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With the 175th overall pick, the #Canucks select Dmitry Zlodeyev! pic.twitter.com/Ug8xWsZl4o
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) October 7, 2020
#Canucks take Dmitri Zlodeyev at #175. A feisty forward with a pretty average toolkit.
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) October 7, 2020
That said, I do know some scouts who really like him as a potential energy line guy down the road.
I suppose this is something to get a little excited about, in that it would signal that Jim Benning has learned that you can just draft guys to play on your 4th line instead of overpaying them on lengthy deals.
“You really want this guy on your team. He’s really smart, understands all these situations in the game, knows how to play with good players.”#CanucksDraft | @ToyotaPacific pic.twitter.com/7uZKXwRSXO
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) October 7, 2020
Some reports have him pegged as a player with high-end skill and vision, strong playmaking instincts and a quality shot. It’s his unwillingness to use his size to his advantage that seems to be his biggest flaw, but being just 18, there’s time for him to develop this side of his game.
He has a reputation for not taking a single shift off, so let’s hope we see more of that and the physical nature of his game improves, or the Canucks may have another Nikolay Goldobin on their hands: plenty of potential that’s never fully realized.