World News – United States – Toronto Maple Leafs Draft, Rodion Amirov, 15th overall

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With the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs chose Rodion Amirov He’s a Russian winger who does a little of everything good, including defense In that sense, he seems to match perfectly what the Leafs need, especially after better options have been scrapped at this point

Amirov plays for his hometown team in Slavat, Russia He grew up at the club and has already played a season in the KHL He had two assists last year in 21 games, playing a very limited as a designated junior (he would not count against roster limits)

This year, he has already played 10 games and collected three goals and two assists with a beautiful and healthy 15 minutes per game

He spent time in the VHL (second division under the KHL) both last season and the season that has already started While last year his main job was in the junior team, this year , it looks like he could stay in the KHL His VHL games were held early in the season and he’s been in the KHL roster since late September

In his last game (yesterday) he started on the front row and played over 22 minutes in a fairly easy win for the other team Salavat’s usual players Teemu Hartikainen and Nikita Soshnikov weren’t in the lineup They, along with a very, very long list of others are listed as injured, but Salavat Yulaev is one of the KHL teams who has been affected by a coronavirus outbreak, and many of these players are not injured at all

The situation in the KHL, as teams keep playing as long as they have calls and juniors to fill the teams, creates resumes that don’t really reflect the way perspective would normally be used. now Amirov is making the most of it

You may remember him from Annie’s recent FTB where Amirov found out he had the heart of a true leader:

Rodion Amirov is looking for a home for a stray kitten He asks @hcsalavat fans to apply to adopt « Yulaeka », and he promises a ticket to the next Red Army match If you send him photo updates / video every 3 months you will get more tix After 1 year a stick # nhldraft2020 picTwittercom / 6LANb9HkSS

I’m pretty happy with that pick He was pretty clearly the best pick available at the time He’s older at the end of 2001, but he’s just better than anyone on the board We luckily avoid the fate of having Schneider taken 15th

I had Amirov at No 20 on my preliminary list, no 22 mid-season, no 20 on the first iteration of the final standings and he’s here again This should probably tell you a few things:

He didn’t exceed my expectations and he didn’t manage to meet them either. It was true, once again, as hockey picked up

Amirov’s strength of play is in his ability to protect the puck and change direction with control.This makes him particularly effective in the offensive zone as I wouldn’t say his immediate speed is all that high end. Amirov is dangerous because he takes what’s given to him (he’s not a passing first player but he also doesn’t see the net as a shooter), and he can carry the puck into the lunge. to attract pressure or create for himself

Amirov is one of the longest-serving players in this draft class and already has a pretty big track record having led Russia in scoring in last year’s Under-18 tournament playing on a line with Vasili Podkolzin, we can expect him to be one of his team’s top scorers at this year’s World Juniors (assuming the tournament takes place) He also has 21 KHL games under his belt Considering he has also played Hlinka-Gretzky and World Junior A Challenge, all scouts around the world are probably already familiar with his game.

He’s a well-rounded player who can help his team in a number of ways He’s big enough, carries the puck well, gets to the high-risk area, moves the puck efficiently and offers a good dose of shooting talent. Good forward who can generate take out, he is also an above average skater He always seems to be one of the best players on the ice The Amirov-Podkolzin duo has been a force to be taken with count when paired

His combination of size and speed makes him a relatively safe choice, but his transition skills and scoring ability also give him a frontline advantage. He dominated in MHL on a line with Alexander Pashin this year I think he might only be a year away from being NHL ready I expect him to be a bit stolen on draft day, because I think he’s pretty sure he’s in the top six wingers It stands out in transition, offers two-way potential with its speed and size, and it doesn’t have many obvious flaws

Amirov is listed in many places, including official KHL and VHL websites, as weighing around 168 pounds, but the NHL central screening list weighed him 10 pounds heavier Make him the height of Mitch Marner almost exactly (up to 6 feet in height questionable)

Leafs draft Rodion Amirov is signed with Salavat Yulaev Ufa until the end of this season.He is eligible to come to North America as early as 2021-2022 – although that decision is unlikely to be made until a good part of the way here

KHL / VHL contracts run until April 30, and national team players, and we should expect Amirov to be part of the Russian WJC squad, are expected to appear at the world championships , etc if asked So any idea he might come up for an NHL season that is still in progress is possible, given that we don’t know when the NHL trade deadline is, but not very likely He might be able to play in the AHL if they have a season

Toronto Maple Leafs, Kyle Dubas, Jason Spezza, NHL Draft