Being the youngest guy left on the list, Mattson will be interesting to follow, but he clearly has a long way to go. He was last in points per game of the drafted forwards playing the USHL last year. Even for players that aren't billed as offensive dynamo's, it is nice to see some level of point production in the lower leagues.
I'm still holding out hope for Rafikov. If he continues to develop, 3 years from now he could be a cheap stopgap (assuming the Flames can't afford UFA Brodie).
The Russian Olympic/World Cup defence corps isn't particularly deep. It'll be interesting to see if he cracks the national team in the next few years. That is my bellwether for him as I don't watch the KHL. If he hasn't made the team by age 25 or so, that's when I'll write him off.
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