Vasily Podkolzin is trending in the right direction with the Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks welcomed Vasily Podkolzin to the team last September after spending the last two seasons in the KHL.

The 10th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft wasn’t getting a lot of ice time with SKA St. Petersburg but he has been given top-six minutes with the Canucks. The Russian Rookie wasn’t expected to have a season where he blew everyone away but with 10 goals and nine assists in 70 games, those are decent numbers for him.

The analytics aren’t bad either. At 5 on 5, Podkolzin is in the top ten in Corsi For,(49.97%) Goals for, (57.63%) Shots for (51.16%) and High Danger Corsi for (46.78%) according to NaturalStatTrick.

Podkolzin was getting a lot of praise from his teammates at Monday’s media availability

“He’s probably got the hardest shot on the team and his work ethic is through the roof,” said Canucks captain Bo Horvat. “He’s always in the gym, and he’s the first one on the ice at practice.”

“Sky’s the limit with him,” said J.T. Miller. “He’s a pro already. He’s humble and is a great guy… There is unlimited potential.”

Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau also was raving about the rookie.

“I don’t think people realize how strong he is,” said Boudreau.

Strong is a good word to describe Podkolzin. When he has the puck, he is very good at keeping it and uses his size to get around opponents.

Podkolzin’s passing also seems to get better as the season goes on. Exhibit A is this filthy backhand pass to Horvat.

It also looks like Podkolzin’s confidence is growing too. He is trying to shoot more, has been displaying some good puck skills and his skating also seems to be getting better.

Podkolzin’s English also seems to be improving as you can hear in the clip below.

Back in September, Podkolzin revealed (through an interpreter) that he and his wife Sasha were going to hire an English tutor to help and he also said that he and Nils Höglander go out for dinner often and speak English to each other.

He was up for the challenge of playing in a new country and learning a new language, especially without a Russian teammate. It’s safe to say there is a lot of potential in Podkolzin’s English.

On the ice, there is also a lot of potential for Podkolzin. With more ice time, he will continue to get better. We are starting to see glimpses of the player he can become: A strong two-way forward that displays great puck handling and can provide offence.

Podkolzin has progressed nicely this season and hopefully next season, he continues to grow even more.