NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Alexander Polunin

Get to Know Alexander Polunin

Date of Birth: 5/25/1997
Place of Birth: Moskva, RUS
Ht: 5’8″ Wt: 161 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Left Wing
Team (League): Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Anton Vasyatin, Elite Prospects:

Polunin is a small winger with high skill level. He has brilliant hockey IQ, great shot and good skating. Doesn’t play physically because of his size.

Prospect Black Book:

Polunin plays the game at a fast pace and has a quick understanding of his options. He can combine with his linemates but in the offensive zone he is more often than not focused on getting lanes to the net. He seems constantly ready to shoot as he moves towards the slot and it doesn’t take much time for his dangerous right-handed shot to get off. Consistently brings the effort and competes hard in puck battles, partially making up for size limitations. His a good skater and seems to fit in high intensity games, but may not possess the talent level needed to have more than marginal NHL potential at his size.

NHL Potential

Small but highly skilled, Polunin also carries the stigma of the infamous ‘Russian Factor’. He’s thought of very highly by some and if he lives up to that billing, could be another great Russian point-producer in the NHL.

Expected Draft Position

His rankings are about as extreme as it gets. Some have him top 100, most others don’t have him ranked at all. Given that, I’d be surprised to see him drafted before the fourth round, if at all.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

He’s Russian, so he fits better than he used to, but he’s still awfully small and despite Rocco Grimaldi coming to the organization, I doubt we see a wave of tiny players suddenly finding themselves in the Avs organization.