Canucks Prospect Report: Costmar scores, Podkolzin pointless in WJC kickoff

Podkolzin & Russia begin the World Juniors with a surprising 1-1 start

Podkolzin and the Russians opened their World Junior tournament with a 5-3 win over the United States.

The Russians dominated most of the game. They systematically broke down an American squad with several offensive weapons while chasing goaltender Spencer Knight out of the crease in the process.

Essentially, Russia capitalized on the USA’s mistakes, induced by their rigid defensive system.

While Podkolzin didn’t dominate the scoresheet, he still found ways to contribute in other areas of the game.

Podkolzin’s play can be unnoticeable at times because he is so smart on the ice. So far, he has made some great heads up plays and demonstrated his powerful playstyle.

We saw much of the same from Podkolzin against the Czech Republic. Podkolzin’s aggressive forechecking and high-IQ play was one of the few highlights for Russia, as they were shut out 2-0 by the Czech’s.

Much to Russia’s chagrin, the Czechs deployed a similar playstyle that Russia did against the US. They blocked shots, limited scoring chances to the outside, and capitalized on Russia’s mistakes.

Individually, Podkolzin illustrated his on-ice prowess with several impactful shifts, namely an extended stay in the Czech zone to start the second period.

Podkolzin also did an excellent job of regaining possession along the boards and made a couple of key passes leading to pucks on net.

Moreover, Podkolzin was a factor in all situations, as he helped out the penalty kill while fending off three Czech forecheckers at one point.

Despite the unfavourable outcome, Russia’s loss was not the fault of Podkolzin.

Quite frankly, Podkolzin’s value for the Russians goes beyond what he contributes on the ice, as he is the team’s glue. Podkolzin has garnered immense respect amongst his teammates, as defenseman Daniil Chayka gave Podkolzin high praise in an interview before the tournament.

"“This guy was born to be a leader […] You can see his leadership in the locker room. He has earned a huge amount of respect from every player […] I think he is someone who should be a captain anywhere that he plays.”"

So, don’t be discouraged that Podkolzin’s boxcar stats aren’t blowing up, because his value to the Russian system is multifaceted nonetheless. However, should the Russians be starved for goals moving forward, Podkolzin will need to take a more authoritative role in their offence.

Podkolzin has been deployed as a net-front presence and acts as more of an “organizer” in Russia’s offence than a primary facilitator, like what we saw near the end of their second game.

So, the more the puck moves through Podkolzin, the better off Russia will be.

Although, it was quite puzzling to see that Podkolzin was pulled from the last thirty seconds of the game, as the Russians scrambled to blast the puck towards the Czech goal.

The Russians take the ice next on Tuesday, December 29th against Austria, where they look to bounce back from their sub-par performance against the Czech Republic.

Looking ahead, don’t forget to mark your calendars for December 30th, when Costmar & the Swedes face off against Podkolzin’s Russia in a decisive matchup for Group B.

So Canucks fans, what do you make of Costmar & Podkolzin’s performances thus far? Let us know in the comments below!