Gord Miller said yesterday on TSN that he spoke with a NHL scout on Tuesday who told him Artem Anisimov would have been a first round pick in 2006 if the Russians were part of the NHL-IIHF transfer agreement.According to Don Maloney,Anisimov's contract in Russia expires after this season so the lack of a transfer agreement will not be an issue with the Rangers signing Anisimov this summer
Gord Miller said yesterday on TSN that he spoke with a NHL scout on Tuesday who told him Artem Anisimov would have been a first round pick in 2006 if the Russians were part of the NHL-IIHF transfer agreement.According to Don Maloney,Anisimov's contract in Russia expires after this season so the lack of a transfer agreement will not be an issue with the Rangers signing Anisimov this summer
Yeah, Anisimov defenitly, atleast normally, belongs somewhere around 15-25 in a draft looking at talent alone. I am not completly sold on him, but I think he is a very good 2nd round pick. Though there are some questionmark IMO, especially were/how is gooing to develop.
The kid have allot of raw potential, but in my perspective might be 3-4 years away. If he is played in a Zajac role he could make it faster though.
However, I belive the best option would be to develop him in Russia for 2-3 years. Especially if we want him to become a 2nd line center, to maximaize his potential. Thats what Detroit always have done, left the kids in their original enviroment, longer then everyone expected them too do. Like with Datsyuk and Zetterberg for example -- both played in Europe untill they were 22 years old.
Young European forwards transits in the AHL and even the NHL, they take the step from Europe to North America, but they very seldom "develops" in NA. Anisimov, just like all kids his age, still needs to develop allot. If we sign him and bring him over and he just "adjusts" to NA instead of develop we got another Roman Lyanshenko on our hands. With his raw skill level he got potential to become a very good 2nd line center.
Maybe it was more than 4, but I'm pretty sure I saw the names Staal, Pyatt, Cliche and Anisimov, but I was on the phone and only caught a glimpse - then they cut to tape of Anisimov's goal (which was veddy nice).
Marc Staal - I really really love this kid. He got all the poise in the world. I don't expect him to run a PP in the NHL, he might later in his career, but atleast not at young age. But 5 on 5 I think he could become one of the better D's in the league. He got tremendous hockey sense, great size, a pretty good stride, he moves the puck well, he just reacts well. What ever comes up against him he comes up with a way to solve it, thats impressive and great proof of that a kid have allot of hockey in him.
Artem Anisimov - He is very big, I would bet at 6'4 right now, he is listed at 180 but I don't know about that, he looks really strong and got good balance. He skates well. Got good speed moving forward, but also is very smooth gooing backwards. You can feel comfortable if he ends up on D in a one on one situation. I don't know if I ever have seen that from a 6'4 center who are 18 y/o. He covers allot of ice and keeps his speed up over the length of a shift. He handles he puck well and got a great reach.
His biggest strength offensivly is his passing game. He passes well with both his back hand and forhand. He often darts towards 2 D's, draws attention, and then hits one of his wingers with a pass. He makes hard crisp passes.
The big question is how we are gooing to get him from beeing a talented kid with great size and very good skill level -- to take the next step and become a producer at the pro level. Forwards needs to produce. I am a little bit afraid that he will become a Lyashenko type of player, someone who quit can't get it together offensivly at the highest level. Its really hard to get that far, only 5-6 players out of a entire draft becomes top 2 line players. Anisimov could get there, just like Dubinsky, but he needs to work hard and allot of things must fall into place. In comparision with Korpikoski and Dubinsky I feel that Anisimov is a player who is easier to shut down (looking at style alone), Artem must get his skill level to a stage were he is above avg at the NHL.
The results right now, a very good prospect, but someone we should have reasonable expectation on. But also a pick we should be darn happy with. Artem could very easily just as well have been a 10-16th overall pick. He is that good, and he got allot of potential.
Of the Czech and Slovakian players I like Kveton a bit more then Zabrosky.
Tom Pyatt is also really impressive. But I think we should be a bit careful with this pick. He have looked good in the WJC, but that don't gaurantee a thing. So did Garth Murray for example, who also played a big role for Canada. Pyatt doesn't really have any outstanding aspects, especially not in his offensive game. He is not very big, and his speed aren't extremly good. Thats the negatives. However, is still a very good prospect. He is also one of thoose players who you gotta love because of his attitude and hustle. He needs to develop some more but have 2nd-3rd line type of potential and its with a base of these type of players that I belive will save the organization and be our future. Attitude is so important in Hockey. And Pyatt got quite serviceble skills in his offensive game.
Cliche is a prospect who also looks good, but must pick up his game overall a few notches to make it to the NHL. He is very well rounded and all, but his offensive game right now aren't good enough to step right into the NHL in a year or two as a offensive player. Still he is all quality, and if he can take it up a few notches the product will become really good.
Kveton is more precise, very effective and have a great skill set. He shows great quality in everything he does. He plays on the 4th line for the Czech and don't get much icetime so he won't score as much as Zabrosky in the WJC. I would compare him in style with Briere.
Zaborsky biggest strength is his instincts, he is a real opertunist. I saw him against Sweden. He don't dominate with his skills, but so often if there were a bad bounce or mishandled puck by/for the Swedes, it were Zaborsky who were there to take a swing at it.
Not sure if a love the Zaborsky pick though. Id like to see a bit more pure skill from him. I haven't seen him all that much though, just a game. It were back to back and everything.
On Anisimov, mini-Malkin is the best way to describe him, not saying he is nearly as good, but in terms of style he is a classical Russian centre. I'm a firm believer of leaving European drafted players in Europe and letting them cook there until they prove themselves at that level. But with the transfer disputes its best to bring them over to North America asap. In Anisimov's case though, he is a guy who should be brought over next season just to adjust to the North American game, not a physical player at all, but a great skater and protects the puck very well skating in with speed and he also has the puckhandling skills that you'd expect out a finesse forward coming out of Russia.
With that said, he wasn't very noticeable in the games I've seen without the puck on his stick, for a guy that's 6'3" in this tournament filled with players shorter than him is saying something. He is devastatingly smooth with the puck in open ice (looks just like Malkin) but with bodies coming at him and in tight, he had a lot of give aways or did the smart thing and just dumped the puck. But in the Gold Medal game Staal just nullified him with ease.
Pierre McGuire repeatedly called Staal "The Human Eraser", absolutely outstanding defensively, and seems like a coach's dream. He was asked to play defense first and focus on that, and two years in a row he shut people down masterfully. But he can handle the puck very well as well as lead a rush, but this is a player that will do anything to win, and anything asked of him, players like these are the ones that always seem to be on Cup winning teams, that is easily the best compliment I can give him. I expect him to go back to Sudbury and dominate the Junior level, something which he hasn't done early in the season contrary to what you guys may think, he took a lot of frustration penalties early on and wasn't the calm smooth player that he is. He is one of those players that will never get beat one on one, something the Ranger defense is missing badly right about now.
Zaborsky is a skilled skilled player, but he wasn't the offensive threat that I thought he'd be in the WJC, I've seen Saginaw play about 8 times this year, and he was always in the mix of things on offense, little to fancy sometimes, gets turned away at the blueline by strong defenders, but very scrappy for a skilled guy, if he doesn't make it in the NHL, he will be one of those guys that is a high end scorer in Europe, the jury is obviously still out, but at next year's WJC he should step up significantly.
Kveton, I only saw one game, and didn't notice him in the least bit, didn't even know he was a Ranger pick, he seemed like some of the other juniors that were there that went undrafted and was there just because the Czech's needed bodies to fill.
Cliche was a guy I saw play for the first time in this tournament, was surprised to see him on the team at first, but I no longer am, he is a new NHL player, a 'skilled' checker, great skater, faceoff guy (intense on the draw), kills penalties and can handle a minor offensive role. Team Canada was built like a NHL team, and I think Cliche's role there will be the same as his in the Bigs. With the new rules, skating and mobility are a must and he has it in spades. The elite teams in this league don't have the old lumbering checking line forwards, you need checking line centers who are able to keep up with the other guys, and have a defensive conscious look at Marchant and Pahlsson in Anaheim. With Cliche I think you have that, he is a lot like Pahlson, but just not as strong on the puck. He is a lot closer to the NHL than many think.
I saved the best for last, in Saginaw he is a first liner and a leader. I can take the same things I said about a skilled checker with regards to Cliche and paste them here, but Pyatt takes it one step further, he can play any forward role, playmaker, scorer on the wing, shut down player, energy guy, and is more than willing to sacrifice his body. I thought he would be nothing more than a shut down center in the tourney, but he was a second line winger. Any role you ask he will play, and play hard, excellent board player. Similar to Peter Shaefer in Ottawa. I don't know if he will be as good in the NHL, but I think he will be playing in the league. With the sort of players the Rangers are drafting and the ability to draw big name free agents that you guys always had, in a couple of years this will be a team that can roll out four lines without worrying about matchups. A Cup Calibur team with ease, really like the direction this team is headed.
Btw a player who got snubbed, Bobby Sanguinetti is a keeper also, a defense man so mobile that he has his own area code. Great offensive instincts, and lethal in transition not just a PP QB, which mind you he is very good at. A little work on his defensive positioning, since he isn't ever going to manhandle anyone (leave that to the Human Eraser) and you have the ideal #3 defense man.
Mikos87- Thats a helluva post! Why don't you post more?
Interesting points on Anisimov. Though if we really want to maximaize his offensive potential I think it might be that best to sign him to a Kondratiev type of contract, were he can go back to Russia if he wants. That way we go around the IIHF thing, we keep him in the organization while developing him in Russia. Though I've heard reports from Maloney that they want him over ASAP, not sold on that beeing the best option...
On Zabrosky, from my perspective its like some kids looks effortless. Like really smooth, everything they do look so easy. Zaborsky, well he looks kind of the opposite. Nothing looks effortless, though he does have a great nose for scoring chances and he works hard. But I think his skill level might keep him back once the competition gets stronger.
Kveton on the other hand is a extremely crisp player so to speak. Everything he does is extremely precise and well thougth of. I think he will make a much bigger impact next season in the WJC. I think his potential is a bit higher then Zaborskys because of it. Still its defenitly possible that Zaborsky can improve his skill level, but I don't have all that high hopes of him making it. Both kids are projects though. Its tricky with the whole 2 year limit. I think both kids would be best of player 4-5 years in Europe.
Mikos87- Thats a helluva post! Why don't you post more?
I was one of those posters that left after the Feb. 2002 redesign, posted here often before that, but don't get me wrong I didn't leave because of the design change, I had to focus on finishing up school then. Always watched a lot of hockey, but my career and personal life just kept me off the net. Man its almost been 5 years since the site change, some of the old timers here can tell you how different it was. Not saying there weren't any immature posters or trolls, but the way it was structured (trees), the great threads stayed great and on topics much longer than they do now.
I'm on the Rangers board and suddenly I no longer see the manic depressives and semi-suicidal posters here anymore, and on the Oiler's board, not one mention of Jani Rita on the first 10 pages worth of threads. Times really do change.
Anisimov seems to be a very responsible player away from the puck.During the game against Sweden,he was always the third man high.At worse,the Russians always had three guys coming back in their end.When the play was in the Russian end,Anisimov would always drop down to help the defensemen or pick up a Swede in front of the Russian net when one of the defenseman was out of position
Btw a player who got snubbed, Bobby Sanguinetti is a keeper also, a defense man so mobile that he has his own area code. Great offensive instincts, and lethal in transition not just a PP QB, which mind you he is very good at.
"...so mobile he has his own area code" -- love that quote. Thanks for the info. With the players you just described and what we have in Hartford seems like we really have something to be excited about in the future. Great job and thanks again!
For thoose who haven't seen Anisimov and read comments on him here, note that Anisimov also is 192 cm tall, or a clean 6'4 and only is 18 y/o.
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Originally Posted by JerseyRangers
"...so mobile he has his own area code" -- love that quote. Thanks for the info. With the players you just described and what we have in Hartford seems like we really have something to be excited about in the future. Great job and thanks again!
Yeah, Mikos87 don't have to post here in the future on days were his grandma are getting her batisim, his own funeral, weddings and stuff like that. But between em we expect him back!
This is nowhere near as bad as the dark times, it was a war room here, so bad that shrinks would hand out there business cards there like a lawyer would at the Source awards. What I see here now is mostly the importance of toughness, 'ruggeditty', and the lack of primeval masculinity on this Rangers team. As we all know, you didn't really win a game unless the one of other team's players has spilled blood on the ice. The score doesn't count, but the number of missing teeth do.
19. Anaheim: Bobby Sanguinetti. After passing on the top defender in last year's draft, the Ducks decide to grab one of the more skilled blue-liners in this draft. Oddly, he's their second straight top choice from New Jersey, following Bobby Ryan last year. Anaheim has a number of tough D-men they can pair him with to help hide his total lack of a physical game
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23. Washington (from Nashville in the Brendan Witt trade): Artem Anisimov. Caps take the first huge gamble of the draft and take the big, skilled Russian forward. If the transfer agreement is cleared up, this will be a great pick. If not, it's a waste
