Rodion Amirov // Scouting Report # 12
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 168lbs.
D.O.B.: 10/02/01
Stats: 10 Goals, 12 Assists, 22 Points, 17 games played
Team: Tolpar Ufa, MHL
Position: Left wing
Most outstanding stat: averaged 5 shots per game (85 SOG)
Blue line to Blue line time: 1.64
Letter, (A-F)=consistency, A is most consistent
Number, (1-5)=tier of talent, 1 being highest
Rank:
17th by EliteProspects.com
14th by Future Considerations
16th by ISS hockey
19th by TSN/Craig Button
25th by McKeens hockey
5th by NHL central scouting (NA Skaters)
16th by Consolidated Rankings
19th by TSN/Bob McKenzie
14th by Dr. Tee Scouting
Scouting report:
What’s up guys? And for my 12th scouting report of the 2020 season I have one of the best European players in this year's draft, Russian left wing Rodion Amirov. And Amirov is a little bit more of a trickier case. He doesn’t score that much which can lower his rankings a little bit, as well as the fact that many teams are “afraid” of drafting good Russians because there's a good chance that they may never see North American ice. So let’s dive right into one of the more “quieter” players in this year's draft, but yet one of the most fun.
Move - 2A
Amirov is a fantastic Connor McDavid like skater but without that really high end top speed.
Rodion Amirov is such a good pure, and natural skater that you just want him to be on the ice. He can simply pivot off of defenders that are 5 inches taller than him, and it’s really impressive to see him doing pro level Sidney Crosby-like edgework, and footwork moves, at only 18, and against top end players in the KHL. It’s fun to see him skate with the puck on his stick, every time he has the puck, so at a very consistent basis. His agility overall is something that is textbook, and you don’t see that very often in players. He has pretty good explosiveness, and can transition his speed into turns pretty well, definitely above average, but I’d definitely like to see it from him a little more often, granted he is only 18 like I said. Sometimes he can be missing that consistent top speed that can really burn him up the ice, and leave defenders in his dust, but he does have good straight line speed, and the fact that he can have what he already has in his speed, as well as in his agility, and footwork at the same time, is impressive as it already is. The only thing that is stopping him from the 1A that I really wanted to give him was that little speed inconsistency, which I think is very fixable, and he’ll definitely grow out of. The way that he manages to work with what he has the way he does and perform at such a high level is really what makes him, in my opinion, a top 5 skater in this year’s draft up with Lucas Raymond, Tim Stützle, Jean-Luc Foudy, and such.
Dangle - 2C
Amirov can maybe not be tricky in this area of his game sometimes, but “confusing” might be the word for it.
Amirov is a very gifted puck moving winger and I’ll tell you that. When the puck is on his stick watch out, because unless you want your ankles broken, you’re going to give him more space than he really needs, and where does that usually get you? In a situation where a player like Rodion Amirov is always in control especially with his smarts. He can make his way through a very good amount of defenders even though he usually prefers to pass the puck which is still usually a very good decision. Despite the fact that he does have all of the potential really needed in this category of his game since he’s only 168lbs. There can be some problems here and there. He can get lined up against the boards pretty easily, especially since he can lose confidence in his abilities a little too much then you’d hope for, as the season went along, and his game came a lot further from the beginning of the year when he played in the KHL for 29 games I think? 29 or 27 he started to attack the center of the ice a little more, and a 81.98% passing percentage tracked by Will Scouch over 7 games by itself is pretty amazing. When he’s moving his feet he can easily protect the puck from bigger and stronger opponents in tighter areas given the fact that he’s right up there with some of the most agile players in the draft. Overall I think that Rodion Amirov is very gifted here, he just hasn’t quite straightened it out yet, and really unlocked his full potential. I do think that he will unlock though, and when he does he’ll be a very, very, very nasty puck moving winger with the skating that he has combined with the talent that he has.
This is a picture of Rodion Amirov getting a shot on goal on team U.S.A. goaltender Noah Grannan while team U.S.A. defenseman Eamon Powell struggles to contain him.
Snipe - 1D
Rodion Amirov has a great shot, especially for someone of his stature.
Will Scouch tracked in 4 games in the KHL where 11.8% of his shots came from high or medium danger areas. That is insane for a 18 playing in a pro league that is a men’s one if I may. His shot is very accurate, and it seems like he’s able to get off very quickly, and effectively from anywhere on the ice. When he’s coming down the ice and the defender is shutting down the passing and shooting attempts and players tend to just drive themselves into the boards and do nothing, Amirov really shines in those hard situations. He can make room for himself with his agility like I’ve said going onto the millionth time, but it’s really something that I feel many coaches are looking for. He can turn something into nothing with his puck protection, and skating but when combined with his shot is just disgusting. But with the dangle, and passing areas of his game there is definitely room for improvement when it comes to consistently finding those high danger shot attempts in tight spaces, and really making room for himself even though he does shine in certain parts of his game that are similar to this, he’ll definitely need to improve on doing this. I get that I said that 11.8% of his shots were in high or medium danger areas of the ice in KHL, in the KHL at 18 you're kind of forced to do this. That’s really the one thing that separates him from a player like Alexis Lafrenière, is that he has this weird sixth sense that allows him to instantly take over a game no matter what level. I do think that this will improve as he gets more mature definitely, it’s just something that he’ll work on really being consistent with.
Defensive mindset - 1F (½)
In this category of Rodion Amirov’s game is pretty straight forward. I wouldn’t call him a wildly inconsistent player, but there are quite a bit of them in his defensive game, not really saying that he’s “bad” in this category either.
I don’t think that Rodion Amirov is a Arthur Kaliyev inconsistent player, and I certainly think that he can do more than what Arthur Kaliyev is showing the potential for right now, but like is said the road isn’t all smooth for him. He can chase defensive play into the corners a little too much than you’d like to see, and lose track of the play leaving man open, and leaving open high danger opportunities for the other team, but at the same time I feel like he does those things so well. He has great smarts, and really uses his Brian to know when to pinch for the puck, stop a player in their tracks, and really take off from there. He has great positioning as well, and great awareness of what’s going on around him a lot of the time. He cuts down passing, and shooting lanes thanks to his smarts, and quickness, as well cutting down defensive zone transitions for the other team, he can intercept long cross ice passes very smoothly with his quick feet, and also positions himself very well on breakouts. He has the ability to play physical without really being physical but maybe not being an “aggressive floater” at the same time. He uses his body to get in front of players and then quickly pivot off of them and look for a breakout pass after the defense has properly exited the puck from the defensive zone. While I definitely do think that he’ll need to improve on his decision making and doing under pressure, as well as quicker, I see Amirov becoming a good two way winger if he even sticks there in the future. The potential that he possesses is too much to say that he’s “bad” in his own end. If I was a GM in the NHL with a pick between 13, and 20 I’d highly consider taking him despite the risk that he has, and all Russians really have. His game is great when he’s playing his game, and he’s too much to pass up as an overall player.
Overall - 1D
Overall the upside that Amirov has in his game in all three zones of the ice is overwhelming. Who cares if he’s Russian, I’d rather take a player that has a bit of a risk but has insane talent than a player that has a very limited game. There’s no questions answered. He plays an exciting game that is a combination of footwork, agility, passing, and puck protection, as well as smarts, and his shot when he wants to shoot the puck. I can’t wait to see what he does in the NHL, if he ever decides to come over at all.
Exciting, two way playmaking left wing
Player Comparison: Max Domi
This one was a tad tricky, but I do think that Domi is a good comparison to Amirov because they are both two very creative players that work best when the puck is on their stick. They can scare defenders into giving them more space then they need and this is when they're most dangerous. Domi is more of a goal scorer, but still has good vision, and smarts. They are elusive which allows them to intercept long cross ice passes, and they can bring a demanding physical edge to the game even though it may not be seen a whole lot. They also bring tremendous work ethic to their game.
More reports: Scouching, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LKf_pni8vus