Pavel Buchnevich THW Close-Up:
Date of birth: 4/17/1995
Place of birth: Cherepovets, Russia
Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 176 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: LW/C/RW
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2013
THW The Next Ones Rankings (January 2013): 47
Other Rankings:
THW Warm Room Rankings (April): 66
ISS (May): Not ranked
Future Considerations: Not ranked
Craig Button: 33
Consensus aggregate of several services (NHL Numbers): 39
CS Final Rankings for European skaters: 10
***
[NHL 2013 Draft Guide – The Next Ones Draft Headquarters: Your quintessential draft resource]
***
Based on offensive skill, Pavel Buchnevich would be a 1st or 2nd round pick. However, given his lack of drive and effort, coupled with “The Russian Factor”, he may see himself fall farther than he’d like in the draft.
Even with his average height, Buchnevich packs a ton of natural offense into his frame. He is looked at as one of the most lethal offensive weapons this draft has to offer. He is a fast skater, can control the puck at very high speeds, and has some of the best hands of any prospect. A very smooth and fluid skater, Buchnevich has blistering quick acceleration and top speed. His agility is a key attribute to his game and can turn on a dime.
He was a bit banged up this season and didn’t produce as well as some pundits had hoped. But when he touches the puck he seems to be electrifying to watch. Pavel’s got a bit of work to do on the defensive side of the puck. His defensive play and positioning is almost nonexistent. His effort every shift is up in the air and only seems to care when he has the puck on his stick in the offensive zone. He’s a player a GM might throw a mid-to-late round pick on him to see if he pans out.
Where Will He Land In June:
If he actually cared a bit more and showed more consistent effort every shift, he’d be a high draft pick, but he will likely get picked in the 3rd or 4th round (if not later).
Scout’s Honor:
“Put up impressive numbers in the MHL this season and has played a role in the KHL with Severstal…Has top end puck handling ability and great hockey sense… Needs to add quickness to his stride but technical upside is there… Will benefit from continued development and adding strength.”
“Stood out in international competitions with his high skill level. Creative player who is fearless in all parts of the offensive zone. A smooth skater who is deceptively quick with his soft hands which allow him to get loose and/or set up linemates. Fearless in traffic and is great in one-on-one. A strong forechecker. The way he beats you is by coming out of a pack with the puck and using his lightning release to wrist it into the net before defensive players can react. As with all the Russian-based prospects, their final draft slottings are entirely tied to whether or not they are committed to crossing the pond and actually attempting to become NHLers. He was selected to the roster for the World Junior Under-18 Tournament in April.”
Bill Placzek – DraftSite.com
“A fast skating forward with a good set of hands, Buchnevich is a very interesting prospect with an impressive ceiling. Not so big at 6’0″, 170 pounds, the Cherepovets, Russia native makes things happen with his speed and skills. Buchnevich is indeed a player who has the ability to entartain the public with his skating and stickhandling abilities. On the other hand, he has still a lot to do before considering himself ready to cross the Atlantic. First, he needs to add some meat to his frame, then he has to improve his defensive game and play a more cohesive game. Buchnevich is a good playmaker and has very good vision of the ice.”
Statistics:
Bio/Interview(s)/Links:
Last Word On Sports feature by Ben Kerr
International Tournaments:
Buchnevich has really stood out in the two tournaments he’s played for Team Russia. In the past U18 WJC, he scored five goals and six assists in 11 games.
ETA:
3-4 years
Risk/Reward Analysis:
Risk: 5/5 Reward: 5/5
NHL Potential:
Top 6 highly offensive forward
Strengths:
Skating
Speed
Hands
Shot release
Vision
Passing
Acceleration/Agility
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:
Defensive play
Forechecking/Backchecking
Effort
Consistency
Faceoffs
Fantasy Hockey Potential:
Offensive: 9/10 Defensive: 1/10
NHL Player Comparison:
– Since Buchnevich is a typical boom-or-bust player, his offensive skills, but lack of defensive effort parallels Nikolai Zherdev.
Video(s):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsEOHsm_jNY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDyKQRLcTf4
***
THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph
Follow Shawn Reznik on Twitter: @ShawnTHW