Take this for what it's worth because I can't verify the source, but a poster on another message board claims he heard Podkolzin in an interview literally say this:

“It’s one thing to go to play for another town, but completely another to go to an overseas country without knowing their language. I don’t want to live in America, maybe when I’m a complete player and have a family.”

If true, that should steer NHL teams away unless they have the luxury of waiting years to get his services. The Hawks don't have that luxury.
- EbonyRaptor

Additionally, he can develop his game in the KHL, then have his pick of suitors as a free agent rather than going through the draft and going to a team that isn't going to win.

If the above is true, he's definitely off the board. No one will risk the pick being wasted.

A new emphasis in proper team defense begins with the forwards coming back hard. The opposing player left open in slot, is an issue which needs to be addressed. So you are spot on with actually the entire blog; i merely want to point out a couple of additional coverage concerns

The effort to backcheck on behalf of the forwards is critical to team defense so that means

1) everyone must buy in. Strome and DeBrincat were abysmal in their effort last season. Going forward, even superstars - whom often escaped wrath for taking a vacation to backcheck - have to be responsible. I do not expect that Kane develops into a Selke Trophy candidate. He has fit the mold of suoerstars who are given a pass on backchecking. Colliton needs everyone on board.

2). The majority of our defensemen prospects do not play a naturally physical style. In today's new attack NHL which wiz has touched upon, the physical checking dman is less frequently found and actual checks or being physical in confrontations is of secondary importance. It is all about puck possession and generating offense. This is what Blackhawk brass spent an hour uodating Scotty Bowman about its intricacies.

So not only do we have a preponderance of non pbysical style playing prospects, but their physical size is not conducuve for success when they do engage in the physical confrontations.

How is this addressed.then in the overal new attack NHL

It helps to have accountability aka responsubility as aforementiined. A defensuve system will be preached as course work 101 in training camp
.
Now we will see hiw soon Bowman and Collision together arrange the proper pieces in #3 & #4 bottom line. forwards. Two members on each line should be above average skaters. One or more member each line had to be a scrappy gritty forward.

I see several prospects whom have skill set to be awesome in the forward role on lines three and four. Most if not each of them are nit likely making the team next fall. Some players whom would mist likely start the seadon in Rickford, could receive a call up. Others lime Soderland, Barrett, Kureav or whatevet hus nane whim Rockford coach, D King, heaped praise upon, can become role players much like we enjoyed immensly in 2010 Cuo run and in following seasons.

The construction of the new edition Blackhawk ship is underway with the draft and off season transactions setting the roster for Colliton to begin assemblage. Forwards helping undersized dmen is actually the second point i was going to mention above
- jhawk59

Happy hour start early?

A new emphasis in proper team defense begins with the forwards coming back hard. The opposing player left open in slot, is an issue which needs to be addressed. So you are spot on with actually the entire blog; i merely want to point out a couple of additional coverage concerns

The effort to backcheck on behalf of the forwards is critical to team defense so that means

1) everyone must buy in. Strome and DeBrincat were abysmal in their effort last season. Going forward, even superstars - whom often escaped wrath for taking a vacation to backcheck - have to be responsible. I do not expect that Kane develops into a Selke Trophy candidate. He has fit the mold of suoerstars who are given a pass on backchecking. Colliton needs everyone on board.

2). The majority of our defensemen prospects do not play a naturally physical style. In today's new attack NHL which wiz has touched upon, the physical checking dman is less frequently found and actual checks or being physical in confrontations is of secondary importance. It is all about puck possession and generating offense. This is what Blackhawk brass spent an hour uodating Scotty Bowman about its intricacies.

So not only do we have a preponderance of non pbysical style playing prospects, but their physical size is not conducuve for success when they do engage in the physical confrontations.

How is this addressed.then in the overal new attack NHL

It helps to have accountability aka responsubility as aforementiined. A defensuve system will be preached as course work 101 in training camp
.
Now we will see hiw soon Bowman and Collision together arrange the proper pieces in #3 & #4 bottom line. forwards. Two members on each line should be above average skaters. One or more member each line had to be a scrappy gritty forward.

I see several prospects whom have skill set to be awesome in the forward role on lines three and four. Most if not each of them are nit likely making the team next fall. Some players whom would mist likely start the seadon in Rickford, could receive a call up. Others lime Soderland, Barrett, Kureav or whatevet hus nane whim Rockford coach, D King, heaped praise upon, can become role players much like we enjoyed immensly in 2010 Cuo run and in following seasons.

The construction of the new edition Blackhawk ship is underway with the draft and off season transactions setting the roster for Colliton to begin assemblage. Forwards helping undersized dmen is actually the second point i was going to mention above
- jhawk59

Happy hour start early?

Happy hour start early?
- RaleighHawk

Apparently did for me

Stan is, that's where he shops for head coaches.
- scottak

Haters gonna hate, I guess.

My thoughts:
1. Wholeheartedly agree w Ogi. Simply pass on the Russian with the 3rd pick. Take a chance on a Russian in 2nd or 3rd round, or if the #2/3 prospect Russian falls to your 12th pick, great. But this is a pick that really is a game-changer for the franchise, and not worth taking Russia risk, when he comes over, that he might leave, etc.
2. You hopefully won't be in a position to get a pick this high for quite a while. Do something that transforms your roster, such as:
a. Add a #1 D guy who pushes the rest of the Hawks D down one notch on the ladder rungs. Do you like Keith as Hawks #1 D? If not, don't you like Keith a whole lot better if he's the Hawks #2 D? Etc.
b. Add a center which, combined with the nice Strome addition, revamps the hawks roster to put C at a position of strength.
3. Add some size. No smurf. I'm ok if the Hawks arent the most fearsome team in the league. But they can't be pushovers. They need a little more size.

Nice to see you around Wiz.

Not sure I get Cozen and Strome comparison. Doesn't Cozen had near elite skating ability and speed?

Edit: Not that you were comparing the two per se.
- bhawks2241

Someone asked and I think Cozen has a better shot, and feet and Stromeis more of pass first ut in my humble opinion Strome is not some lumbering centre, just b/c he is a larger man.

My NHL comparison to Cozen is and always has been Mark Scheifele.

Take this for what it's worth because I can't verify the source, but a poster on another message board claims he heard Podkolzin in an interview literally say this:

“It’s one thing to go to play for another town, but completely another to go to an overseas country without knowing their language. I don’t want to live in America, maybe when I’m a complete player and have a family.”

If true, that should steer NHL teams away unless they have the luxury of waiting years to get his services. The Hawks don't have that luxury.
- EbonyRaptor

2 blogs back when the lottery took place I played with my own hawk heart strings when it the third pick aligned with who I still have as the third best player on my draft board, Podkolzin.
I tried to dismiss him get him picked before the 3rd selection and did everything possible to advance Dylan Cozens past him.

Then today I go the Athletic and manage to get angered over the Scott Powers, Corey Masisak (who he?- a Devils and former Capitals beat writer), RickCarpiniello (Rangers beat writer) and the self-madedraft guru who jumps from site to site without a internet paper trail (Sorry, I have been rankled far to much by "his" hard line opinions that seem based on his talks with scouts other then himself. Corey I publicly apologize for my childish misunderstanding of your hard line opinions, but again today this slapped me in the face.

As they expertly navigated the first 15 slots, the following gets said:
Rick Carpiniello: ... Kakko not only brings that, but he brings it with size and probably more pure goal-scoring ability than Hughes...Kakko should be an immediate impact player in the NHL, scouts believe.
Pronman’s take: Kakko, as close to an NHL ready forward as you’ll typically get...Kakko is a highly skilled and competitive winger who will create chances and win battles versus NHL defenders right away. He could step in and be a top-nine, if not a top-six, forward immediately and down the road a star... a true impact prospect they can build around.
Podkolzin:
powers:Blackhawks don’t have a lot of size coming up in their pipeline, so he could fit a need too. The question will be how soon he’ll leave Russia for the NHL. (reasonable)
Pronman: On talent, though, he would be the Blackhawks’ best prospect in a decade.
now the fur starts standing with:
Cozens:
PronmanCozens has the ability to push the pace and break open shifts like few big men can with a good amount of skill, too. He’s a high-character kid who has pro elements in his game and will win over his coach easily. With the Avs, he doesn’t need to be a superstar, which might be beyond his limits. He has the skill set to be one of the league’s better second-line centers.

Where does this put all of you?

Well, I am in the mid 40s in placing my profiles up so if the above post ranckles @ Buzz ownership for copyright reasons, you know where I am on DraftSite, and can PM me here. I need to get to work...I want my second round draft descriptions up before the weekend is over....

Someone asked and I think Cozen has a better shot, and feet and Stromeis more of pass first ut in my humble opinion Strome is not some lumbering centre, just b/c he is a larger man.

My NHL comparison to Cozen is and always has been Mark Scheifele.
- wiz1901

That was me asking, only comparing because Strome went #3, they are projected to be the same size, and they are centers. Strome needed a change of scenery to start seeing his potential, was wondering if that meant Cozen's was 2-3 years away.

Someone asked and I think Cozen has a better shot, and feet and Stromeis more of pass first ut in my humble opinion Strome is not some lumbering centre, just b/c he is a larger man.

My NHL comparison to Cozen is and always has been Mark Scheifele.
- wiz1901

I think Strome's stop starts are bad. Is Cozen close to an elite skater? A big fast center with skill has me drooling.

I like the Scheifele comparison if that is who Cozen turns into. He a bit bigger than Scheifele though no? I don't think Scheifele is 6'2" or whatever they list him at.

That was me asking, only comparing because Strome went #3, they are projected to be the same size, and they are centers. Strome needed a change of scenery to start seeing his potential, was wondering if that meant Cozen's was 2-3 years away.
- LAHawk

Schiefele took two more...

4 games tonight...lets have some fun

Tampa / Columbus = Tampa

Isles/ Pens = Pens

Blues / Jets = Stl

LV / Man Jose = LV

Make your picks.....

Take this for what it's worth because I can't verify the source, but a poster on another message board claims he heard Podkolzin in an interview literally say this:

“It’s one thing to go to play for another town, but completely another to go to an overseas country without knowing their language. I don’t want to live in America, maybe when I’m a complete player and have a family.”

If true, that should steer NHL teams away unless they have the luxury of waiting years to get his services. The Hawks don't have that luxury.
- EbonyRaptor

Here is the source:

https://pucksandpitchfork...rospect-vasili-podkolzin/

4 games tonight...lets have some fun

Tampa / Columbus = Tampa

Isles/ Pens = Pens

Blues / Jets = Stl

LV / Man Jose = LV

Make your picks.....
- TrueGrit

Tampa Bay
Isles
Jets
LV

What do we win?

4 games tonight...lets have some fun

Tampa / Columbus = Tampa

Isles/ Pens = Pens

Blues / Jets = Stl

LV / Man Jose = LV

Make your picks.....
- TrueGrit

3 out 4...Jets bounce back for the split at home.

3 out 4...Jets bounce back for the split at home.
- Beaver-Warrior

Au contraire

CBJ-StL-Isles-SJ

ONE Last thing:

isn't nice to not be here debating the reasons we take Arthur Kaliyev ?


but I still might take Turcotte

Setting up to be one hell of a weekend.

Client dropped off Macallan, GoT starts again, NHL playoffs, and Tiger is in the hunt at the Masters!!!1

4 games tonight...lets have some fun

Tampa / Columbus = Tampa

Isles/ Pens = Pens

Blues / Jets = Stl

LV / Man Jose = LV

Make your picks.....
- TrueGrit

TG - a WSJ article today about Tampa becoming a “hockey hotbed”:

https://www.wsj.com/artic...hockey-hotbed-11554980402

I think Strome's stop starts are bad. Is Cozen close to an elite skater? A big fast center with skill has me drooling.

I like the Scheifele comparison if that is who Cozen turns into. He a bit bigger than Scheifele though no? I don't think Scheifele is 6'2" or whatever they list him at.
- bhawks2241

It really shows up in the d-zone. his speed is okay once he gets going but hoping just some improved conditioning and off-season work can improve that area some.

and yes. i was totally wrong about him. hard to not like a kid who has stated in more than one interview he wants to be a blackhawk for life.

It really shows up in the d-zone. his speed is okay once he gets going but hoping just some improved conditioning and off-season work can improve that area some.

and yes. i was totally wrong about him. hard to not like a kid who has stated in more than one interview he wants to be a blackhawk for life.
- Elbows15

All good. To be fair he seemed like kind of a unmotivated mope when he was on the Yotes but then again that franchise was so bad..... bet he loves the Hawks support staff (strength and conditioning, nutritionist, etc.)

ONE Last thing:

isn't nice to not be here debating the reasons we take Arthur Kaliyev ?


but I still might take Turcotte
- wiz1901

IF, and its just a what if scenario, the Hawks were offered a trade for 3 to move back a few spots and somehow got another 1st rounder in the 15-25 range, Kaliyev wouldn't be a bad choice in that range.

I would definitely take Turcotte. But that is just me. I think some spots may be thrown into disarray after the U18 pending performances.

All good. To be fair he seemed like kind of a unmotivated mope when he was on the Yotes but then again that franchise was so bad..... bet he loves the Hawks support staff (strength and conditioning, nutritionist, etc.)
- bhawks2241

Not sure about the mope part. I kinda think it was more frustration. He was stuck on the 4th line playing with plumbers. Not exactly the best use of the kid.

Haters gonna hate, I guess.
- mohel

I was kinda impressed by JC's growth throughout this season. He must be doing something right. Guys who have won multiple Cups were willing to play their asses off for the guy.

Not sure about the mope part. I kinda think it was more frustration. He was stuck on the 4th line playing with plumbers. Not exactly the best use of the kid.
- Elbows15

Probably a better way to phrase it lol.

I was kinda impressed by JC's growth throughout this season. He must be doing something right. Guys who have won multiple Cups were willing to play their asses off for the guy.
- Elbows15

I have a sneaky suspicion he told Toews to just play his offensive game and not worry so much about the defensive side of things. A happy, healthy, and confident Toews is a really really good thing for the Hawks.