Hab Prospects at Worlds

[NWTHabsFan]

In a surprising move, Hockey Canada invited 5 players from the World Junior Championship team to participate in Canada's only pre-tourney warmup for the World Championships in Latvia. Canada played Belarus yesterday in that game, ending up losing a close one. Two Hab junior prospects, Kyle Chipchura and Guillaume Latendresse, participated as part of that handful of juniors. That will be the only game in which the juniors get to play, as the team will be bolstered with NHL'ers by Friday for the first game against Denmark.

Another Hab prospect, my favourite forward who is not in our system yet, took part in the game. Mikhail Grabovski led the Belarus team with a goal and an assist, including the game winner. Andrei Kostitsyn is listed on their roster and may join the team. I sure hope the team is able to convince Grabovski to come over to NA next season, as he has that speed and skill that could really shine in the league these days. It would be great to see how he would fare over here, as he has done well in the RSL and at the European Championships (top forward).

A number of Hab regulars could also participate as they were listed as part of the long list of players as countries waited to see which NHL teams were eliminated in the first round.

www.hockeycanada.ca/2/0/9/6/1/index1.shtml

MMX from HF lives in Minsk and was at the game and had this report on our boys:

Mikhail Grabovsky scored the game winner (Belarus won 4-3). And what a goal it was! With Belarus on the powerplay, Grabovsky picked the puck in his one zone and just flew with it, shook off canadian forechecker who tried to hook him a little bit, then blew by two defensmen and put the puck behind Pogge despite being hit from behind.
Absolutely wonderful goal!

Overall, Grabovsky looked the best skater on the ice to me (yes, I am aware that Crosby, Bergeron and Boyes played for Canada). Constant threat with his speed and moves. BTW, Hanlon put him on the wing this time (he used to play at center). For a 4th rounder, Grabovsky looks like a steal for Montreal.

Notice that I said "best skater" above. That's because best player was Belarussian goalie Andrei Mezin. If not fo him, Canada could have scored 10 goals easily.

P.S. Latendresse and Chipchura played for Canada. Latendresse didn't do much while Chipchura was noticeable out there.

[montreal]

Higgins is on the roster for Team USA, Plekanec has been rumored to be going for the Czech team along with Bulis. Emelin is on the roster for Russia but I've heard that he might be one of the final cuts. I've heard Perezhogin might be on the team but that was just from a russian poster at HF.

Streit and Aebischer are on the roster for the Swiss, no word if they will play, but I doubt they are too tired. Zednik is on the Slovak roster but no word if he will go.

[habmeister]

i'd like to see the veteran players rest up their tired bodies and hit the gym in june hard for next season. they could easily blow out a knee or something playing in this almost meaningless tournament.

on the flip side i'm hoping most of our prospects get to play and look forward to watching them on tv. Latendresse is a power forward, i hope that this board and the city of montreal doesn't expect him to get 20 in his first season followed by 30-40 in his 2nd season.

[NWTHabsFan]

Kostitsyn played today and was player of the game for Belarus in a 3-2 loss. Aebischer was also the player of the game in the Swiss close 2-1 win today.

Plekanec did get a goal in his last game and Komisarek has an assist so far.

[NWTHabsFan]

MMX over at HF had this report about the Belarus-Russia game yesterday that featured Andrei Kostitsyn's debut after his trans-Atlantic hop and another nice write up about Grabovski (I hope AS is over there to start talking NA contract with this kid once this tourney is done):

Hi guys,

Here is brief update for those of you who didn't watch Belarus-Russia game.

Andrei Kostitsyn finally played for Belarus at this tournament. Hó obviously wasn't in top condition but still played good game. AK seems to bulked up from the last time I saw him (a year ago). He is strong on his skates and covers the puck well, which was evident when he carried the puck from his own zone all the way into Russian zone all by himself several times. He crushed one Russian player into the boards in first period with a good check. He also tried to deliver open-ice hit to Ovechkin but seemed to changed his mind before the collision and didn't make concentrated effort. As a result, he bounced off Ovechkin (now this guy is really strong on his skates!).

Kostitsyn also manned the point on the powerplay and did it surprisngly well. He delivered cross-ice pass to Oleg Antonenko who one-timed it for the first Belarusian goal.

Kostitsyn had gorgeous chance in the 3rd period with the score tied at 2, unfortunately his one-timer from point-blank was well saved by Russian goalie. Could have been a game-winner

Overall, Andrei played better then I expected him to play. Hopefully with another day of practice and rest (and acclimatization) he'll have huge game against Kazakhstan.

Michail Grabovsky was his usual self. You can basicaly copy-paste from my report on the game against Slovakia: fast, battling, creative. Again played on the wing. Drew penalty at the end of the first period that resulted in PP goal for Belarus. Created great chance for himself in the 3rd when he cleanly beat Russian defender in front of the goal and fired wicked shot that goalie barely saved (I honestly thought that was in at first). Again potential game-winner here

Good game for both guys and Belarus, they almost pulled another upset.

[seventeen]

Thanks NWT, for following the tourney for us. Our prospects are showing well.

[NWTHabsFan]

Belarus won 7-1 against the Kazakhstan today to advance to the Qualifying round. With two wins in the Preliminary round, Belarus is enjoying a banner WC so far.

Our usual reporter from over at the other place, MMX, had this comprehensive report on the team and our two young ones.

Hi everybody,

Here is my third (and not final ) report from this year's WC, as Belarus beats Kazakhstan and marches into next round

It was a game of two halves for Team Belarus and both its Montreal prospects.
Belarus started on a high note, winning the opening face-off and moving the puck into Kazakhstan's zone. Our checking line (whom Hanlon always starts) held the puck for an entire minute and finally forced Kazakhstan to take penalty. In jumped the first Belarusian powerplay unit (with both Kostitsyn and Grabovsky on it), and minute later the goal was scored. AK, again playing the point, received the puck on top of the left face-off circle. He skated forward a little bit and buried the puck into top right corner. Kazakh goalie didn't stand a chance.
Then unforseeable happened. Kazakhstan took control of the game and proceed to dominate it until the middle of the second period (shots on goal in the first period: Belarus - 6, Kazakhstan - 17!). Thankfuly we have Andrei Mezin in goal who single-handedly kept us in the game until the rest of the team finally woke up. Belarus took alot of undisciplined penalties in between, so Kostitsyn and Grabovsky didn't see much of the ice time. Kostitsyn, however, had an excellent chance to give Belarus the lead in the end of the first period. Belarus was awarded penalty shot and Glen Hanlon choose AK to take it. I immediately second-guessed it as the obvious choice would be Grabovsky who is born for breakaways Anyway, Kostitsyn tried to tuck the puck around the goalie and into the left corner but his move was slow and the goalie saved it with his pad. Minute later Kazakhstan deservedly equalized.
The sloppy play from Belarus continued until midway through the second period, when Sergei Zadelenov scored what proved to be the game-winner with Belarus playing short-handed. That goal seemed to sink the spirits of Kazakhs, and it was all Team Belarus afterwards. Yaroslav Chupris made the score 3 to 1 with a great redirection of shot from the point, and then Michail Grabovsky stole the spotlight
At first he had excellent chance but failed to put the puck into the open corner. Michail made up for it on the next Belarusian powerplay as he flew into defensive zone on the right side, took an excellent pass from Viktor Kostyuchenok, blew by Kazakh defensemen, skated across the goal and stuffed the puck into the net behind sprawling goaltender. Lovely goal!
Grabovsky was architect of the next Belarusian goal. Again on the powerplay, Grabovsky broke into defensive zone and found trailing Zadelenov with a good pass. Zadelenov had only goalie to beat which he did easily.
But the best was yet to come. One of the teammates sent Grabovsky on a breakaway. Michail used his speed to shook off the defenseman. As he closed in on goal, Grabovsky tried to perform a beatiful move: while decking to his left with his forehand, he switched to his backhand and tried to tuck it past goaltender into the right corner. Unfortunately, in the midst of a move Grabovsky was hooked by defenseman. A clear penalty shot, and Michail tried the same move! The was no defenseman this time Absolutely beatiful goal! Wow!

A couple of other notes:
- coach Hanlon tinkered with the lineup during the game. As a result, Grabovsky centered the line with Kostitsyn on his wing during some shifts.
- Grabovsky had several quality chances, so with more luck it could have been hat-trick.
- Kostitsyn again look strong on the skates. Kazakh player tried to check him into the boards in the first period and just bounced off him.
- Not the best game for Andrei overall, who didn't do much besides his goal. He launched several shots on goal from the point that got through traffic. On the flip side, his passes were not always accurate. Hopefully the best is yet to come for AK.
- How Andrei Mezin hasn't played in NHL is beyond my understanding.
- Belarus advances into next round where it'll play against Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine.

[Toronthab]

Thanks NWT for all the good stuff.

[montreal]

There is a guy at HF that posted video clips of the last Belarus game where Kostitsyn scores on a wicked slap shot up high and Grabovsky scores one goal by pure speed and another on a totally insane penalty shot move. it's on the WC board.

[Doc Holliday]

...and here they are:

rapidshare.de/files/20255466/BLR-KAZ-1st.avi.html
rapidshare.de/files/20256746/BLR-KAZ-2nd.avi.html
rapidshare.de/files/20258081/BLR-KAZ-3rd.avi.html

Grabovsky just turned 22, is he a legitimate prospect or just a distant project?

[franko]

docholliday said:

...and here they are:

rapidshare.de/files/20255466/BLR-KAZ-1st.avi.html
rapidshare.de/files/20256746/BLR-KAZ-2nd.avi.html
rapidshare.de/files/20258081/BLR-KAZ-3rd.avi.html

Grabovsky just turned 22, is he a legitimate prospect or just a distant project?

Thanks.

[montreal]

docholliday said:

...and here they are:

rapidshare.de/files/20255466/BLR-KAZ-1st.avi.html
rapidshare.de/files/20256746/BLR-KAZ-2nd.avi.html
rapidshare.de/files/20258081/BLR-KAZ-3rd.avi.html

Grabovsky just turned 22, is he a legitimate prospect or just a distant project?

I think most people won't have too much of an opinion of him just yet since he's been playing in the RSL. Out of every time I see him play I come away impressed with his speed and imo his top asset is his acceleration. He can hit top gear in a good 3 or so strides and his top speed would likely make him one of the fastest players on the Habs. The questions start with his size, strength and scoring ability at the North American level.

Personally I consider him one of our top prospects, especially since Perezhogin, Higgins and Pleks all graduated. He works hard, is solid in his own end, has NHL speed/skating, will carry the puck, play in traffic, has good offensive skills-vision, shot, deke, passing. He is small though and doesn't appear to be overly strong. He's around Locke's size but much faster, better skater and stronger lower body I'd guess (never saw Grabo live and up close)

Since his contract with Dynamo is now void due to him not being paid by the club, hopefully Gainey and his agent can come to terms and get him over here. The Habs still have 2 years before he has to be signed, so there's no rush but it does seem like a good time to get him adjusted to NA, since he's without a contract and Hamilton could sorely use him.

[NWTHabsFan]

Belarus spank Ukraine 9-1 and our boys were in the thick of things.

Grabs had the hat trick and a helper for 4 points, Kosty had three assists. Grabovski now has 5 goals, tied for tournament lead with some guy named Sid the Kid.

Has the ink dried on the draft contract offer for Grabovski yet? Let's get him over this side of the pond Bob and company!!

www.ihwc.net/english/boxscores/?game=458

[NWTHabsFan]

MMX from HF had another great review of our boys at the game. Really nice review of their play, as they were reunited on the top line.

OK guys, here is my take on performance of Michail Grabovsky and Andrei Kostitsyn in tonight's game against Ukraine.

Belarus showed no signs of fatigue as they dominated well-rested Ukranian squad, and Michail and Andrei were among the main reasons. Glen Hanlon promoted Kostitsyn to the top Belarusian line to play with Grabovsky and Sergei Zadelenov, and that move obvioulsy paid off.

AK played solid game. He was a focal point on the Belarusian power play that produced 4 goals (Kostitsyn and Grabovsky were on the ice for all them!). No giveaways this time, and he always seemed to get his shot from the point through. Andrei again showed good control of the puck. The only knock on him in this game is that he always looked to shoot instead of passing to his teammates. He did make one good pass that stood out to me though.

Michail Grabovsky was too much for Ukranians. He scored three goals, one-timing the pass from the slot and twice knocking home rebounds after Kostitsyn's shots, hit the post once and missed the open net for change ;-) Once again drew several penalties with his speed. But the play that impressed me most was not his goals but the pass he made on the eventual game-winner. With Belarus on the power play and Grabovsky controlling the puck in the right corner, he noticed that defenseman pinched in and hit him with a perfect pass on the left post that was one-timed past helpless goaltender.

Both Grabovsky and Kostitsyn were subject to cheapshots by frustrated Ukranians which they repayed in best way possible - scored on ensuing powerplays!

Go Michail and Andrei, go Team Belarus!

[Skilly]

Not sure if this is posted anywhere else but I found this while surfing looking for more information about Grabovsky.

Sunday, May 14, 2006
Montreal to sign Mikhail Grabovsky


The Montreal Canadiens are about to sign 22-year-old Dynamo Moscow forward Mikhail Grabovsky, according to a news item that appeared yesterday on the Russian web site gazeta.ru. The items quotes Grabovsky's agent, Gary Greenstin (who is also the agent for Pavel Datsyuk) as saying, "Mikhail Grabovsky will almost certainly leave to play for Montreal next season. The Canadiens have been in constant contact with me, and there has been enormous interest shown from their side."

Drafted in the 5th round (150 overall) by the Canadiens in 2004, Grabovsky has spent the majority of his pro career playing in the relatively low-scoring Russian Super League, where he has put up 26 goals and 37 assists in 108 games playing for Dynamo Moscow and Neftkhimik over the past two seasons.

Grabovsky is second in scoring at the current IIHF World Championships with 8 points (5 goals and 3 assists) in 5 games, playing for Belarus, including a hat trick on Saturday against Ukraine.

Mikhail Grabovsky's player profile, from Russian Prospects:

Mikhail Grabovsky is a talented scoring line forward who has speed, vision, skill and shooting ability as his primary strengths, with his lack of size (5-11, 180) and ineffectiveness in physical play as his primary shortcomings. Skating is definitely one of Grabovsky’s top strengths, with an above average top speed and very good acceleration. A gifted player with strong puckhandling skills, effective in one on one situations with opposition players and is imaginative with the puck. Has an above average wrist shot with a quick release and a precise slap shot with a quick release. Makes precise passes on the tape. Possesses an impressive vision of the ice, seeing plays developing and creating scoring chances for himself and his linemates. Returns to help out in his own zone and at times is even deeper in the defensive zone than some of the defensemen. Is aggressive and works hard to harass the opposition.

[NWTHabsFan]

Here is MMX's report from HF about Belarus' big 2-1 win against Switzerland today. Grabs, AK and Belarus move onto the medal round, Abby, Streit and the Swiss were not so lucky.

Hi guys,

Here is my brief report on Belarus-Switzerland game.

There was some pre-game talk about some "treaty" between Belarus and Switzerland as tie would satisfy both teams and dump Slovakia out of quater-finals. They didn't even accept bets on this game! Fortunately, the game proved all those "experts" wrong. It was constant struggle from beginning till the very end. Both teams played tight defensive hockey without many scoring chances. I also have to mention officiating. In contrast to other games, ref didn't follow "zero tolerance" mantra of late and was reluctant to give penalties for clutching and grabbing. This gave Team Switzerland obvious advantage when defending against speedy Belarusian forwards.

Mikhail Grabovsky started the game at left wing and was the prime focus of Swiss defense. Every time he received puck there was somebody near him, grabbing him and pinning him to the boards, effectively taking away his speed. Hanlon probably noticed this, too, as he moved him to center later. Grabovsky proceeded to play some shifts at center and some on wing. Mikhail factored in the first Belarusian goal. Together with Andrei Skabelka they won the puck from Swiss defense behind the net, Skabelka skated out of the corner into the slot and buried the shot top shelf. Aebisher never stood a chance. During the game, Grabovsky had several rushes with the puck but couldn't beat Swiss defense. He did create one scoring chance but teammates failed to bang home juicy rebound after Grabovsky's shot was parried by Aebisher.
Overall, Michail was less effective today, it was probably average game for him. I'd attribute it to personal attention he received from Switzerland and tight, defensive way the game was played.

Andrei Kostitsyn played OK. Was slightly more noticeable than Grabovsky today. Again played point on PP but also spent some time upfront. Carried the puck well several times, effectively covering it with his frame. Again launched lots of shots, definetely seems like shoot-first type of player. Had 2-on-1 breakaway with Grabovsky but preferred to shoot instead of passing. Almost scored in the 3rd period but was tripped when reaching for rebound in the slot.

Some notes on Swiss Canadiens:
David Aebisher was shaky. Didn't look confident to me. Left lots of rebounds, including the second goal (as you'll see in the video). Did stop Meleshko one on one late in the 3rd though.
Mark Streit was one of the best players for Team Switzerland. Played physical game and had several dangerous shots from the point. Also committed horrible giveaway in his own zone that fortunately to Switzerland didn't lead to goal.

That's it, you'll see more details in highlights tomorrow

[NWTHabsFan]

The USA finished the Qualifying round with a big 3-1 win against the Czech Republic today. Both teams advance to the quarter finals. Komisarek, Plekanec and Bulis all played and were held pointless today. All get to play at least one more game, same with our dynamic duo from Belarus.

[montreal]

Congrats to Belarus for making the final 8 for the first time in their history, they are a 3rd seed out of 4, great job. What's impressive that 2 of the main reasons for their success (aside from their goalie, who many are saying he's been the top goalie in the tournament) Grabovsky and Kostitsyn are making a name for themselevs. Grabovsky is among the tournament leaders in goals and points. Last year he also enjoyed success with a 4 goal game against Austria (weak team but they were at home, both teams fighting in the final game to make the qualifying round, and flyers goalie prospect Bruckler was in nets, who was considered one of the top goalies in the NCAA) Kostitsyn on the other hand was not very good at last years tournament. He missed the start of it due to Hamilton's playoffs but when he joined the team he was held pointless the entire tournament.

What's even better is that the younger Kostitsyn should be making his way onto the roster hopefully next year.


I'm also really glad to hear Komisarek is getting PP time, would love to see him get confidence in his offensive ablities and bring that into next season.

[Skilly]

montreal said:

Congrats to Belarus for making the final 8 for the first time in their history, they are a 3rd seed out of 4, great job.

It is not the first time Belarus has done well on the international scene though. Remember they finished 4th at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. And as far as I am concerned the IOC screwed them for the Turin games.

The top 6 teams at Salt Lake were given automatic seeds based on their Nagano finish. But for Turin it was based on world rankings or something like that.