Top Russian prospect has fast skates, lots of moxie
SHERBROOKE, Quebec — Vitalii Abramov’s team held the lead, but not the momentum. In the third period of a recent junior hockey game, the Blue Jackets prospect was determined to get it back.
Sherbrooke Phoenix fans clapped their thundersticks in unison, rooting for a comeback, as the diminutive wing corralled the puck in the defensive zone. The 51-yearold arena had roared to life minutes earlier as the home team trimmed the Gatineau Olympiques’ advantage to 3-1.
That’s when Abramov shot up the right side of the ice like a pinball released from the plunger. One Sherbrooke defender angled him to the boards, but the 18-year-old fought through the check and hit the attacking blue line in
full flight.
“Every time he has the puck, you worry something dangerous is going to happen,” Sherbrooke coach Stephane Julien said. “You see our defensemen were backing up. They didn’t want to get beat. He is one of the most skilled guys in the league this year.”
Abramov cut to the middle of the ice, freezing a pair of defenders, before feathering a pass to Shawn Boudrias, who wired a shot past the goaltender to restore Gatineau’s three-goal lead. The play highlighted a threepoint night and Abramov’s approach to life — everything at top speed.
From his immersion into North American culture to his appetite for learning a new language to his desire to play in the NHL, the Russian wants to be on a fast track. He values precision. He craves detail. The only time Abramov is not in motion, he is standing in a museum reading the entire placard in front of an exhibit.
“He has been one of my most inquisitive students,” said Janet Drysdale, a language teacher, who has worked with Olympiques players since 1985. “When Columbus drafted him (in the third round last June), Vitalii looked on a map to see where Columbus was in relation to Gatineau. He asks a lot of
questions.”
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Abramov is developing into one of the Blue Jackets’ top prospects. His 96 points in 62 games ranks second in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in scoring. TSN analyst Craig Button, a former Calgary Flames general manager, recently ranked Abramov as the 43rd-best prospect in any draft class not playing in the NHL.
The wing not only is fast and shifty, but also fearless. He drives to the net and willingly absorbs a pounding from larger defensemen who take exception to his desire to play on top of the crease. His 45 goals are tied for second in the QMJHL.
“If you want to score goals, if you want to make a difference, you have to pay a price,” Abramov said. “You have to go in front of the net and fight with the bigger guys so they won’t feel you are smaller than them.”
Button applauds the Blue Jackets for “ignoring the tape measure” when selecting Abramov with the No. 65 overall pick. Although his statistics are nearly identical to his first season in Gatineau, Button said Abramov’s supporting cast is not nearly as good. He was named the league’s second star for February.
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekelainen recently saw Abramov play against Blainville-Boisbriand, a team featuring Columbus’ first-round pick Pierre-Luc Dubois. What impressed Kekelainen was Abramov’s “explosiveness” with the puck. Although small in stature, the forward is powered by muscular legs shaped by years of squats in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia.
“If you go to a game and see a player who can skate, who can think, who can compete and can score inside the (faceoff) dots, you’re left asking yourself, ‘How did Columbus get him in the third round?’ ” Button said. “It was the same with Oliver Bjorkstrand. If you’re going to scout with a tape measure, you’re going to make mistakes.”
Abramov comes from a good gene pool. His mother was a competitive swimmer. His 14-year-old sister is an Olympic hopeful in karate. He left home at age 17 and moved halfway around the world to improve his draft stock. Abramov lives with Marc and Dominque Bouchard in Gatineau, Quebec.
The host family loves the youngster’s effervescence and willingness to embrace Canadian culture. Family members said Abramov is a student of history and proud of his Russian heritage and Orthodox religion. He even enjoys a good political debate with Marc, a military police captain.
“They are a great family, yes,” Abramov said. “I love them like they are my second family. It’s not easy to leave your country, to leave your family. But you have a goal in front of your eyes and you want to make it.”
In years past, the Blue Jackets might have rushed a prospect like Abramov into the NHL. Given the young talent on the roster, they can allow him time to develop. Abramov needs to get stronger. Every few weeks, the wing receives video critiques of his games from the Blue Jackets. Gatineau coach Eric Landry said his defensive commitment and play away from the puck have improved.
“We’ll take the same patient approach with all our prospects,” Kekalainen said. “But Vitalii is tracking very well right now.”