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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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U20 World Junior Championships -  Team Russia's sixth place at the last WJC in Saskatchewan, Canada, was nothing short of a failure. It was the worst result of the team since 2001, when the team lead by Petr Vorobiev couldn't get any better than the seventh place on the home soil. That team, just like this one, wasn't short of talent, considering that the team's front men were the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers), Anton Volchenkov (Ottawa Senators) and Denis Grebeshkov (Edmonton Oilers). This year's roster included many talented players as well, like Nikita Filatov (Columbus Blue Jackets), Vladimir Tarasenko , Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) and others, but the tournament didn't really finish like expected and team Russia was left out of the medal round after five straight apparitions. (RussianHockeyFans.com article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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U20 World Junior Championships -  Vladimir Plyuschev finally released the WJC final roster, days after Sweden and Canada. There aren't many surprises, if we consider that Vyacheslav Voinov (Los Angeles Kings) and Evgeni Grachev (New York Rangers) weren't released by their AHL clubs. The team's leader will be Nikita Filatov (Columbus Blue Jackets) (Columbus Blue Jackets), while other drafted players called include Maxim Trunev (Montreal Canadiens), Dmitry Kugryshev (Washington Capitals) and Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals). 2010 eligible top prospects Vladimir Tarasenko and Alexander Burmistrov are there too. (Roster information) READ MORE

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Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) -  Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) is a 18 years old defenseman who has been drafted by the Washington Capitals in the latest NHL Entry Draft, with the 55th overall pick. In this translated interview with Metallurg's press attache Sergei Druzhinin, he talked about his feelings about being a first team player, about his ability to play both forward and defense and about the Russian Junior National Team.(Russianhockeyfans.com article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) -  We have updated Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals)'s profile with content in the different sections and new stats. We also made it public to anyone! (Link to player's profile) READ MORE

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U20 Four Nations Tournament (Russia) -  U20 National team head coach Vladimir Plyuschev released the roster that will compete in the 2009 Four Nations Tournament to be played in St. Petersburg, Russia, in November's first week. NHL drafted players included are Alexander Pechursky (Pittsburgh Penguins), Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) and Maxim Trunev (Montreal Canadiens). The list features also 2010 eligible Vladimir Tarasenko and Evgeny Kuznetsov. READ MORE

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Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) -  In this translated interview Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) talked about his past season, about his ties with the new national junior team head coach Vladimir Plyuschev, about his draft experience and about the future. (Sportsdaily.ru interview translated by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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U20 Four Nations Tournament (Finland) -  Under 20 national team's coach Vladimir Plyuschev just released the list of the 28 players who will be brought to the September four nations tournament scheduled in Finland from September 4th to 6th. The same team will face team Poland on September 10th on a gala match.

Goalies Alexander Pechursky (Pittsburgh Penguins) (Metallurg Mg), Daniil Alistratov (Traktor), Alexander Zalivin (Dynamo).

Defensemen: Maxim Chudinov (Severstal), Dmitri Vishnevsky (Spartak), Stepan Krivov, Kirill Yuriev (both - Lada), Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) (Metallurg Nk), Georgi Berdyukov (SKA), Ion Kostev (Neftehimik), Pavel Lukin (Lokomotiv), Nikita Pivtsakin (Avangard), Alexander Tarasov (HK MVD).

Forwards Sergei Ostapchuk (Lokomotiv), Pavel Chernov , Oleg Yashin (both - Atlant), Vladimir Tarasenko (Sibir), Vyacheslav Kulemin , Georgiy Gurianov (both - CSKA), Maxim Trunev (Montreal Canadiens) (Severstal), Maxim Kitsyn (Metallurg Nk), Evgeny Timkin (Avangard), Artem Tomilin, Oleg Li (both - PHK Krylya Sovetov), Evgeny Kuznetsov , Anton Burdasov (both - Traktor), Petr Khokhryakov (Neftehimik), Andrei Ankudinov (Salavat Yulaev).

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  Two Russian players, Dmitry Kugryshev (Washington Capitals) and Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals), have been invited in the 2009 Development Camp, which will run from July 12th to 18th in the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia. It will be an important part of the players' season, especially for Orlov, who recently declared to cross the pound this season itself.

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  The number of Russian players drafted has gone down once again. In 2009 only six players coming out from Russia were picked up in the NHL entry draft (plus Dmitry Kulikov (Florida Panthers) who played in the QMJHL). This is down by three compared to 2008.
In 2008, Russia saw two players drafted in the first round, Nikita Filatov (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Viktor Tikhonov (Phoenix Coyotes). This year the first player out of Russia was Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals), whose name was called late in the second round with the 55th selection. (Hockey's Future article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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Canadian Junior Leagues -  In this translated article from french language, Canadian newspaper Cyberpresse, there is an analysis of the top Russian players avaiable for the last CHL Import Draft (Avtsin, Kirill Kabanov, Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals)) with quotes from Remparts' GM Patrick Roy and Habs' scouting director Trevor Timmins. The most important piece of news is that Alexander Avtsin (Montreal Canadiens) won't report to the CHL next season to spend a further year in Russia. (Lapresse.ca article by Mikael Lalancette translated by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  As reported by the Russian news agency Daily Sport, Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) might move already to North America. He and his agent Mark Gandler will visit Washington in late July to meet the Washington Capitals' staff. These last news match what he declared right after the draft.

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  Hours after the NHL Entry Draft Dmitri Orlov (Washington Capitals) replied to the questions made by Soviet Sport correspondant.

"I'm really happy to be picked up by a team with many Russian players" - he said after the selections. "I still have some problems with the language, but the guys will help me".
What are your future plans? Will you spend a further season in Novokuznetsk?
I need to talk with my agent. But I want to play in the NHL. To achieve that, I'm ready to play for their farm team in Hershey.
Why Washington drafts so many Russians?
Because they are the world's best players: Ovechkin, Semin, etc. In the American capital city they love Russian players!
Is it true that Patrick Roy invited you to play in the QMJHL?
Yes. My agent told me that at the start of the last season they wanted me in the Remparts. But I didn't want to go.

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  In the 2009 NHL Entry Draft a total of seven players has been picked up by different NHL clubs. Here follows a list:

14. Florida Panthers - Dmitry Kulikov
55. Washington Capitals - Dmitri Orlov
76. Anaheim Ducks - Igor Bobkov
78. St. Louis Blues - Sergei Andronov
109. Montreal Canadiens - Alexander Avtsin
122. New York Islanders - Anton Klementyev
200. New York Rangers - Mikhail Pashnin

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Continental Hockey League (KHL) -  The hockey writers run a very extensive Draft coverage, and their #43 selection for the upcoming NHL draft is Dmitri Orlov. (Thehockeywriters.com profile by Christopher Ralph) READ MORE

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  The 2009 Russian draft class doesn't look as good as the last one, which produced Nikita Filatov (Columbus Blue Jackets), Evgeny Grachev, Dmitri Kugryshev and Memorial Cup champion Andrei Loktionov (Los Angeles Kings). At the last U18 World Championships, Russia earned a silver medal mostly thanks to the contribution of the 2010s like Kirill Kabanov and Vladimir Tarasenko. But because of Russia's depth, there are some good talents available in two weeks in Montreal, including some overage ones overlooked in the last drafts who somewhat raised their stock recently.

Hockeysfuture's top 10 at a glance:
1. Dmitri Orlov, D, Metallurg Novokuznetsk
2. Maxim Chudinov, D, Severstal Cherepovets
3. Pavel Chernov, C, Atlant Mytischi
4. Alexander Avtsin , RW, Dynamo Moscow
5. Sergei Andronov, RW, Lada Togliatti
6. Anton Burdasov, LW, Traktor Chelyabinsk
7. Sergei Chvanov, C, Severstal Cherepovets
8. Georgi Berdyukov, D, SKA St. Petersburg
9. Nikita Dvurechensky, LW, Dynamo Moscow
10. Igor Bobkov, G, Metallurg Magnitogorsk

(Hockeysfuture.com article by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  We have compiled the final rankings of prospects eligible for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Our rankings cover both prospects currently playing in Russia and those who have moved to North America and are competing in the junior leagues. Dmitry Kulikov leads our overall rankings, as he performed well in the Memorial Cup, with his team bowing out only in the semifinals. The Russian based prospects are lead by Dmitri Orlov , who has played well for Russia's U18 squad and has also enjoyed limited success in the KHL. READ MORE

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Continental Hockey League (KHL) -  Key junior national team defenseman Dmitri Orlov met Allhockey.ru correspondant K. Petrov the day after their return from the World Championships in Fargo. He talked about Plyuschev's team participation in the WJC, the most important tournament in the 17-years old's season. (Allhockey.ru interview translated by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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U18 World Junior Championships -  With a disciplined performance, helped by the home crowd, team USA won the 2009 U18 World Championships. Just like it happened last year, it wasn't the best showing by Russia, who allowed a couple of quick goals to the Americans in the first period, despite some decent play by goalie Igor Bobkov. Vladimir Tarasenko and Kirill Kabanov did their best reverting the momentum, but in the second period USA managed to keep the opponents silent, adding an additional powerplay marker to make it a 3-0 game. In the third period perhaps the Russians gave up, allowing the Americans to run the score up by two additional markers, ending the match 5-0. Unfortunately Russian top guys like Alexander Burmistrov and Evgeny Kuznetsov, weren't as confidents as usual. Dmitri Orlov either hasn't played his best hockey as well as the rest of the team. Igor Bobkov has been named best goalie of the tournament, but was oddly left out from the All Star team, in which instead was present Vladimir Tarasenko.

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U18 World Junior Championships -  With a disciplined and focus performance, Russia skated past Sweden 4-1 and got the pass for the semis against Finland, that already beaten Nemchinov's team in the round robin. Team Russia managed to not overdo keeping it simple, playing well in defense and going forward relying on the stars and spoiling the opponents' mistakes. Goalkeeper Igor Bobkov delivered yet another great performance between the pipes stopping 44 shots. Kirill Kabanov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alexander Burmistrov and Dmitri Orlov scored a goal each. (Game report by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  Four Russian players have been invited at the Draft Combine, the event in which all the teams can talk with prospects and run physical tests in sight of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. The invited players are Alexander Avtsin , Dmitry Kulikov, Dmitri Orlov and Anton Burdasov. The NHL Draft Combine will run in late May.

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U18 World Junior Championships -  After the disappointing defeat in day's one match against Finland, Russia stunned Slovakia with a 7-2 score especially thanks a very strong second period in which they scored four goals. Vladimir Tarasenko scored four points, with two goals and two assists, Dmitri Orlov three points (1+2), Sergei Chvanov and Kirill Kabanov one goal and one assist, while Maxim Kitsyn replied to Plyuschev's critics after the match against Finland with a great performance, scoring two goals. (game report and boxscore) READ MORE

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National Hockey League (NHL) -  We updated Dmitri Orlov 's profile for the 2009 NHL Draft with new stats, contents and fotographies. Expect other profiles in the next days! READ MORE

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U18 World Junior Championships -  In the unique test match planned in the USA prior the WJC Under 18, Plyuschev's team Russia beaten Switzerland 7-3. The team led by Kirill Kabanov did fairly well, being up 7-1 until the first five minutes of the match. A couple of late goals by the opponents set the final result at 7-3. Kabanov finished the match with three points (1+2), but also Kirill Yuriev , Alexander Burmistrov , Evgeny Kuznetsov , Vladimir Tarasenko and Dmitri Orlov had a multipoints performance. Igor Bobkov 's play has been okay till the last few minutes, finishing with sixteen saves in nineteen shots faced. (Game's boxscore) READ MORE

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U18 World Junior Championships -  In the first of the two control matches scheduled against the Belarusian team in Russia's headquarter of Novogorsk, Plyuschev's team has skated past the opponents with a comfortable 9-1 score. Maxim Kitsyn and Kirill Kabanov scored two goals each, Vladimir Tarasenko , Alexander Karpyukin, Vladimir Malinovsky , Andrei Ankudinov and Dmitri Orlov added single markers.

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Continental Hockey League (KHL) -  In the last weekend Dmitri Orlov and Maxim Kitsyn (2010 eligible) led Metallurg Novokuznetsk to grab a gold medal in the National Finals for 1992-born players held in Magnitogorsk. Orlov has been named the tournament's top defenseman. (Tournament recap exclusively for russianprospects.com by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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U18 2009 Five Nations Tourn. -  After the loss against Finland Team Russia didn't manage to switch the momentum ending up with a second defeat against America in the last match of the tournament. Thanks to this victory the USA resulted the competition's winner staying perfect with four victories in as many matches. Russia has thus conquered the third position, a result that can be considered encouraging in the perspective of the upcoming WJC Under 18. Vladimir Tarasenko and Kirill Kabanov have been the team's top players, but solid performances have been delivered by Maxim Kitsyn too. Igor Bobkov between the pipes haven't looked unconfortable, the same can be said for defenseman Dmitri Orlov. (Game report by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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U18 2009 Five Nations Tourn. -  With a good overall performance Russia beaten Sweden in Five Nations Tournament's first day. For the opponents thirty-nine shots haven't been enough and Igor Bobkov concluded with thirty-seven saves as Russia skated over Sweden 5-2. Sibir's Vladimir Tarasenko was the first star of the game scoring a double and adding one assist. 2009 eligible Dmitri Orlov has been solid as well. (game report by Alessandro Seren Rosso) READ MORE

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U18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament -  In the traditional summer tournament for under-18 national team, dedicated to the memory of the first European ever to coach in the NHL Ivan Hlinka, Team Russia clinched a silver medal, losing in the finals against Canada 8-4 in Piestany, Slovakia. Russia hasn't won at this tournament since 1995. However, this time, Team Russia had to skate in the tournament without one of the brightest prospects of 1991 team, Semen Valuiski, because of an injury he suffered earlier in the summer. (Detailed tournament recap by Alessandro Seren Rosso exclusively for RussianProspects.com) READ MORE