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Vladimir Krutov
This morning, my thoughts and prayers go out to the Krutov family and friends. Krutov, reportedly died this morning, after being hospitalized on Tuesday with gastrorrhagia.
While some fans may view Krutov an NHL failure, I prefer to think of him as a trailblazer. Krutov was one of the first Russians to break down the "Iron Curtain" and make his way across the pond to the NHL. He paved the way for hundreds of you Russians to come over and play, thus changing the NHL forever.
Krutov was also the first Russian I remember as having personality. In his short stay in Vancouver, he always seemed to love life and enjoyed the spotlight. Krutov showed the hockey world that Russian players weren't the robots that the media often portrayed them to be. He was just a hockey player that loved playing the game and wasn't afraid to show it, a characteristic that that the mainstream media often views as a fault if you're not form North America. I personally view it as something I love seeing in players and the the game.
In his career, He won two Olympic Gold Medals, five World Championships, and two World Jr. Championships.
Krutov is a player that will hopefully find his way into the Hockey Hall of Fame one day, and I hope the NHL has a moment of silence to honor everything he has done for the game.
Five Hole For Food
Five Hole For Food is coming to a town near you this summer. For those of you that don't know, the concept was brought forward by some friends in Vancouver, who decided they would travel the country setting up street hockey games. The price to play in the game is a can of food or donation to the local food bank.
To date Five Hole for Food has raised over 70,000 pounds of food for food banks and is continuing the fight against hunger all over North America!
2012 Tour Dates
St. John’s – July 3rd
Halifax – July 5th
Charlottetown – July 6th
Saint John – July 7th
Montreal – July 9th
Ottawa – July 10th
Toronto – July 12th
Winnipeg – July 14th
Regina – July 15th
Calgary – July 17th
Edmonton – July 18th
Victoria – July 20th
Vancouver – July 21st
So get out and support this great cause this summer. For more information on Five Hole For Food
CLICK HERE
Pure Skill Prospects- Picks 147, 177, & 207
This ia a brief look at a few skill players that may be available with the 147th, 177th, and 207th picks. These are the kind of players that excel at things like skating, stick-handling, passing, and scoring. They are the kind of players that show up in the highlights.
Joey Laleggia- Denver University, 5"10, 180, D
43GP 11G 27A 35PIM
Passed over in the last two drafts because of his size, I really believe that Laleggia can become a very good NHL defenceman. He is a very smart player that was one of the best defenceman in all of college hockey this past season. Laleggia has excelled at every level he has played at and I see no reason why he won't as an NHL player. His skill level, vision, poise, and passing are all well above average. He is also a fairly good skater that is tough to hit. I've wanted the Canucks to draft this kid the past two years, let's hope the third time is a charm with Laleggia.
NHL Comparison- Dan Boyle
Brendan Ranford- Kamloops, 5"10, 190, LW
69GP 40G 52A 73PIM
The shifty little player is heading back into the draft after not being signed by the Flyers. Ranford is a player I've also liked because of his high skill level and completive work ethic. While he doesn't have what you would call great speed for his size, he does have a good first few steps and he finds the open spaces well. Ranford is also not afraid to mix it up in front of the net or in the corners. While size may be an issue for him, his great work ethic and feistiness should overcome that problem.
NHL Comparison- Joe Pavelski
Wade Murphy- Penticton, 5"11, 170, RW
60GP 36G 55A 66PIM
One of the most dynamic players in the BCHL, Murphy is also one of the hardest workers. He has pretty good speed and finds opening in the ice real well. He always competes hard and is a solid two-way player. Murphy has a good shot and excellent vision. Given time to fill out, this former Saanich Brave should find a spot on someone's second or third line.
NHL Comparison- Martin Erat
Chris Marchese- Windsor, 6"0, 210, LW
58GP 18G 25A 18PIM
A player that is a bit of a mystery at times, Marchese has the skill to be a very productive scorer. He is a good passer, with a great shot, who can flat out score when he is on. But then there are questions about his passion, why he doesn't use his size, his skating, and his conditioning. All those things are a bit of a red flag, but then again most late picks have some red flags. In the end, you have to at least look at a player like Marchese in thr 6th or 7th and ask yourself if you think you can get him going because the talent is clearly there.
NHL Comparison- Nik Antropov
Anton Zlobin- Shawinigan, 5"11, 180, RW
66GP 40G 36A 50PIM
Simply put, Zlobin is a big game type of player. He scored 5 goals and 4 assists in 6 games (the only two goals in the final) at the Memorial Cup and was one of the reasons Shawinigan shocked the Jr. Hockey world. Zlobin is blessed with great speed, skill and has a goal scorers shot. When the puck is on his stick he can bring people out of their seats. While he will need to work a little to round his game out, he is a game breaker.
NHL Comparison- Pavel Bure (poor man's)
Denis Kamaev- Rouyn-Noranda, 5"10, 165, LW
67GP 21G 34A 4PIM
Underrated and a bit undersized, Kamaev has managed to fly under a lot of peoples radars. Kamaev is an extremely skilled player, with outstanding vision. He is a good skater who can beat players one-on-one, and he makes his line mates better. While he admits that the physical game isn't really his style, when you watch him play it appears he isn't really fazed by it either. The defensive part of his game is good, although he does need to learn how to hit. For him to make the NHL he will need to at least attempt to hit sometimes, but that may come as he fills out.
NHL Comparison- Jordan Eberle (like)
Shayne Gostisbehere- Union College, 5"11, 160, D
41GP 5G 17A 20PIM
The smooth skating D from Florida had a wonderful freshman season at Union College. While he is a little under sized, it is clear that Gostisbehere is not bothered by it. He does an excellent job at using his smarts to angle players and his stick to break plays up. On offence, he makes a nice pass out of the zone and has shown he can run a PP.
NHL Comparison- Ian White
Alex Kerfoot- Coquitlam, 5"10, 150, C
51GP 25G 44A 24PIM
Kerfoot, is a little undersized, but filled with a big heart and lots of hockey smarts. He's the kind of player that makes everyone around him better and can lead a team both on and off the ice. He is a good skater, who has a very high skill level. He is a great passer and he is not afraid to go into the dirty areas of the ice. All that is stopping him from being a top 60 pick is his size and that can be fixed with time.
NHL Comparison- Zach Parise (but he will need to improve his shot)
Nikita Gusev- CSKA-Krasnaja Armija Moskva, 5"9, 165, LW
34GP 30G 46A 26PIM
An explosive little player, Gusev should have been taken last year but the Russian factor likely scared a few teams off. When he has the puck on his stick he is a fun player to watch. While he isn't going to the guy you want out there protecting a lead, he can hold his own in his own end. It takes talent to put up the numbers he did in Russia this past season. If he is there late and you think he will come over, using a 6th or 7th on him is a good pick.
NHL Comparison- Jiri Hudler
Julian Schmutz- Bern U20, 5"9, 170, RW
38GP 36G 29A 71PIM
The Swiss Jr. League's leading scorer may be the next Swiss star to come over and light up the CHL. He is an excellent skater, who plays with a bit of an edge and can rack up points. Right now Schmutz is ranked a little low, but teams pass on him this year, chances are he'll go middle rounds next year. Why not use a 7th on a player who will be a 3rd-5th round pick next year?
NHL Comparison- David Krejci
Henrik Haapala- Tappara U20, 5"7, 145, RW
46GP 16G 29A 18PIM
One of the smallest players in the draft came up big for the Fins at the U-18's. Haapala showed that he can play with the best 94 born players and fit right in. With 10 points in seven games he was one of the tournament leading scorers. He is a shifty little player, with great skill and vision. He skating is solid and he isn'r afraid of going to the net. While size will be an issue for him, if he works hard he may be able to overcome it. He the kind of player you take late and hope he grows a bit. If that happens, you have a steal. If it doesn't, you have a bust.
NHL Comparison- Marty St.Louis (with a very high bust potential)
Well that's a wrap
Ian
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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