Star prospect Podkolzin soldiers on; Tryamkin continues the block party
It's the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks' highest-profile prospects:
VASILI PODKOLZIN
He's being called a generational talent in Russia.
He's marketed as a young star, featuring in KHL promotionals and SKA St. Petersburg's social media feed ad nauseam. He plays the right way, says the right things and works hard to improve his already well-rounded game.
So when the Canucks' 2019 first rounder keeps getting buried in the lineup, not seeing the ice when the spotlight is shining the brightest, something's not right.
The last two weeks went like the first two weeks of the season for Podkolzin, with his strong twoway play standing out despite a limited on-ice role.
In a 4-1 win on Oct. 7 against Metallurg, the 19-year-old had three shots on net and two hits in 11:48 of ice time. In a 4-3 loss against Dynamo Moscow a few nights later, Podkolzin started strong with three hits in the first period, finishing the game with two shots on goal, one blocked shot and a minus-1 rating while playing just over 12 minutes.
This past week, his ice time dipped further in a 4-1 win at Sochi on Wednesday and a 3-1 loss in the Army rivalry game against CSKA Moscow on Friday night.
Against Sochi, Podkolzin had two shots on net and an even rating in 10:47. The six-foot-one, 192-pound winger had a team-low 8:37 of ice time in the loss to CSKA, though he still had an impact on the game, laying a big hit, drawing a penalty and getting a shot on net on a solo rush up the ice.
“We tried hard, fought on the ice and showed commitment. We conceded a cheap goal in the first period. Nevertheless, everyone displayed effort, we will draw the correct conclusions and fix our mistakes for future matches,” Podkolzin said after the game.
NIKITA TRYAMKIN
Welcome to Nikita's block party, where shots are shunned and you pay a heavy price for admission.
Tryamkin, 26, leads the KHL in blocked shots and is 11th in hits after a productive couple of weeks for Avtomobilist. The towering defenceman had seven blocked shots, one hit and two shots on goal in 23:55 of ice time in a 3-2 win against Barys on Oct. 7.
In a 3-1 win over Traktor on Oct. 11, Tryamkin had a monster stat line, notching four shots on net, five hits, three blocked shots and a plus-1 rating while skating for a whopping 29:26 of ice time.
He also factored into the scoring, notching a primary power play assist to help put the game away late in the third period.
On the play, Tryamkin faked a shot from the point, drawing the penalty killers toward him before dishing the puck to a shooter at the face off circle.
The six-foot-eight, 254-pound D-man didn't stop there, amassing another impressive stat line
in Wednesday's 4-3 win at Vityaz, where Tryamkin had a plus-2 rating, three shots on goal and four more blocks in 19:44 of ice time. In 17 games this season, Tryamkin is 20th among defencemen in points (1G, 6A), ninth in ice time (23:18), first in blocked shots (47), 11th in hits (32) and is a plus-3 overall.
NILS HOGLANDER
It's official: Hoglander is in a slump. After notching four points in his first two games this season for Rogle BK, the Canucks' 2019 second rounder has gone pointless in his last six — though it hasn't
been for lack of trying. In a 3-1 win against Orebro on Oct. 10, the fivefoot-nine, 190-pound winger had three shots on goal and one hit in 15 minutes of ice time.
In Thursday's 2-1 loss at Brynas, Hoglander was dangerous, putting four shots on net while looking dangerous with the puck.
He was less effective in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss at Leksand, registering one hit and a minus-1 rating in 14:45 of ice time. Hoglander, 19, has four assists and a plus-4 rating in eight games this Swedish Hockey League season.