6'3" Valery is a physically dominant sniper who has excelled at every level he has played in. He once broke the record in the Ural-Western Siberia region with 87 goals and 127 points in just over 30 games. Spents much of the early part of the season in the VHL, finished the year playing in the Russian SuperLeague. He shows considerable talent and upside. His size and ability to play center or power forward combined with his shot and power skating make him a big man with the mobility of one much smaller. He simply flies! He has the ability to make room and open the ice for his team with his scoring chances and set-ups. Can barrel by defenders from the outside and power push them out of his way as he cuts for the front. Still more of a one-man show that wants to attack and shoot, and doesn't look for teammates/options while on the attack. Left a strong impression of his abilities in the Subway Super series in early November. Then showed an encore of his skills at the World Junior. If play-making skills develop, he could end up a top pick. He was selected to the roster for the World Junior Under-18 Tournament in April, and although he didn't make the impact he did in the Subway Series, it might be due to him him finishing up a 25 game playoff run with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL. The fact that he has announced that Dynamo Moskva has agreed to terminate the dal he had signed to play there next season, and that he is coming over to play in North America. Reportedly Dynamo paid 10 million rubles to secure his rights. If that report is accurate, it seems very unlikely that Dynamo would agree to his departure without a fuss. If it is a certainty that he coming across the pond, it might radically change the order in the top four slottings. Stay tuned, because if he arrives in the Fall, he plays in the NHL in the Fall.
--Bill Placzek--
