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Who is Nail Yakupov?

August 14, 2012, 10:39 PM ET [126 Comments]
Richard Cloutier
Edmonton Oilers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Follow me on Twitter, if you haven't done so yet: @rdcloutier

The Canada/Russia series ends with a Canada OT victory, and what is Nail Yakupov doing? Skating around the ice with a flag from Lokomotiv Yaroslav. For those who might have forgotten, Lokomotiv Yaroslav is the KHL team that was lost in a plane crash a little less than a year ago.

A strange gesture for a Junior to be making at that exact moment? Yep. But Nail Yakupov is not your average 18 year old hockey player.

Yaks didn't exactly shoot the lights out during the series, but at times he was the best player on the ice. Team Russia used him sparingly. Why? I think mostly because they're prepping for the next World Junior tournament, and they know Yakupov (if there is an NHL season by then) won't be playing for the Russian Junior team. During the Oilers Development Camp in July, Yakupov was clearly the most talented prospect the Oilers have, and all signs point to Yakupov playing in the Top 6 from Game 1 of the NHL season.

Let's get back to Yakupov skating around with the Lokomotiv flag.

Nail Yakupov is clearly a player with a conscious. He seems to understand the importance of the game in Canada and Russia. He cares about the fans and the game itself. One day he's doing jumping jacks after a goal during practice to make Oilers fans smile, the next day he's demonstrating love for his country and respect for players he looked up to by skating around with a flag. Yakupov is an easy player to love.

Part of the challenge in building a successful hockey team is realizing there needs to be depth, not just with respect to talent, but also with respect to character. The Oilers have a strong win-at-all-costs leader (Hall), the fun but focused sniper (Eberle), the silent but deadly player with super skills (Nugent-Hopkins), and now they have Mr. Personality in Yakupov. There is no intended sarcasm as I say this. Hall might be the Oilers soul, but Yakupov will become the Oilers heart.

If you know Oilers history you know Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Paul Coffey were cocky as kids to the point of being insufferable. In a way, they were a reflection of then-Head Coach Glen Sather. Teams...fans...even some media...hated the Oilers' attitude on the ice. People didn't just hate them because they were good. It took a few years and a few hard knocks for the Oilers vets to learn why they needed to dial the attitude down.

Mr. Personality back then on the team was Kevin Lowe. I think it was Gretzky who said the other players would let Lowe do all the talking for them. His confidence, passion, maturity and understanding of the game helped the rest of the team project better. Now granted, Lowe wasn't a laugh machine like Yakupov is, but there is the other side to Yakupov too. His speaking skills in English aren't exactly there yet, but he understands the importance of carrying himself with class and charm. In future, when the Oilers start winning games and the stars start getting cocky, Yakupov's personality is what will bring everyone else back to earth. As much as Yakupov likes to entertain, you won't find a more serious, focused and dedicated young player in hockey.

So who is Nail Yakupov? In NHL terms, we don't know exactly yet. I can't see him going Alexandre Daigle, but I'm not sure he's the next Stamkos or Ovechkin either. Obviously he's going to be a goal scorer. Hopefully, he'll be an Oiler for many years, and will help lead the team to a championship or two. Yakupov, in my opinion anyway, is just as important to the future as Hall, Eberle and Nugent-Hopkins.

Who is Nail Yakupov? Whoever he is, my hope for now is that Yakupov doesn't let fame, success, and the NHL change him.
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