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Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) -  Despite the difficulties of late for Russia producting defensive prospects, the top-end is certainly interesting, with many players who might adapt well in the jump overseas. Recently it has been very tough to decipher who would report to the NHL and who would not, and the apparent drive towards North America played its role in these rankings.

Top 10 at a glance
1. Maxim Goncharov (Phoenix Coyotes)
2. Yuri Alexandrov (Boston Bruins)
3. Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals)
4. Pavel Valentenko (New York Rangers)
5. Mikhail Pashnin (New York Rangers)
6. Andrei Zubarev (Atlanta Thrashers)
7. Denis Bodrov (Philadelphia Flyers)
8. Vyacheslav Buravchikov (Buffalo Sabres)
9. Alexei Emelin (Montreal Canadiens)
10. Vitali Anikienko (Ottawa Senators)
(Hockey's Future article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) -  As expected Andrei Plekhanov (Columbus Blue Jackets) returned in Russia after refusing to report to the AHL. Dynamo Moscow organized a trade with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk - the team who held his KHL rights - that sent forward Maxim Pestushko to Neftekhimik and Plekhanov to Moscow, in a similar way to the old Pavel Valentenko (New York Rangers)'s trade. Plekhanov's debut date isn't set yet.

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Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) -  New York Rangers prospect Pavel Valentenko (New York Rangers) is expected to miss three months after undergoing shoulder surgery last week. The 22-year old defenseman, acquired this summer as part of the deal that sent Scott Gomez to Montreal, suffered the injury while playing in a preseason game for KHL team Dynamo Moscow. (Beyond the Blue Shirts article) READ MORE

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  In a trade that saw Scott Gomez being traded from New York to Montreal and Chris Higgins the other way around, rights to Pavel Valentenko (New York Rangers) have been involved, even though the young defenseman most likely won't return back to America in the next season as this fall he inked a multy year deal with KHL's Dynamo Moscow.

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Continental Hockey League (KHL) -  MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens defence prospect Pavel Valentenko (Montreal Canadiens) has signed a three-year contract with Dynamo Moscow, the Russian hockey club reported Thursday on its website. A Canadiens spokesman said the team was unaware of the signing. But he said that Valentenko, who had been playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, returned to Russia for personal and family reasons. (Canadian Press article) READ MORE

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Commentary by RussianProspects.com correspondent Alessandro Seren Rosso in regards to Pavel Valentenko (Montreal Canadiens)'s potential in making an impact at the NHL and the AHL in the coming 2007-08 season. READ MORE

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Analysis of the first 9 Russian players taken in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The list of analyzed players includes talented forwards Sergei Shirokov and Alexander Bumagin), as well as the highly rated but surprisingly fallen potential power forward Andrei Popov. READ MORE