Some might try and say that the Milwaukee-born Galchenyuk's fortunes are exclusively tied to Yakupov, but that is far from a fair assessment. He is a smart, skilled player in his own right, and may be one of the most complete all-around players in the draft. He is already over 6 feet, and growing. Like his linemate, Yakupov, he also moves well, with balance and powerful stride and is strong on the puck. Both are scorers and offensive generators, and difficult to typecast as one over the other. Has a strong hard wrist shot, but his biggest strength is his great stick-handling skills. Both players basically provided most of their Sarnia Jr. team's offensive. Galchenyuk reads the ice and takes full advantage of the situations to control the flow of play. His on-ice awareness, which gets him to the proper spaces offensively and in the other two zones, only makes him more dangerous. Dangles as well as any player in the draft and his top-end speed and drive to the net are in no way tied to his line mate. Exceptional hockey IQ (his father was a pro player) and selfless line mate who approaches the game, practice and off-ice regime like he is already a pro. Has communicated his interest to represent the USA in competition, thus separating himself for the "Russian signing factor." His early season ACL tear will limit him to 6 games late in the year. Teams know of his commitment and skills. In a draft as strong as this one, it is hard to believe that teams may target others over him, but it is difficult to believe he isn't selected in the first round despite his serious injury.
--Bill Placzek--
