Article: What Does Danila Yurov Have Left To Prove In the KHL?

[Robert Brent]

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[Citizen Strife]

I think there's this notion that the Wild NEED one of these forwards to be Kaprizov 2.0.  I mean, that would be nice, but the reality is, what they need is someone, if not all of them, to be at or better than the 50-60 pt. getters.  A Hartman/Zuccarello type.  If you told me Yurov or Rossi or whatever became a 60-80 pt. player like Ek or Boldy, I'd be ecstatic.  

- There were less than 20 players who scored 40+ goals last season, 20-25, who scored 35+, and less than 50 who scored 30; many of those at 30 were bunched up together AT 30.

- Less than 10 players got to 100+ points, less than 20 who hit 90, less than 30 who hit 80, and the Top 50 players top out at 70 pts.

*Note: these are all NHL players, not just forwards.  Players plural.  That probably makes the forwards list even smaller, when you consider the tip top defenseman like Makar probably dot the list.  I checked again, and 7 defenseman had 70+ points*

I think the people at the tippy top and the very bottom skew what the reality is.  Even getting 50 pts and being a Hartman or Zuccarello is fucking hard.  Yurov getting to that and more would be nice.  Kaprizov level would be a bonus.

Edited September 12 by Citizen Strife

[FredJohnson]

4 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

there's this notion that the Wild NEED one of these forwards to be Kaprizov 2.0.  I mean, that would be nice, but the reality is, what they need is someone, if not all of them, to be at or better than the 50-60 pt. getters.

This^^^
Thank you for this perspective.

[Protec]

Consistency & Progression. That's it. He has a lot of qualities, he's just gotta keep up the good work. I'd like to see him lead his KHL team again. What's good for him and Magnitogorsk is good for Minnesota. 

[Protec]

Another thought, what's the balance between local bias and National ignorance? 

What I mean is, we like Yurov and value KHL Champions who set scoring records as highly as someone in another market who think NCAA non-winners are the best prospects. 

Therefore what's the objective truth? We don't really know. If Yurov plays center in the NHL with his size, scoring, defense, and skating, he could certainly become a top line player. From that draft class, there's only a handful of players more accomplished than Yurov right now. Ohgren has some NHL games and did well as a young pro but the jury is still out for me on guys like McGroarty, Snuggerud, Gauthier, and others. If Yurov was playing NCAA, he'd be pretty good there IMO. 

[Will D. Ness]

10 minutes ago, Protec said:

Another thought, what's the balance between local bias and National ignorance? 

What I mean is, we like Yurov and value KHL Champions who set scoring records as highly as someone in another market who think NCAA non-winners are the best prospects. 

I think it is a solid consensus that the KHL is the 2nd best league in the world.  Sure there is local bias but for a 20 year old to be a primary cog that takes the cup?

Face value is pretty damned strong.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

2 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Yurov getting to that and more would be nice.  Kaprizov level would be a bonus.

If Kaprizov sticks around and Yurov develops, they could possibly be playing together in a couple of years. If that happens, I wouldn't be shocked to see Yurov around 1 point per game within a few years.

Kaprizov elevates the point possibilities for those around him, of course, as we have seen with Hartman & Zuccarello.  Zuccarello was above a point per game in 21-22 when Hartman was scoring a bunch for that line as well.

[mnfaninnc]

What I'm noticing is that we have drafted a whole bunch of players who have 200' games with offensive upside. Boldy, Rossi, Yurov, Ohgren all seem to be responsible in their own end. Dino too. 

If we're building a team that has offensive upside, and can put together 3 lines of players in the 50-60 pt. category, use the 4th line as a shutdown line, to me, that seems to be a really good team, and diversified enough to be hard to stop. Of those 3 lines, they all can play defense.

100 pt. guys are really nice, but if you put together 3 lines and they are all around a +25, that's phenomenal! All these new guys have a lot of speed and play a fast game. It's time to change the color of the jerseys, because it's about to be a new team and a new game in town! 

Now, take a look at the defense, it's filled with puck movers who play a 2-way game as it's described. This sounds like a real fun team to watch and a team that rolls it's lines and pairings and just wears other teams down. This may be a fairly odd way of building a team, but, it's probably the dream of all GMs to have that sort of balance up and down the lineup. 

Team that up with the Lulea brothers in net and I think it's a contending bunch of guys! What we're missing is a couple of mid to late rounders who develop. 

Also, a collection of guys like these do not tend to break the bank.

[OldDutchChip]

3 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

I think there's this notion that the Wild NEED one of these forwards to be Kaprizov 2.0.  I mean, that would be nice, but the reality is, what they need is someone, if not all of them, to be at or better than the 50-60 pt. getters.  A Hartman/Zuccarello type.  If you told me Yurov or Rossi or whatever became a 60-80 pt. player like Ek or Boldy, I'd be ecstatic.  

- There were less than 20 players who scored 40+ goals last season, 20-25, who scored 35+, and less than 50 who scored 30; many of those at 30 were bunched up together AT 30.

- Less than 10 players got to 100+ points, less than 20 who hit 90, less than 30 who hit 80, and the Top 50 players top out at 70 pts.

*Note: these are all NHL players, not just forwards.  Players plural.  That probably makes the forwards list even smaller, when you consider the tip top defenseman like Makar probably dot the list.  I checked again, and 7 defenseman had 70+ points*

I think the people at the tippy top and the very bottom skew what the reality is.  Even getting 50 pts and being a Hartman or Zuccarello is fucking hard.  Yurov getting to that and more would be nice.  Kaprizov level would be a bonus.

HOOOOOLD UP - we've all seen posts and articles hyping up Yurov (as we do with all our prospects - saying he was something special, he won and broke records, he was big, tall, had no weakness....on and on to get Wild fans excited) and having us salivating over the thought of pairing him with another brother - Kaprizov.... Wild sure found a gem.....but now he is a top 30 prospect??? Nothing special? WFT!  He breaks record and has his name mention with Vlady, Kap, Panarin and Buch, but no big deal? 

Pessimistic Take and sorry it spilled out on your post BUT here is my view - What's happening is Wild brass are pulling the breaks on their hype train....they did their part and spread the hype so that enough tickets were sold but now more info is available on the can't miss prospect - they are leveling out that expectation - so now he is not that great?

Is he going to be an Alex Galchenyuk? Is he? F#ck 

Saying - oh well not a lot of players reach 50pts, and not all are Kaprizov.....well that is true - but that was NOT reserved for Yurov. That is also not reserved for Wall and that Buium kid. They cannot come in and under produce like that. We need them to be exactly who we are making them out to be. Majority of our prospects are not doing squat so let's hold accountability here on these big ones - they must hit on them, they cannot be ranked 30th! You cannot just say - hooray we got a honda, while expecting a land rover. 

 

 

[Citizen Strife]

Yes, because any, every prospect should be lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, a god on ice skates who can skate circles around everyone and just score every goal every minute.

Sorry.  Reality is Yurov hasn't done anything in the NHL yet.  I'm not going to hype anyone until I see them actually play in green and white, with the players they are meant to ride or die with for (hopefully 5-10 years).  I wasn't here when the Kaprizov hype train was running roughshod, but if I was, I would have said, "Shut the fuck up until he plays a fucking game, will you?"  I'm the type of person who actively hates hype, especially if it is to an insane degree.  Oversaturation of something leads me to just avoid it altogether, so I can make up my own mind on things later.  Kaprizov lived up to the hype and then some.  Doesn't change the fact that for 2-3 years, it was an endless stream of, "Just wait till he gets here guys.  It's gonna be amazing.  Oh lord you haven't seen a player like him ever."  I'd think that would get grating after a while.

The Wild can and should be better.  All I'm saying is I'm not going to go out of my way to anoint anyone a savior unless they come in, play like the Kaps, Boldys, Fabers, Rossis, etc. and shunt other lesser players down because they are that good to warrant it.  It took Ek a LONG ass time to get where he is, but I'm glad he is who is now.  It might take Yurov 5 years to sniff Ek's jock.  It might take 5 minutes.  We just don't know.

I'm far from a pessimist.  I just know that players bust their asses every day, and maybe, just maybe, they are that golden ticket kind of player to be the Kaprizovs of the world.  More likely than not...they aren't.

Edited September 12 by Citizen Strife

[Burnt Toast]

9 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

broke records

I’m not sure where I read this but someone said the KHL is not as competitive the last couple of years. They alluded to the possibility that Yurov (and others) may have slightly overinflated point totals. Sorry I can’t deep dive this but the source struck me as credible. I’ve lowered my expectations for Yurov but I’d love to see him play anywhere near KK. I view KK as an elite top 10 star player. If at least one of these upcoming guys can make it two, well, there you go. 

[OldDutchChip]

Just now, Burnt Toast said:

I’m not sure where I read this but someone said the KHL is not as competitive the last couple of years. They alluded to the possibility that Yurov (and others) may have slightly overinflated point totals. Sorry I can’t deep dive this but the source struck me as credible. I’ve lowered my expectations for Yurov but I’d love to see him play anywhere near KK. I view KK as an elite top 10 star player. If at least one of these upcoming guys can make it two, well, there you go. 

maybe i was a bit overly frustrated, but i wouldn't mind Yurov to actually come in and be a stud like vlady was or how panarin was and still is or a top tier player like Kap. If you get a comparison thrown around like that and get a 30 spot - to me it's either lack of respect offered to russian players or a bit premature overhyping of Yurov based solely on production from media and then fans running with it. i tend to agree with the possibility its the later. which is unfortunate. i think we (or maybe just me) were expecting him to be that X factor. argh 🍻

[Burnt Toast]

35 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

drafted a whole bunch of players who have 200' games

I’ve often wondered if the players you’re describing are a real valuable commodity in a Capped league. Why I say that is the top point producers can hit the cap % hard. That’s one reason I wasn’t too worried about the Stramel pick because he’s not projected to be a big scorer. 

[Pewterschmidt]

33 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

i think we (or maybe just me) were expecting him to be that X factor. argh 🍻

His locker stall already has a white hat and there's a white horse named Danilla tied up in front of Tom Reid's.  We better not start hearing how Yurov is being put onto a stamp in Russia (remember the Granlund hype?)

[OldDutchChip]

1 minute ago, Pewterschmidt said:

His locker stall already has a white hat and there's a white horse named Danilla tied up in front of Tom Reid's.  We better not start hearing how Yurov is being put onto a stamp in Russia (remember the Granlund hype?)

Hahahahaha 

I do remember that hype 😄

 

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, OldDutchChip said:

You cannot just say - hooray we got a honda, while expecting a land rover. 

But I like Hondas. Land Rovers are nice but a pain to get maintenance and way more expensive.

(funny how your Honda-LR analogy mirrors what others are saying: we need some Hondas to go with the Land Rovers.)

[OldDutchChip]

1 minute ago, FredJohnson said:

But I like Hondas. Land Rovers are nice but a pain to get maintenance and way more expensive.

(funny how your Honda-LR analogy mirrors what others are saying: we need some Hondas to go with the Land Rovers.)

we do need hondas 😜 and i like hondas, used to own too many of them, but yurov was hyped up to be a bit more elite than a honda, and i sense a bit of backtracking on what type of prospect he really is based on the latest "intel".

again, i understand a team is build up of players with many different skill sets, but yurov skill set and accolades and comparisons lead me to believe he was in elite category. otherwise that talk of him being the "most-exciting" prospect, or having no flaws in his game, or a steal of the draft, or being the next big russian import and breaking the records and having his name next to Kaprizov, Tarasenko and Panarin (TOP Tier players, Vlady used to be that) and then transition to "good-enough" feels like a let down.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, Burnt Toast said:

I’m not sure where I read this but someone said the KHL is not as competitive the last couple of years.

Yes, I read that too.  The talent is a little watered down because fewer international players are playing in the KHL(likely due to geopolitical issues), but there's still a ton of talent and I don't think any other league has surpassed them.  Russia is still a giant country with an abundance of hockey talent.

Sweden, Finland, and the NCAA might have closed the gap a bit, but being the top scorer on a championship winning team in the KHL is still not easy. Yurov just might be under-rated because he wasn't as prolific in his scoring for the playoffs, quite possibly due to a shoulder injury that he was playing through.

I wouldn't be overly surprised if Yurov is considered a top 20 prospect by the end of this season if he bests the point totals from last year despite missing some games to start this season due to his shoulder surgery.

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Yes, because any, every prospect should be lauded as the best thing since sliced bread, a god on ice skates who can skate circles around everyone and just score every goal every minute.

Sorry.  Reality is Yurov hasn't done anything in the NHL yet.  I'm not going to hype anyone until I see them actually play in green and white, with the players they are meant to ride or die with for (hopefully 5-10 years).  I wasn't here when the Kaprizov hype train was running roughshod, but if I was, I would have said, "Shut the fuck up until he plays a fucking game, will you?"  I'm the type of person who actively hates hype, especially if it is to an insane degree.  Oversaturation of something leads me to just avoid it altogether, so I can make up my own mind on things later.  Kaprizov lived up to the hype and then some.  Doesn't change the fact that for 2-3 years, it was an endless stream of, "Just wait till he gets here guys.  It's gonna be amazing.  Oh lord you haven't seen a player like him ever."  I'd think that would get grating after a while.

The Wild can and should be better.  All I'm saying is I'm not going to go out of my way to anoint anyone a savior unless they come in, play like the Kaps, Boldys, Fabers, Rossis, etc. and shunt other lesser players down because they are that good to warrant it.  It took Ek a LONG ass time to get where he is, but I'm glad he is who is now.  It might take Yurov 5 years to sniff Ek's jock.  It might take 5 minutes.  We just don't know.

I'm far from a pessimist.  I just know that players bust their asses every day, and maybe, just maybe, they are that golden ticket kind of player to be the Kaprizovs of the world.  More likely than not...they aren't.

fair points 🙂 

i'm still excited to see Yurov more than any other prospect in the pipeline and my hope is that he proves these "analysts" wrong and becomes a Tier 1-2 type player. Wild and the fans deserve it. Why do Avs and Stars get these lucky breaks and our team is just sort of there.....

Yurov - become great, don't settle for good enough!

[Pewterschmidt]

3 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

But I like Hondas. Land Rovers are nice but a pain to get maintenance and way more expensive.

(funny how your Honda-LR analogy mirrors what others are saying: we need some Hondas to go with the Land Rovers.)

If khuz is an all-purpose Subaru

Chisolm is a Bronco

ogzy is an F250 Super Duty

Rossi is a Nissan Z

and Boldy stair steps into a Ford GT we make playoffs

Edited September 13 by Pewterschmidt

[Pewterschmidt]

Trenin is a dependable Tahoe

 and Lauko comes in with zero expectations and we end up finding our Foligno 2.0 (size, rugged and can win a fight).  The player we rooted that Duhaime would become

Id give Guerin a passing grade next season if we get that kind of progress from our wildcards

Edited September 13 by Pewterschmidt

[Burnt Toast]

1 hour ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Super

MAF is a vintage Corvette 

Gus is a … well you get the picture. 

[Jakub K.]

Of course the KHL record is impressive, but it's nowhere near as impressive as it would have been a few years ago.

I watch more European hockey than NA hockey (I'm Czech), and the quality of KHL competition has plummeted for geopolitical reasons. Nowadays, I think it's much closer to SHL level rather than being the by far top non-NA league.

I'm high on Yurov, I'm not saying I'm not, but I don't see a full time NHL center or a perennial 30+ goal scorer in him. But rather a top-6 winger who can play at center when necessary, a strong two-way player scoring 25-30 goals and 50-65 points. A fantastic second liner. I'd love to see a line with him, Ekker and Ohgren.

I'm not a scout tho, just a casual fan who probably doesn't know what he's talking about.

Edited September 13 by Jakub K.

[SpaceCowboy]

I love the well mannered discussion. I'm thinking probably because the actual season is coming soon and people aren't bored and irritated from the long off-season.

I think it is reasonable for the Yurov "hype" to settle down. I consider that recalibration after more data is gathered. That's what is supposed to happen. I like what Citizen Strife said that for a base-line if he can become a 50+ point player then there would be good reason to project the Wild to have a tough top6/9.

On the other hand I also agree with ODC that based on the last few years, there has been a lot of high expectations for Yurov to have early success. I believe both can be valid.  In the meantime, I will enjoy seeing how the team progresses hear in NA and still be excited for when the next generation of Wild players arrive (Buium and Yurov mostly), hopefully with enough bodymass 🙂

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Quote

he Minnesota Wild will head to St. Louis, Mo. this weekend to participate in the fourth annual Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase, which will include games against the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues.

 

The Wild will open the weekend on Saturday, September 14 against the Blackhawks at 6:00 p.m., and conclude with a matchup against the Blues on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The round-robin tournament will be held at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo, and will be streamed live on Wild.com.

 

Minnesota will be sending a medley of prospects that have either been drafted by the team in recent years or invited to showcase their skills in front of coaches and team executives A few prospects will continue to prove themselves at Minnesota’s main training camp that will begin on September 19. Here are a list of key names for fans to keep an eye this weekend.

 

Riley Heidt: The 5’11, 183-pound native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, spent last season with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he posted 117 points (37-80=117) in 66 games. Heidt, a second-round pick by Minnesota in the 2023 NHL Draft, finished second in the WHL last season in assists and third in points. The left-shot forward recorded three or more points in 19 games last season, including four games with five points. His 280 points (85-195=280) over four seasons with Prince George is the most in franchise history. Minnesota signed Heidt to a three-year entry level contract on March 23, 2024.

 

Hunter Haight: The Strathroy, Ontario native spent last season with the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) serving as an alternate captain and finished the season with 67 points (25-42=67) in 68 games, which ranked fifth on Saginaw during the regular season. Haight was a key contributor in helping the Spirit claim its first ever Memorial Cup, leading the team with nine goals in 17 postseason games. The 6’2, 182-pound winger was a second-round pick by Minnesota in the 2022 NHL Draft.

 

Ryder Ritchie: Selected in the second round of this year’s NHL Draft, Ritchie was the lone forward drafted by Minnesota. The 18-year old spent last season with the Prince Albert Raiders of the WHL, finishing the year with 44 points (19-25=44) in 47 games. The 6’1, 176-pound native of Calgary ranked fifth on his team in goals last season and sixth in points. Ritchie earned the honor of WHL Rookie of the Year for the 2022-23 season after posting 55 points (20-35=55) in 61 games with Prince Albert.

 

The full Minnesota Wild roster for the Tom Kurvers Prospect Showcase can be found here.

Follow @mnwildPR on X and visit www.wild.com/pressbox and for the latest news and information from the team including press releases, game notes, player interviews and daily statistics.

This is the 2nd time the Wild have listed Hunter Haight at 6'2". He is still listed at 5'11" in numerous places, but one would think that the Wild would get this right when they feature him in a story. I have not seen anyone actually ask a question about this or confirm this height difference.

I have only seen it discussed here at HockeyWilderness.