NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Vitaly Abramov

Get to Know Vitaly Abramov

Date of Birth: 5/8/1998
Place of Birth: Chelyabinsk, RUS
Ht: 5’9” Wt: 174 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Left Wing/Right Wing
Team (League): Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Last Word on Sports:

One thing that Abramov has in common with the most successful of these undersized players is that he is an outstanding skater. He has great speed and tremendous acceleration, allowing him to blow past opponents on the rush. He also has great agility, allowing him to make quick cuts and beat defenders one-on-one.

Future Considerations:

The Russian import is a constant threat offensively and makes some impressive plays due to his high skill level. An explosive, well-timed speed burst or change of pace and shifty agility in his feet as well as creative hands make him a slippery forward to check. A skilled playmaker making seeing-eye passes through the tightest of lanes and in perfect time to his teammates. Will shoot the puck when the opportunity presents itself and usually hits his mark when he does but is a natural playmaker first and foremost. Extremely dynamic top line NHL potential.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Abramov is your classic “small star” boom-or-bust prospect. He’s a fantastic skater with great hands who can dangle for days and has all the shots in his bag. He’s a natural at everything on the offensive side of things. He has good lower-body strength and a fantastic understanding of leverage and how to abuse it, which will be very important moving forward as he hits pro hockey.

Size, of course. Anytime you see anyone under 5’11”, you start asking questions about how they can handle the rigors of the pro game. With Abramov, you worry a little about his defensive game. It’s not that he’s lazy or doesn’t understand his role, it’s that he already gets outmuscled is most situations. He’s going to need to become a wizard with his stick in order to overcome his lack of strength along the wall.

Highlights

NHL Potential

It’s tough to tell with a guy like this. You could be getting Johnny Gaudreau here, an offensive playmaker that can light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis. Or you could be getting another cautionary tale on the dangers of drafting the little guys. He’s a guy who will need to be a top six player on his NHL team in order to succeed.

Expected Draft Position

Most rankings services see him as a late first round, early second round prospect. Given his size-to-talent ratio, I’d expect to start seeing his name in the second round.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

It would be fun to see the Avalanche draft Abramov if only for the obliteration of the Patrick Roy is a size-obsessed maniac narrative. That said, things have been done a certain way since Roy and Sakic took over and they haven’t been keen on smaller guys. Should they decide to deviate, though, Abramov is the kind you do it for. If he were 6’1″, he’d be a first-round pick with no questions asked. Sometimes, you just take the chance on talent and get out  of your own way.