is shocking for a rookie. Even in the D-zone. I'm not surprised he moved up to the first line last night. He made Kreider look like an inexperienced rookie.

It's possible he just needed the time to mature as a person and player. There were also reports he and panarin kept in pretty close contact and I have to imagine when a guy like panarin is telling him that he DOES need to make the adjustments to thrive in NA it goes a long way in adding credibility to instruction VK was/is getting from others that maybe he didn't want to accept when he was 19. The way he and buch were communicating throughout the last game was so cool to see after having seen what growing pains buch went through as a player with the "russian training" back issues when he came over, the benchings for effort and defensive play, to now being one of the most reliable and consistent 2 way players on this team.

 

[bleedblue94]

It's unfortunate that all our prospects don't enter the league at 21. It makes a huge difference

I think this is a big part of why Lou in NJ and Ken Holland in Det use to keep their draft picks in the minors so long. Let them get their full run in jr and then a year or two in the ahl to develop physically, mentally, and stylistically so they could step into the league as young adults instead of old teenagers. I think this only highlights why we need to stay so patient with guys like Laf and Kakko right now. those extra couple/few years at their ages make a massive difference.

 

[Edge]

Honestly, Kakko happened last year. VK had the better camp, but they wanted KK on the roster and the FO said they wanted Kravy getting more minutes than he would on the 4th line so they sent him to Hartford to start.

In retrospect it probably should of been the other way around, but both kids look great right now so i'd say everything worked out for the best in the end.

I wouldn't underestimate how much Kravtsov's game has been refined in the past year too.

One of the things Kravtsov has done a very good job of adjusting is his tendency to cruise. Even going back to his junior league days, there was a tendency for him to just kind of cruise without purpose or momentum, watching the play and waiting for it to develop. He was so much more talented than the competition, he could turn it into something. That's harder to do at the higher levels.

What's he worked on, and improved, is his ability to keep moving, to get to where the puck is going to be, and then use the momentum he's already built to make a play and create something.

The middle of last year was a wake-up call for him and there's a very clear before and after comparison to be made.

 

[CLW]

All depends on if the consistency is here to stay. When he’s on his a game, he has all the makings of a 70+ point forward. When he has some waves in his game, you tend to envision results more in line with Kreider and Buch’s journey thus far.

It's a mental thing with Kravtsov. He's clearly talented, now it's maturity and focus that will take him to the elite level as a professional hockey player.

 

[Edge]

It's a mental thing with Kravtsov. He's clearly talented, now it's maturity and focus that will take him to the elite level as a professional hockey player.

It's mental, it's experience, it's confidence, maturity and a willingness to adapt.

It's also patience.

I think we almost forget that our 2018 draft was, at the time, described as needing time to cook. The idea was that Kravtsov could be two years away, Miller and Lundkvist closer to three.

For all intents and purposes, we're more or less in that timeframe now. I'd dare say in some cases, ahead of schedule for someone like Miller.

 

[CLW]

It's mental, it's experience, it's confidence, maturity and a willingness to adapt.

It's also patience.

I think we almost forget that our 2018 draft was, at the time, described as needing time to cook. The idea was that Kravtsov could be two years away, Miller and Lundkvist closer to three.

For all intents and purposes, we're more or less in that timeframe now. I'd dare say in some cases, ahead of schedule for someone like Miller.

Yep, it's good to see that Kravtsov came out alright from what happened to him at his first camp. Things are not always fair and you can and may get jerked around on occasion as a rookie/young and up and coming player by random events you can't control. Coaches and FO's like to talk a good game but that talk doesn't always match their decisions, "politics" can be damn annoying.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Another thing to note about Kravtsov is he just played an entire KHL season + playoffs, then had to quarantine, and then joined the team after only (2? maybe 3?) practises
And he still looks this good

 

[Levitate]

Seems like the year in the KHL with the idea of focusing on improving parts of his game that would help him transition to the NHL really paid off. Hope he keeps it up and the coaches can find icetime for him and Kakko and Laf and Chytil...

 

[kovazub94]

Physical development, mental maturation and buy-in to play the defensive side (thank you, Traktor head coach Gatiyatulin for whom Kravtsov has enormous respect). If you were paying attention to progression from Buchnevich - the turnaround point also started with improving on the defensive side. The same thing that Kakko and Lafreniere have been working too.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Love his vibe he gave off in that interview, I think it was Saturday or Sunday. (nope, yesterday, one page back). He was asked how it felt playing with Zibs and Butch on the left wing.

He was giddy and gushing over the fact. "Dey so good. Dey can do anything. Like plays."

He sounded like he's living his dream and I couldn't be happier for us all.

He'll be a gigantic sponge, sucking up all the bread, butcher's meat and sick beats.

 

[n8]

I wouldn't underestimate how much Kravtsov's game has been refined in the past year too.

One of the things Kravtsov has done a very good job of adjusting is his tendency to cruise. Even going back to his junior league days, there was a tendency for him to just kind of cruise without purpose or momentum, watching the play and waiting for it to develop. He was so much more talented than the competition, he could turn it into something. That's harder to do at the higher levels.

What's he worked on, and improved, is his ability to keep moving, to get to where the puck is going to be, and then use the momentum he's already built to make a play and create something.

The middle of last year was a wake-up call for him and there's a very clear before and after comparison to be made.

for me it's night and day. He used to cruise. Now he's back checking like crazy. He sometimes beats our dmen on the backcheck. I see him breaking up plays and being a complete player. I think he just needs to build up his confidence and feel like he can hang with the "dey so good" guys and realize he so good. Love that he has Panarin and Buch to learn from.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Love his vibe he gave off in that interview, I think it was Saturday or Sunday. (nope, yesterday, one page back). He was asked how it felt playing with Zibs and Butch on the left wing.

He was giddy and gushing over the fact. "Dey so good. Dey can do anything. Like plays."

He sounded like he's living his dream and I couldn't be happier for us all.

He'll be a gigantic sponge, sucking up all the bread, butcher's meat and sick beats.

He was also super dedicated to learning English and coming over and getting acclimated to North America. His English is already better than Buch, Panarin, etc. He was staying in the US throughout the summer before camp too. He skipped his sisters wedding to fly to North America as soon as he got the call that the Rangers wanted him for the bubble, even though he didn’t get to play. It’s no wonder he was so down on himself when he didn’t crack the team and had a bad time in the AHL.

Another thing idk if anyone notices but he’s always blinking and sometimes looks disengaged in his eyes, some people might think it’s showing disinterest but I’m 99% sure it’s because he wears contacts. I’ve seen Instagram stories where he’s wearing glasses lol, he may need some better eye drops

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Another thing idk if anyone notices but he’s always blinking and sometimes looks disengaged in his eyes, some people might think it’s showing disinterest but I’m 99% sure it’s because he wears contacts. I’ve seen Instagram stories where he’s wearing glasses lol, he may need some better eye drops

That's funny, I though it was some nervous tick, like ADHD or some shit like that. He's a good kid, you can tell.

(Maybe we also saw him tear up a little sometimes. There was one instance on the bench these couple of games, where was blinking and wiping something off his eye, I seem to recall.)

 

[EdJovanovski]

That's funny, I though it was some nervous tick, like ADHD or some shit like that. He's a good kid, you can tell.

(Maybe we also saw him tear up a little sometimes. There was one instance on the bench these couple of games, where was blinking and wiping something off his eye, I seem to recall.)

IIRC he was also even studying to be a hockey coach.

but yea hahah I wear contacts and I play hockey, when I have sweat rolling down my face it can get in my eyes and cause a lot of irritation with the contacts. I recently switched from monthly’s to dailies and they seem a lot better, haven’t tested them out playing hockey yet because I have a torn ACL and am awaiting surgery

 

[NYRFANMANI]

f*** dude, get well soon!

 

[duhmetreE]

You know he's going to be a good player, just by his flow... Artemi Panarin type of potential there

 

[Rempe73]

If he’s the main piece, or a piece at all, in an Eichel trade, I might actually be more furious than I was when DeAngelo got put on waivers. I changed my Twitter handle when we drafted Kravtsov to “DeAngelo to Kravtsov,” and to have neither guy on the team...

 

[Rempe73]

IIRC he was also even studying to be a hockey coach.

but yea hahah I wear contacts and I play hockey, when I have sweat rolling down my face it can get in my eyes and cause a lot of irritation with the contacts. I recently switched from monthly’s to dailies and they seem a lot better, haven’t tested them out playing hockey yet because I have a torn ACL and am awaiting surgery

Holy Lord that just makes his vision of the ice so much more impressive

 

[duhmetreE]

He plays a perfect style of game IMO.

What a stud

 

[Raspewtin]

he had a big hit on Boqvist that started the 4th line forecheck that immediately preceded Panarin's goal IIRC.

 

[duhmetreE]

Like the coaches I’ve been surprised just how fast he is. The NA rinks really bring out his speed more.

His IQ and compete has surprised me.

Smaller rinks make Big Brain players shine