Photo credit: Elena Rusko

So, we may have come on a bit strong.

We’re sorry if we made you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, Evgeny Kuznetsov. If you just need some space, that’s fine, we understand. We thought you were just playing hard to get, but we’ve been wrong before.

Cap Hit: At least $2.5 M, plus KHL stipend – ten times the salary of another teammate his age .

Milestones: Most posted-about person not actually in this hemisphere, RMNB 2011-12.

Best Moment: Scoring five goals in six games in the second round of the KHL playoffs, including two game-winners and the series winner. Kuznetsov also won his first World Championships gold medal, silver in the World Juniors, was voted a starter in the KHL All-Star Game, and got to play in an outdoor game.

We can’t possibly imagine why he wouldn’t want to leave, it looks like he is having no fun at all. 

Most Embarassing Moment: Losing to a fan in a hardest shot contest. 

Things We Said About Evgeny Kuznetsov: “We have breaking but very minor news on Evgeny Kuznetsov’s decision!”

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

First Irrelevant Google Images Result:

Evgeny Kuznetsov the springboard diver!

Media Consensus: “Evgeny Kuznetsov will be a great NHL(?) player someday.”

Spirit Animal: Groundhog.

Alternate Universe Superhero Identity: Bait and Switch

Team Role: To be a maddeningly tempting blue-chip prospect just out of our reach.

Execution of that Role: Ten out of ten. Really well done. We are starting to develop the suspicion that Kuzya is actually a mirage.

Nine-Point Games: Only one. Very disappointing.

Likeliness to Ever Even Be On This Continent: Six out of ten. Plus one point if we add “someday, eventually” to the category.

Usefulness in a Post-Apocalyptic Setting: It depends if he’s gotten any time in the highly competitive environment in the NHL. This is crucial for apocalyptic survival, someone should let his agent know.

Other: Chances of the music industry stealing him away from us: zero.

Other: If you have any other questions about Kuznetsov’s year, you are in luck, because we have meticulously recorded every moment of it in seven pages of content. 

Overall Year-End Rating: Six Bad Sashas.

Since taking Alex Ovechkin with the First Overall Pick in the 2004 Draft, the Washington Capitals have selected 5 Russians in the Draft since. Some of the notables include Dmitri Kugryshev (Be his friend on facebook), goal-sabotager Semyon Varlamov and (The second coming of Bobby Orr) Dmitri Orlov.

Well this year, with the Capitals atop the league standings and readying for a deep run in the playoffs (despite what R.J. Umberger thinks), RMNB is here to profile 3 talented Russian Prospects that could fall to the end of the first round of this year’s entry draft which will be held June 25–26, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Who are they? RMNB Russian Correspondent Fedor Fedin did days worth of research and here’s what he found.

Going off of projections by 14 respected NHL Draft websites, we find that Evgeni Kuznetsov, Stanislav Galiev & Maxim Kitsyn are generally considered late first round talents.

Current Club: Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) / White Bears (MHL)

Position: LW

Height / Weight: 180cm (5’11“) / 77kg (169.4 lbs)

Stats: KHL: 28 games (4 in playoffs), 3 goals (1 in playoffs), 8 assists (1 in playoffs). MHL: 11 games (2 in playoffs), 5 goals (1 in playoffs), 14 assists (2 in playoffs). WJC: 6 games. 2 goals, 0 assists.

Interesting Facts: Fans call him the “Malkin of Chelyabinsk”.

Quotes: “My idol is Wayne Gretzky. And my dream is to beat all his records.” “Why not try to hit a player after he passes? When we came to Canada we see different hockey — there are smaller rinks, and lots of contact. When you’re already used to doing it in Russia, the transition to the North American game will be easier.” “I don’t want to be drafted high because I want to be drafted by the Rangers.” “I want to be honest: My dream has always been to play in the NHL.”

Evgeni Kuznetsov Video

Kuznetsov’s first goal in the KHL.

Kuznetsov’s Goal in the World Junior Championships.

Current Club: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

Position: LW

Height /Weight: 188cm (6’2“) / 82kg (180.4 lbs)

Stats: QMJHL: 67 games, 15 goals, 45 assists.

Interesting Facts: Was drafted 1^st overall by Sea Dogs in last CHL Euro draft.

Quotes: “I don’t want to come back to Russia, everything suits me in America.” “People here say that North-American hockey is below us. I don’t agree, because we work on tactic, defense and neutral zone positioning… We spend a lot of time on the power play and penalty killing.” “I never wished to eat something from Subway or McDonald’s.” “At the end of season I didn’t have any problems with hockey terms.” “My preferences in the NHL Draft? I don’t know, maybe Washington or Pittsburgh or Detroit. I cheered for the Capitals in my childhood but I didn’t follow the NHL too closely.”

Stanislav Galiev Video:

Galiev while playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Galiev scores a goal against Galifax.

Current Club: Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL) / Novokuznetsk Bears (MHL).

Position: LW

Height / Weight: 188cm (6’2″) / 83kg (182lbs)

Stats: KHL: 20 games, 1 goal, 1 assist. MHL: 17 games (6 in playoffs), 10 goals (4 in playoffs), 17 assists (5 in playoffs). WJC: 0 goals, 3 assists.

Interesting Facts: Scored 2 goals in his first KHL game (he was 16 then), the youngest player in Russian hockey history to score 2 in a game. His mother is the PA Announcer at the Novokuznetsk Metallurgs’ Arena. His father played for Metallurg. Red Wings scout came to a KHL game to see him. Press calls him the “Ovechkin of Novokuznetsk.”

Quotes: “Comparing yourself with other players doesn’t cost anything. Ovechkin, is a great player sure, but I’m not Ovechkin, I’m Kitsyn and I don’t want to copy anyone.” “The Locker room of [Russian Junior National] team in Windsor shocked me… Looks like it’s 3 times bigger than Metallurg’s.” “The Treatment of junior hockey in Russia and Canada is very different.”

Maxim Kitsyn Video:

Kitsyn’s only goal in the current KHL season (it comes up at the 1:10 mark).

A Kitsyn goal during the 2008-09 season.