[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Russian Edition, Vol. 12):

LD Artyom Vilchinsky (6'6",243lbs)
SKA-1946 St.Petersburg (MHL): 48gp/ 0g/ 12a/ 12pts, +46, 16 PIM

Godzilla-sized defender Artyom Vilchinsky (rated # 44 EU Skaters) has often been gifted top-pairing minutes this season and last, on a talent-laden squad- which is quite impressive for a U-18 player in Russia. Vilchinsky is a shutdown defender with enormous range and physicality, who sticks out on the ice like a sore thumb. As a testament to his abilities, he leads the league in plus/minus, but he has age working against him, as he missed the cut-off for being in last year's draft by one day, with a Sept.16, 2006 birthday- he might be the oldest player in this draft class. Aside from his gargantuan size, the first thing one might notice when watching him is his impressive straight-ahead speed- he keeps up to the play without any trouble, rarely gets beaten wide, and can even beat smaller players in races to loose pucks. He is fairly agile on his edges, and moves well laterally. Still, he needs upgrades to his first-step, and his acceleration, as well as his top speed for the next level.

When an opposing player tries to throw a hit against Vilchinsky, they usually bounce right off- he's physically unstoppable. He uses his frame very well, finishes his checks, and will throw his weight around to win pucks, but he's a veritable wrecking ball in defensive situations. He is smart about his hitting though, and doesn't take many penalties, but he's a presence in post-whistle scrums. Vilchinsky's bread-and-butter is his play-killing capabilities, and he's an excellent penalty-killer. He exerts smart positioning and tight gap control to smother the rush, and plays angles well to force attackers to the outside, bringing physicality to finish the play with a hit. When in the zone, he applies supreme pressure to opponents with his high activity rate, extra-long reach, and his virtually insurmountable range, which gives him the ability to cut off huge swaths of ice, and makes the middle difficult to penetrate. His mobility helps him to take away time and space, and he swallows up opponents aggressively in front of his net. He carries a hard and heavy shot, but that's really all he brings to his team's offense. He's not a very big scoring threat though, and doesn't use his shot nearly enough as he simply doesn't get very involved in the offensive zone, short of making quick feeds to open teammates. There's not much value here offensively, but he's smart and exhibits good hockey sense- there's just no creativity in his profile, and no real scoring potential.

Vilchinsky is actually a good passer, making safe and simple breakout feeds, but can stretch the ice on occasion with a cross-ice long-bomb. If all else fails, he isn't averse to dumping the puck in-or-out. He is always the last to enter the o-zone, and stays back during the transition to support the play from the backend with quick touches, and short passes. Improvements must be made to his puck-skill, which might not be much of a surprise, but he must show more intensity in 50/50 battles, as he can lose more than a player of his ilk should. His puck-management can be compromised when under pressure, almost as if there was a hole in his blade- he commits mistakes, mishandles, and even forces passes that aren't there when under duress. Vilchinsky has bottom-pairing shutdown potential, and I could see him getting picked in the 3rd, or 4th round.