Russian Hockey Prospects

Russia has a long-standing hockey tradition and a rich history of hockey as a nation. The country has produced a large number of NHL players, some of them even becoming superstars. With hockey being one of the most popular sports in Russia, Russian kids begin playing the game at a very young age and many develop the skills to play at the higher levels of Russian hockey. It is at this stage that these players become prospects for NHL teams who scout them. With hockey as an international game, many teams dispatch scouts specifically to watch for Russian talent. As in recent drafts, the 2011 NHL Entry Draft saw many Russian prospects drafted by NHL teams. Many of these players have high expectations to do well at the professional level.

Some of the top Russian hockey prospects from the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

This year alone, there were dozens of young Russian prospects drafted by NHL teams. Some of the top Russian prospects drafted in 2011 include: Maxim Shalunov, Zakhar Arzamaststev, Nikita Nesterov, Alexei Marchenko, Nikita Zaytsev, Anton Saveliev, Nikita Kucherov, Oleg Misyul, Sergei Shmelev, Vadislav Kartaev

Some of the Russian prospects playing overseas

There are a number of quality hockey prospects playing abroad. Some of these talented Russians include Kirill Kabanov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Stanislav Galiev, Ivan Telegin and Sergei Barbashev.

With so much elite talent coming out of Russia, there is no reason to believe that the influx of young Russian prospects is going to slow down any time soon. With a new crop of young hockey players on the rise, Russia should continue to produce quality hockey prospects.