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Valeri Nichushkin Profile


Valeri Nichushkin
Ht/Wt: 6' 4"/202 lbs
Position: LW/RW
Team: Chelyabinsk (RUS)



Valeri Nichushkin's Player Profile

Nichushkin is an impressive power forward who has a ton of natural gifts. He could be a potential star, if not an elite power winger in the NHL. His best skill is his skating ability, as he is a true plus-plus skater that defensemen need to respect when he's barreling down the wing. If a gap gets too tight, Nichushkin will likely be behind the defender in no time. He is also a strong, 6'4'' pillar who loves to drive to the net. Combining that with his speed and skill, he draws a lot of penalties. Nichushkin's north-south game is his strength, but he has a high level of ability with the puck, with the capability to make players miss. He can make plays to his teammates, and he has good offensive instincts, although his hockey sense is an area of division among scouts. Some question his vision, feeling he can be a little selfish. Others think his hockey sense is above average. He has the ability to skate through an entire team, so it cannot be considered surprising that he tries to do a lot. One area of concern: he needs to improve his defensive play.
Submitted by: Corey Pronman of Hockey Prospectus. Click here for Pronman's draft rankings

“He’s a guy with all kinds of talent. He’s big, he’s a tremendous skater, but in February at the Under-18 tournament, that was maybe the most dominant performance I’ve seen at any of those Under-18 or World Junior tournaments. He absolutely took over the tournament. He was good on the forecheck, he was finishing checks, he was making plays or scored big goals in the third period when his team was behind, he never quit on a shift and he was just spectacular. I think when you see that potential and the level he played at in the Russian men’s league, you see a very good prospect.”

Caveat: “He’s got great one-on-one individual skills with the puck, and that was maybe the problem with him, is that you thought maybe he didn’t see the other options and he didn’t play with other players real well.”

Comparable NHL Players: Alex Ovechkin or Evgeni Malkin

Scouting report from Lightning director of amateur scouting Al Murray on Lightning.NHL.com - May 16th 2013

The package of size, skill, and sheer dynamic ability that Valeri Nichushkin brings to the table has some considering him as not only a Top 3 talent, but someone who could be worthy of top honours. The Chelyabinsk native made a big splash on the world stage over Christmas showing flashes of the dynamic skillset many NHL teams will covet.

Nichushkin is particularly strong off the rush, similar to players like Rick Nash. He does a great job of attacking lanes and driving his body through defenders to the net where an accurate shot and quality puck handling make him an impressive threat. Consistency is the main area of concern with his game at this point in time.
Submitted by: The Scouting Report

A strong-bodied center forward who is not afraid to get into the dirty areas to create scoring chances. Upsides include great skating ability, very good balance on his skates allow him to utilise his full skating potential and his star-quality vision of his surroundings allow him locate teammates with precision passing accuracy. Not many downsides to his game but shot accuracy could be improved. An NHL comparison that best suits him would be Jordan Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes who uses his big body to make plays but also incorporates his stickhandling ability into the mix which allows him to score goals. Look for Valeri Nichushkin to be a rising star in the years to come, potentially being a top 10 draft pick for the 2013 NHL Draft and also representing his country in many international tournaments to come.
Submitted by: Steven Campo - Dec. 10th, 2012

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Valeri Nichushkin Videos

Early glimpse of Valeri Nichushkin


Valeri Nichushkin Highlights



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