SCOUTING REPORT
PAVEL DOROFEYEV
Knights have stocked their roster with NHL stars over the years by trading high-end prospects, the franchise does have reinforcements available on the farm in nearby Henderson, where the AHL’s Silver Knights play. Henderson’s leading scorer this year was 21-year-old Pavel Dorofeyev, a thirdrounder from 2019 who made his North American debut last season after playing a couple of years in the KHL. We asked Vegas director of player development Wil Nichol to break down Dorofeyev’s game.
PHYSICALITY/COMPETE LEVEL
he’s gotten physically stronger, and that has translated on the ice. He’s naturally strong on his stick, kind of like the old Soviet teams, when they leaned on their sticks, it was hard to get the puck o them, and he does that naturally. He’s strong on his skates. And Je Conkle, who heads up our strength and conditioning in Henderson, has done a wonderful job with Pavel with his nutrition and training. So he’s put on the right kind of weight, and that has translated on the ice as well.”
PLAYMAKING
offensive instincts and creativity are up there, so his passing and hockey sense are very strong. Especially given his age. He’s still just 21, and it’s early in the process, but he’s had a great season o ensively so far.”
SKATING
there’s no doubt about it. Like a lot of young forwards, he’s learning to use it with and without the puck. Something I like about Pavel is that he reminds me of the old John Wooden quote: ‘He moves quickly, but he’s not in a hurry.’ He doesn’t chase the game.”
HOCKEY IQ
IQ with and without the puck. If you look at his path before he came over, you can see he played with men, and he’s got really good details to his game.”
DEFENSE
gotten better for sure. He’s like a lot of young players where that’s usually the area where, when they’re in the AHL, it needs to become consistent. With Pavel, his defensive play just needs to continue to grow and be consistent, but (coach) Manny Viveiros and (assistant coach) Joel Ward and the sta have been phenomenal with working with him. He has definitely made strides.”
SHOT
strengths. Not only does he have an excellent shot, but he has a great release, too. He likes to shoot it.”