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Bolts Prospect Report: Vladislav Namestnikov |
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The Tampa Bay Lightning are lucky enough to be one of the few National Hockey League franchises with a wealth of young, nearly NHL ready talent playing in the system. With blue-chip guys like Brett Connolly, Tyler Johnson , Mark Barberio and Cory Conacher (the player Bob McKenzie recently tweeted out as his Calder pick) all playing down on the farm, the Lightning are in good shape moving forward.
Each of the aforementioned players gets his fair share of press attention. They are top-notch prospects with a real chance at sticking in the NHL with the Lightning one day very soon. Unfortunately, some of the “lesser-known” guys within the Lightning system often slip through the cracks. One of those players, a former first round draft pick (2011), is Vladislav Namestnikov.
Drafted 27th overall in 2011 after a point-per-game campaign with the London Knights, Namestnikov has had a largely successful young career. Adding 71 points in 63 games with the Knights this past season, Vlad has proven to scouts, managers and coaches alike that he has the talent and skills to dominate against various levels of competition.
When the Lightning drafted Namestnikov in the first round, some cited the “Russian Factor” as a possible reason that he fell down the draft board; at one point he was regarded as a potential top-10 pick. Well, those concerns were quickly put to rest as he has said many times that he has absolutely zero desire to play in Russia. His goals, past, present and future, revolve around him one day making the NHL.
Namestnikov is a special player in so many ways. Scouts laud his speed and skill-level that has helped make up for his lack of size – he stands six feet tall and 170 pounds. Those attributes helped Namestnikov rack up 139 points in two seasons of junior hockey in Canada. Add to those offensive numbers the fact that he was far from a defensive liability and, all of a sudden, Namestnikov falling to 27th overall seems like a little bit of a shock.
Injured just a few games into the Syracuse Crunch season, Namestnikov is itching to get back into the line-up. Crunch General Manager Julien BriseBois indicated that the injury should keep him sidelined for just over a month. With a few more weeks of recovery, Namestnikov should be good to go as the Crunch head into the bulk of the AHL schedule.
One of the Lightning’s prized prospects who doesn’t get nearly as much press as he deserves, Namestnikov is the kind of player Bolts Nation should be very excited about. He has the offensive skills to make a big splash at the NHL level and the hockey sense needed to craft himself a very lengthy career. With good hockey bloodlines – he is the nephew of Vyacheslav Kozlov – Namestnikov’s future in Tampa is looking very bright.
When training camp rolls around, keep an eye on Vladislav Namestnikov as he is truly one of the best, underrated prospects in the Lightning system.
As always, thanks for reading.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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