Quote:
Originally Posted by 1qqaaz
Out of all the forward prospects in the Flames system, who would you say is the best defensively for their age?
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IMO, while Zary, Francis, and Kerins were drafted as quality 200-ft players, and Ciona seems to have some defensive IQ, I would easily give it to Nikolaev. He reminds me a bit of Backlund-same size, good skater, and known for his defensive game. Both play with a chip on their shoulder, both play C, and both sacrifice some of their offence to be sound defensively. Nik was 10th in USHL scoring, but 4th in plus/minus, and was 1st in plus/minus in the playoffs (+6 in 5 games) before his team was eliminated. Last year, he was an impressive plus 16 in 21 MHL games back in Russia.
What are your thoughts?