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With the Nineteenth Pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Tampa Bay Selects...

June 11, 2012, 8:19 AM ET [27 Comments]
Brian Huddle
CHL and NHL Prospects • RSSArchiveCONTACT



20. Slater Koekkoek
21. Henrik Samuelsson
22. Derrick Pouliot
23. Tomas Hertl
24. Hampus Lindholm
25. Nicolas Kerdiles
26. Scott Laughton
27. Ludvig Bystrom
28. Cristoval 'Boo' Nieves
29. Oscar Dansk
30. Malcolm Subban

Tampa is in a weird spot, having plenty of talent on the big club, a healthy amount of talent in the system, and yet on the outside looking in on the playoff race this past season. Unable to keep the puck out of their own net, Yzerman knows some tweaks between the pipes and on the blueline will go a long way towards bringing a winner together.

"With the Nineteenth Overall Pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Tampa Bay is proud to select, from Tolpar Ufa of the Russian Major League: Andrei Vasilevski."



At six-foot-four and 205 lbs already, Vasilevski is a monster of a netminder, covering most of the net with his body alone. When down into his traditional butterfly his long legs take away the bottom half of the net, with a bigger upper body giving him good coverage of the top. He can spring into and out of his butterfly very quickly.

Beyond his physical size, Vasilevski is quite the athletic goalie, showing powerful legs to move side-to-side in net with explosive properties. As mentioned above, he's extremely flexible, coming in and out of his butterfly quickly and effectively.

At his best when he keeps it simple, Vasilevski plays a very economical game, limiting movements and staying square to shooters. He has shown to read the play well and anticipate plays before they happen. Yet, like many goalies, Vasilevski is known for his hot and cold stretches.

Despite a couple technical flaws in his angles, and how deep he plays his glove, Vasilevski has very good upside for the pro game. At times, a little raw, with a lot of work through coaching Vasilevski has elite starting potential. He's a little awkward when handling the puck, as well.

Vasilevski has two years left on his deal in the MHL and has stated he plans on honoring that contract. The "Russian Factor" that some teams worry about could be in play there for that reason alone.
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