O'Byrne, Korpikari and Korneev
Sept 12, 2003 6:52:22 GMT -5
Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Sept 12, 2003 6:52:22 GMT -5
...the young defensemen whom we did not see...
Mathias Brunet
There were not many talented defensemen at the Canadiens rookie camp which ended yesterday.
Apart from Mark Flood, a fifth round choice in 2003, and perhaps the colossus Andrew Archer, one could not spot a true prospect.
The situation doesn't worry the Canadiens director of player personnel, Trevor Timmins. "Mike Komisarek and Ron Hainsey are knocking at the door of the NHL. And we were missing three of our best young blue liners for this tournament; Ryan O'Byrne, Oskari Korpikari and Konstantin Korneev."
O'Byrne, a 6 foot 5 inch 210 pound giant, selected in the third round in 2003, couldn't take part in the tournament because he had already begun his university season in the United States. Korpikari, 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds, a seventh round choice in 2003, and the revelation of the Canadiens development camp in July, is already at work with his Finnish Elite League team. Korneev stayed overseas with his Russian Super League club.
"Korpikari is a sturdy young guy who excels on defense," Timmins mentions. "He played very well at a recent junior tournament at Lake Placid with the Finnish national team. He will play with men in Finland this year and that won't hurt his development. O'Byrne is more offensive. He likes to carry the puck. Korneev will be the leader of the Russian national junior team this season. He proved that at the last international tournament for his club in Russia. He will also play with professionals this season in his country. Our defense would have been better with the presence of these three players at the rookie tournament."
Korneev, 19 years old, seems to excite the Canadiens management. This offensive defenseman was selected late in 2002 (ninth round, 275th overall) because of his small size, 5 feet 11 inches and 176 pounds; but he doesn't stop improving.
He had a great season last year. In spite of his youth, Korneev succeeded in winning a position with the Moscow Soviet Wings of the Russian Super League, before being named to the national junior team for the WJC, where he finished as the top scoring defenseman on his team.
His club, the Soviet Wings, were relegated to a lower professional league this season, but Korneev received offers from all the other teams of the Russian Super League. He chose the powerful formation Ak Bars Kazan, one of the richest clubs of the circuit. The Canadiens' Russian scout, Nikolai Vakourov, is happy to see all the attention that is paid to his protégé, but wonders whether the young man made the best decision.
"He had the choice of all the clubs in the Super League and I do not believe that he chose the most advantageous option. I rather advised him to join Togliatti, which makes waves with young players, or CSKA Moscow, directed by the best coach in Russia, Viktor Tikhonov. The coach of team Kazan, Vladimir Vujtek, wants to win at all costs and he does not use his young players much. Korneev could be playing on the fourth pair of defensemen with Kazan (as many pairs of defensemen as forward lines are used in Russia) whereas he would probably have been part of the second pair on Togliatti. We will see. One thing is certain, he will play on the first pairing at the WJC in December."
Will Korneev one day play in the NHL? "His size doesn't favour him, admits Vakourov. I expected to see him grow more because his father is a big man. But the young man does have talent."
*
Adam Paiement, son of Wilf, former NHLer, will be invited to the Hamilton Bulldogs camp.
Mathias Brunet
There were not many talented defensemen at the Canadiens rookie camp which ended yesterday.
Apart from Mark Flood, a fifth round choice in 2003, and perhaps the colossus Andrew Archer, one could not spot a true prospect.
The situation doesn't worry the Canadiens director of player personnel, Trevor Timmins. "Mike Komisarek and Ron Hainsey are knocking at the door of the NHL. And we were missing three of our best young blue liners for this tournament; Ryan O'Byrne, Oskari Korpikari and Konstantin Korneev."
O'Byrne, a 6 foot 5 inch 210 pound giant, selected in the third round in 2003, couldn't take part in the tournament because he had already begun his university season in the United States. Korpikari, 6 feet 1 inch and 200 pounds, a seventh round choice in 2003, and the revelation of the Canadiens development camp in July, is already at work with his Finnish Elite League team. Korneev stayed overseas with his Russian Super League club.
"Korpikari is a sturdy young guy who excels on defense," Timmins mentions. "He played very well at a recent junior tournament at Lake Placid with the Finnish national team. He will play with men in Finland this year and that won't hurt his development. O'Byrne is more offensive. He likes to carry the puck. Korneev will be the leader of the Russian national junior team this season. He proved that at the last international tournament for his club in Russia. He will also play with professionals this season in his country. Our defense would have been better with the presence of these three players at the rookie tournament."
Korneev, 19 years old, seems to excite the Canadiens management. This offensive defenseman was selected late in 2002 (ninth round, 275th overall) because of his small size, 5 feet 11 inches and 176 pounds; but he doesn't stop improving.
He had a great season last year. In spite of his youth, Korneev succeeded in winning a position with the Moscow Soviet Wings of the Russian Super League, before being named to the national junior team for the WJC, where he finished as the top scoring defenseman on his team.
His club, the Soviet Wings, were relegated to a lower professional league this season, but Korneev received offers from all the other teams of the Russian Super League. He chose the powerful formation Ak Bars Kazan, one of the richest clubs of the circuit. The Canadiens' Russian scout, Nikolai Vakourov, is happy to see all the attention that is paid to his protégé, but wonders whether the young man made the best decision.
"He had the choice of all the clubs in the Super League and I do not believe that he chose the most advantageous option. I rather advised him to join Togliatti, which makes waves with young players, or CSKA Moscow, directed by the best coach in Russia, Viktor Tikhonov. The coach of team Kazan, Vladimir Vujtek, wants to win at all costs and he does not use his young players much. Korneev could be playing on the fourth pair of defensemen with Kazan (as many pairs of defensemen as forward lines are used in Russia) whereas he would probably have been part of the second pair on Togliatti. We will see. One thing is certain, he will play on the first pairing at the WJC in December."
Will Korneev one day play in the NHL? "His size doesn't favour him, admits Vakourov. I expected to see him grow more because his father is a big man. But the young man does have talent."
*
Adam Paiement, son of Wilf, former NHLer, will be invited to the Hamilton Bulldogs camp.
