[News] Edmonton is a graveyard for young russians

[Pointman]

There's a thread on Edmonton being no good already, but I figured that this article, posted in russian leading sports website worth a thread on its own. The author does a great job researching Edmonton's history of failing to develop young russians and makes sure that russian hockey fans are left with no doubt on whether Oilers are any good.

https://www.championat.com/hockey/ar...-talantov.html
(in russian)


Quotes (translated by me):

"Oilers are not set to pick in the top 7. This must scare a hell out of two young russians, Yaroslav Askarov and Rodion Amirov, who are expected to be picked in the middle of the first round"

"In last 20 years Oilers have been nothing but a graveyard for young russian players while displaying surprising ineptitude in players development department"

"Yakupov was recently named the worst #1 pick ever by Edmonton Journal's David Staples. However, there are certainly some unpleasant questions regarding Oilers management, which - despite frequent changes in personnel - was remarkably consistent in their dreadful performance"

"Over the last 20 years Oilers have drafted many russian players, yet when it comes to developing them, Oilers somehow found a way to achieve no success at all"

"The first ever Russian, drafted by Oilers, was Igor Vyazmikin, at Round 12 of 1987 draft. He went on to play 4 games and register 1 point (which is not necessarily a failure for 12th-rounder). However, overall the Oilers have drafted 32 Russians, who have averaged 34 games in the NHL (not necessarily for the Oilers). Shockingly enough, only 5 of them have played more than 5 NHL games. Oilers' best russian draft pick was Anatoly Semenov, who was drafted as 27 years old in 1989"

"Speaking of 2000s, those years have been a catastrophe for both russians and Oilers management"

The author then lists all russians drafted by Oilers since 2000, 17 in total, 10 of them in the first three rounds. Only Yakupov and Slepyshev played more than 2 games. Mikhnov played 2 and Yakimov played 1. The rest 13 have combined for 0.

"Slepyshev had been looking promising at some point, but came back to Russia flatly rejecting all the attempts of Ken Holland to persuade him to stay"

"The last two draftees are still in Oilers system. Maybe they will break the Oilers curse, or rather incompetent management and disastrous scouting, but don't bet on it"

"All in all, we can only wish this year's draftees to avoid being drafted by Oilers"

"The once-famous franchise seems to be reeling about which makes it no good fit for young players in general, and apparently particularly deadly for Russians"

[CroFlames]

International recognition of E=NG. Nice.

[dammage79]

Let's not toot our horns over here. We just only recently started drafting Russians again. And it still remains to be seen how we deal with them. I think the Flames are doing good things right now with translators and all that, and definitely having more than one in the system helps them not feel alone and isolated.

But we wouldn't even touch them with a ten foot pole for what seems like an eternity. Val Bure may be the last one? Babchuk was Belarusian and had been in the league a good long while already.

Anywho, Edmonton sucks and the world knows it so thats cool, but we really don't have a pedestal to stand on in regards to Russian players.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Let's not toot our horns over here. We just only recently started drafting Russians again. And it still remains to be seen how we deal with them. I think the Flames are doing good things right now with translators and all that, and definitely having more than one in the system helps them not feel alone and isolated.

But we wouldn't even touch them with a ten foot pole for what seems like an eternity. Val Bure may be the last one? Babchuk was Belarusian and had been in the league a good long while already.

Anywho, Edmonton sucks and the world knows it so thats cool, but we really don't have a pedestal to stand on in regards to Russian players.

Ukrainian actually, but your point stands.

I think the Flames have stayed away from Russians mainly because it's harder for smaller markets in Canada to lure Russians over to play or be patient enough to come up through the minors even if they do.

[Erick Estrada]

Would be more apt if the article was called "Edmonton is a graveyard for young NHL players" seeing it's not a Russian specific issue.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Let's not toot our horns over here. We just only recently started drafting Russians again. And it still remains to be seen how we deal with them. I think the Flames are doing good things right now with translators and all that, and definitely having more than one in the system helps them not feel alone and isolated.

But we wouldn't even touch them with a ten foot pole for what seems like an eternity. Val Bure may be the last one? Babchuk was Belarusian and had been in the league a good long while already.

Anywho, Edmonton sucks and the world knows it so thats cool, but we really don't have a pedestal to stand on in regards to Russian players.

That Sergei Makarov guy was alright.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by CalgaryFan1988

That Sergei Makarov guy was alright.

I literally posted that Russians and the Flames stopped being a thing AFTER Val Bure. Nothing about before hand. I was saying modern era. 99 and onward.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I literally posted that Russians and the Flames stopped being a thing AFTER Val Bure. Nothing about before hand. I was saying modern era. 99 and onward.

Fair enough, but you also literally posted this last sentence

"Anywho, Edmonton sucks and the world knows it so thats cool, but we really don't have a pedestal to stand on in regards to Russian players".

[undercoverbrother]

Worse than Afghanistan or Chechnya?

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Let's not toot our horns over here...

Literally no one is doing any such thing. There is absolutely nothing wrong at all with publicly shaming the Oilers for their deplorable record with Russians at the draft. The fact that we are Flames fans has absolutely nothing to do with this laudable activity and this thread.

Edmonton is no good.

At anything.

[TOfan]

Originally Posted by CalgaryFan1988

That Sergei Makarov guy was alright.

One guy 28-29 years ago? Good point!

[Textcritic]

I think the title for the next instalment of E=NG has been settled, thanks to Pointman's excellent post:

Edmonton is No Good X: "Remarkably Consistent in Their Dreadful Performance"

fin.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by tofan

one guy 28-29 years ago? Good point!

1>0

[Iginla]

Originally Posted by TOfan

One guy 28-29 years ago? Good point!

Makarov
Titov
Saprykin

All pretty serviceable Russians.

[GreenLantern2814]

We should be drafting a Russian in the 5th round every year. That country produces too much talent to completely ignore it for the better part of two decades.

Perhaps if we had four or five guys who could come over together, they’d be more apt to consider it.

But why would Rushan Rafikov leave to come to a place that hasn’t employed one of his countrymen since Andrei Zyuzin?

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Would be more apt if the article was called "Edmonton is a graveyard for young NHL players" seeing it's not a Russian specific issue.

Or just a graveyard in general. A poorly maintained one at that.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

We should be drafting a Russian in the 5th round every year. That country produces too much talent to completely ignore it for the better part of two decades.

Perhaps if we had four or five guys who could come over together, they’d be more apt to consider it.

But why would Rushan Rafikov leave to come to a place that hasn’t employed one of his countrymen since Andrei Zyuzin?

I think there is reason to believe that the situation in Calgary may be improving. The Flames have drafted two Russians in the last two drafts, expending 2 of their ten picks. It's nothing to gloat about, but at least it's a start.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by TOfan

One guy 28-29 years ago? Good point!

German Titov. Stats with the Flames – 107+121=228 points in 345 regular season games, 7+6=13 points in 18 play-off games

[Reggie Dunlop]

Эдмонтон не годится.

[FBI]

Don’t forget vladdy hockey!