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Thread: [Must Follow - 2012 Eligible NHL Draftees] Alex Galchenyuk and Nail Yakupov

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    Default [Must Follow - 2012 Eligible NHL Draftees] Alex Galchenyuk and Nail Yakupov

    I was extremely pumped to get the OHL season underway especially as a Sting Fan who has had little to cheer for since Steven Stamkos left town.

    I went to the Sarnia Sting home opener tonight against the Windsor Spitfires (who were missing a couple big names left at camp) and came away EXTREMELY IMPRESSED with the addition of two Sting Rookies

    Alex Galchenyuk was selected 1st overall in this year's past OHL Priority Draft and he's been marked as the face of the Sting for the next couple years. I urge you to keep an eye on him as he plays this season because he will be a HIGH NHL draft pick and has star qualities. I did not expect this kid to be as good as he was tonight. He played with passion, grit and is a PHENOMENAL skater and playmaker.

    Nail Yakupov was selected by the Sting in the CHL Import draft and I had no idea that this kid would be THIS GOOD. Wow! When he skates, he makes it look effortless and he definitely has some slick hands. If I had to predict, Nail Yakupov will be the team's leading goal scorer by the end of the year. He blew by the opponents with his speed and also has elite puckhandling skills compared to kids at the same age (both very young still).

    It's definitely early in both of their hockey careers but if I had to compare how each of these young pups looked to an NHL talent I would likely say....

    Galchenyuk --- comparable to Semin with regards to his puck handling. Galchenyuk will definitely have to learn to shoot more though.

    Yakupov ---- definitely has some comparables to Kovalchuk the way he skates and handles the puck and he seems to love to engage himself in physical play.

    Obviously, these two have a long ways to go to become a Semin or Kovalchuk but their skills are elite and after watching Stamkos, Hall, and Kane live in OHL action I am not against putting these two in the same category with the package of skills they possess.

    I was impressed at how good Yakupov looked in north american hockey. He seemed to fit in nicely.

    More importantly, I LOVE the passion that both Yakupov and Galchenyuk brought to the game. There was a change in the atmosphere in the RBC Centre (sting's arena) that I have not witnessed in some time - it was very exciting. Sarnia beat Windsor 4-0. Both kids scored in their debut.

    That's all for now but I will add more of my thoughts on these two as I see them play more over the course of the season.

    BOth are eligible to be drafted into the NHL in 2012.


    --Signed one excited Sarnia Sting fan ---
    Dean Youngblood


    I should also mention that Jack Campbell (US WJC hero) was in net for Windsor tonight so they were shooting against a pretty touted tender.
    Last edited by Dean Youngblood; September 24, 2010 at 11:11 PM.

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    so the next Semin and Kovie on the Sarnia Sting huh Deaner...tell me, how many beers did you have? lol

    heeheee, I kid, its great to hear about these guys though and great that everyone is getting pumped for hockey starting up again

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    haha only a few brews for me tonight unfortunately

    here's some video highlights for anyone interested....none of the goals were overly impressive and that's all the highlights show

    http://www.tvcogeco.com/sarnia/galle...hlights?ref=nf

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    Alex Seren Rosso and Matt Bugg (I think) has been hinting about Yakupov's skill and potential for a pretty good while, so that's hardly a surprise. What IS a surprise to me, though, is that he's already crossed the pond. That has to be encouraging.
    GO WINGS!

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    Hm... do they backcheck better than Semin and Kovy?

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    Video from The Hockey News on both Galchenyuk and Yakupov

    http://www.thehockeynews.com/article...n-the-OHL.html

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    Again, you are going to want this Yakupov kid on your fantasy roster...simply dominating in his first year in the OHL

    Check out the "Yakupov Show" where he single handedly carried the Sarnia Sting in their comeback to tie the Erie Otters but failed to win.

    Yakupov finished the night with 3 Goals, 1 Assist and hammered a guy through the glass.

    http://www.tvcogeco.com/sarnia/galle...-ohl-er-at-sar

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    Contextualize this for me. Would you say this is more or less impressive than Couturier making the Q his bitch last season?
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    Quote Originally Posted by metaldude26 View Post
    Contextualize this for me. Would you say this is more or less impressive than Couturier making the Q his bitch last season?
    Tough one. Two very different leagues and two very different players.

    Couturier is a responsible two-way offender capable of game breaking plays. Yakupov is a selfish and explosive russian sniper with gamebreaking skills that teams will bank on. He has flashes of "Ovie" in the way that he can and wants to take the game over.

    Disclaimer: I am not saying he will be the next Ovechkin

    For the purposes of entertainment and fantasy scoring, Yakupov is the sexier choice. It's going to be very interesting to see how good he is next year in his 2nd year.

    Couturier's 96 points in 68 QMJHL games last year is impressive. (1.41pts/game)

    Yakupov is on pace for 104 points in 67 OHL games (he missed one due to suspension). 1.55 pts/game

    What do you think is more impressive?
    To me, the OHL is a harder league to score in.

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    I was at that game the other night. The kid is a special player. He can control the play from both ends of the ice and has that competitiveness that you want to see in a star player.

    The Sting's D is absolutely brutal, and during shifts where they couldn't get the puck moving out of their zone, Yakupov would just come down low to help and skate it out of the zone himself. Dominant game.

    I've never watched Couturier live, but to compare to some other recent OHL grads, he looked better than Hodgson or Kadri ever did when I saw those 2 play, and can impact the game when he's on the ice the way Duchene and Hall would. Not sure if his skating is as explosive as those 2 though.
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    You are definitely right about the Sting's D - simply awful.

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    Quick update regarding Galchenyuk's 2012 WJC status (next year)....

    (From my OHL Weekly Ramblings - Feb 21 Thread)

    Alex Galchenyuk (see two posts above this one) was the OHL Sarnia Sting's 1st overall selection in the 2010 OHL Priority Draft this past season. Galchenyuk was drafted from the Chicago Young American and had the decision to play for either USA or Team Russia in the next WJC (2012)

    Galchenyuk has recently told sports.ru, "I think I'll play for Team USA"

    Galchenyuk's father, Alex Sr., represented Team Belarus in the Olympics and was a good hockey player himself as he completed a solid career playing in Russia, Switzerland, Italy and USA (IHL).

    The Galchenyuk WJC situation will be an interesting one to watch simply because if he does choose the USA route it will be much more difficult to make ths squad. Why? Team USA usually puts players in its Development Program ahead of those playing elsewhere.

    Galchenyuk might just have to play for Team Russia with his teammate Yakupov and the rest of the WJC defending champs.

    I will keep those who are interested posted.
    Last edited by Dean Youngblood; February 24, 2011 at 9:44 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dean Youngblood View Post
    Thanks again. Nice to read this post from beginning to end. I didn't realize you were at their debut's in the OHL. Cool

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