[Sandman]

I did a small write up on this guy earlier, but I like him so much I feel I have to expand:

LHD Vladislav Lukashevich.6'2"165lbs (Loko Yaroslavl,MHL): 36gp/3g/16a/19pts,+20. Top D-man on his team, and led them in ice-time despite playing on a deep team-he could've easily been buried. 21st in the league in p/gp for D-men with 10 games or more, highest p/gp for D-men under the age of 18. Uniquely advanced, the maturity in his game is farther ahead of his peers, and he makes an impression every time he steps on the ice. He does all the little things right, and is trusted in all situations. Just turned 18 in May, so age is on his side. Injury kept him out of the U-18s. Lukashevich controls the game well from the blueline, is a quality puck-rusher, and a premier game-manager.

Luka makes an immaculate first-pass, but he can also lead the rush-carrying it through traffic. He sees the ice extremely well, and knows where to be and what he should do next before the play even comes to him. Top-level hockey sense, NHL-quality skill and playmaking. Great decision-making and processing, he keeps track of everyone on the ice simutaneously. Fantastic creator, and can make really long-distance passes-his head is always up, scanning for where to best support his teammates. Knows when to pinch to keep play alive, and when retreat. Fine use of deception in his game-he uses crossovers and lateral changes, along with subtle fakes in his head and feet, and little fakes and dekes to manipulate the enemy and create space for himself or his teammates. He owns a cannon of a point-shot, and a pretty decent and accurate wrister. The big facilitator in his game is his outstanding speed and quickness-he has a long, powerful stride with superior balance. His edgework is elite-he can perform ankle-breaking pivots, turns, and changes in speed and direction. Able to make clean exits and entries with little space to work with. Luka exhibits good compete, and does whatever it takes to win. He works the boards well, and wins battles, despite a lack of strength. Defensively, he reads the breakout very well-he'll either pinch to deny the pass, or use his quality positioning and strong stick-checking to take away the opportunity. Very proactive-he sees the play before it develops. His speed, stick, and smarts give him good gap control.

Vlad is very slight, and physically under-developed, which affects his physical play, and his ability to handle bigger, stronger opponents-he will need to put on weight and get stronger to play at higher levels. When scouts look at Lukashevich, they will notice the fact that he didn't get any playing time in the KHL-which is a fact that usually keeps Russians out of the first round (only 3 Russians have been taken in the first round with no KHL time-Chinnakov last year, German Rubtsov, and Vasilevskiy). This situation was why people were shocked last year when CBJ took Chinnakov-he was supposed to go in the later rounds due to having no KHL time, and for being physically under-developed. Lukashevich's situation is vaguely similar, as he'll be left out of the first round, due those same reasons-but he has some first-round talent. With no time in men's leagues, there's less of a gauge of how he will develop in higher leagues. Luka's puck control at high speeds is not where it should be, and it affects his ability to push the play a bit. This issue, combined with his lack of strength and size are the main reasons why he hasn't been dominant enough to earn a shot in the KHL, but with training and coaching he can reach his massive potential in the NHL as a top-4, two-way player in the mold of a Leddy, or Brodin. 2nd/3rd round.