Note the extras from GoldenEye at top right. (Photo credit: dynamo.ru)

Monday was supposed to mark Alex Ovechkin‘s first meeting with 2012 first overall pick Nail Yakupov. When Dynamo Moscow hosted Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Yakupov instead had to endure an international fiasco last week and was held out of the line-up by Coach Vladimir Golubovich despite being reinstated over the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Russian machine had his best game yet in a blue and white jersey, notching his second goal of the KHL season and tallying an assist in Dynamo’s 5-1 mollywhopping of Neftekhimik. Ovi had 5 shots in a season-low 14:44 ice time.

Video ahoy!

Here’s Ovechkin’s power play goal. Notice how effortlessly he targets his one-timer on the wattle bottle. With this much time and space in the NHL, I’m pretty sure he’d score ~183 goals.

On his assist, Ovechkin and Konstantin Gorovikov show off some slick passing before finding line-mate Dominik Granak in the slot for a goal.

Through five KHL games, Ovechkin is a point-per-game player, tallying two goals and three assists.

Yakupov and Ovechkin did eventually meet, but during intermission and away from the ice. Yakupov was giving an interview to Sovetsky Sport as Ovechkin slapped him on the back and asked, “How are you?”

“Everything’s fine,” Yakupov responded.

The 18-year-old Oilers prospect then turned to his interviewer and said: “Oh! He knows [why I'm not playing].”

Yakupov continued:

I hope to get a spot in the lineup for the next game. Because I really want to play! This is the second game I am missing. It’s a pity I didn’t get to play against Dynamo. It would be great to play with Ovechkin! But no big deal, it’s hockey. I am not upset with the coaches. I will catch up.

Ovechkin and Dynamo will next play Ak Bars on Wednesday.

GIF by welshhockeyfan.tumblr.com

Translation by Igor Kleyner.

Will Nail Yakupov don a Russian jersey again after these comments? (Photo credit: Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald)

On Saturday, the Russian media outlets Sports.ru, Kulichki Hockey, and SportLook posted some blockbuster quotes from the NHL’s top draft-prospect Nail Yakupov at the NHL Combine in Toronto. Yakupov downplayed his Russian image and refused to be compared to Nikolai Zherdev (a notorious NHL bust who was drafted 4th in 2003). There hasn’t been a lot of talk about this in North America yet, but I would still like to clarify some points now.

Here’s what Nail said, per James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail:

You know, every player has his [own] way. I’m Muslim, I’m not Russian. If you [ask] what happens with the Russian factor, it’s [Zherdev’s] life and I have my life. I’ve got to work. It doesn’t matter what team is going to [take me] in the draft… My new team is my first favourite team in the NHL. I’m going to play and do everything for this.

(Emphasis ours.)

Some Russian hockey fans think this quote is treasonous, leaving bombastic comments on stories: “Don’t take him to the National Team!”; “He betrayed his homeland!”; “This person does not exist for me anymore!”, etc. You get the idea.

But this probably wasn’t what Nail actually wanted to say. Let me explain. There are two words in Russian language that can be translated as Russian: one is ethnic, and the other is nationalistic. Because the concept of Russian identity is a pretty controversial topic over here, I’ll lay out the details for you.

One word for Russian is Russky (Русский), which means a person who is ethnically Russian (i.e. the East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and its neighboring countries). Another is Rossiyanin (Россиянин), which means “a citizen of Russia” and is sort of a modern replacement for the term “Soviet people”. That word is often criticized by nationalists for not being “patriotic” enough.

Here is the nationalist newspaper Russian Observer:

Our people will not accept any other name [except Russkie]. And the consequence of imposing the “Rossiyanin-ship” will be only the full rejection of the great Russian word Rossiaynin [a long-time synonym for Russky] and its full disappearance from Russian language.

Basically, you can be Russian or Ukranian or Belarusian, and so on, but if you have a Russian passport, you’re Rossiyanin.

Russia, just like the US, is a multi-national country. Nail Yakupov isn’t Russian ethnically; he is a Tatar, born and raised in Tatarstan, the region of Russia where the majority of the population are Turkic and of the Muslim faith. He has a Tatar name. Nationalists will say that Tatars are Russians. Most Tatars might disagree on that point.

Off the top of my head I can remember two other hockey players in North America with Tatar names: Nikolai Khabibulin and Stan Galiev, but neither was born in Tatarstan. National team coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov — who just recently led Russia to a World Championship — is Tatar.

So what exactly does Yakupov mean about being Muslim and not Russian? He might simply mean that he doesn’t smoke, drink, or participate in the loud parties that some Russian players are known for. Maybe he means that he doesn’t accept the national identity of Russians used by some nationalists.

Either way, it would be wise to consider the vagaries of language and complexities of Russian culture before jumping to conclusions.

Team Russia shocked the world by coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the gold medal game against Canada to win the IIHF U20 World Junior Championship one year ago. Tremendous coaching, discipline, and a lot of luck made a good team great. Several players also proved that they were the real deal, including Dmitry Orlov (currently playing in Washington), Vladimir Tarasenko (Blues prospect currently ranked fifth in KHL in goals), Maxim Kitsyn (KHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk), Artemy Panarin (Vityaz), and — the youngest of the bunch — Evgeny Kuznetsov. Role players from last year’s team, Nikita Dvurechenski (KHL’s Vityaz), Anton Burdasov (third-line center on the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk), and Nikita Pivtsakin (KHL’s Avangard Omsk), have also graduated to become full-time KHL players.

Unfortunately, age eligibility rules have forced a drastic change to Russia, who is looking to repeat as champions for the first time since 2002 and 2003. The only returning player is Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov. Kuzya, the captain wearing #25, is sure to be a major key to success for the Russians. He’s played in the tournament before, scored, and assisted on clutch goals.

Kuznetsov’s been very successful at the professional level this year: he leads the KHL in game-winning goals (5), scored the game-winner in the Karjala Cup, and plays on the first line of the Russian league’s best team, Traktor Chelyabinsk.

How young is Team Russia this year? Consider that only two players on the team have recorded more than ten points in their KHL careers. Kuznetsov is the first, and the other is Zakhar Arzamastsev (Metallurg Novokuznetsk) who has tallied 11. Kuzya’s 65 career KHL points and five points with the Russian National Team make him the team’s go-to offensive player at even strength and on the power play. How will Kuznetsov — who is set to play center instead of his customary right wing — handle the pressure of being captain and being heavily scouted? We will see.

Is potential 2012 first overall selection Nail Yakupov ready for the bright lights in Calgary? (Photo credit: Alyonka Larionov)

To replace other leaders on last year’s team, Head Coach Valery Bragin chose players who represented Russia at the U18 level last year and won the bronze medal. The new core is Nikita Kucherov (Central Sports Club of Army – Red Army), Mikhail Grigorenko (QMJHL’s Quebec Remparts), and Nail Yakupov (OHL’s Sarnia Sting) – three points leaders of that tournament, as well as draft-eligible goalie Andrei Vasilevsky (Salavat Yulaev’s MHL affiliate Tolpar Ufa) who topped last year’s U18 WJC in save percentage.

It seems to me that Russia will go with two lines stacked with high-scoring talent and two lines of role players. I predict one of these two lines will be Nikita Gusev (undrafted), Mikhail Grigorenko (2012 Draft eligible), Nikita Kucherov (drafted by the Lightning). They grew up playing together in the same system (CSKA) and show good chemistry. If their line works in Calgary, look for them to be one of the most dangerous trios of the tournament.

Two other players to be locks in the top-6 are, of course, Evgeny Kuznetsov and potential #1 draft pick on 2012 NHL Draft Nail Yakupov (#AvsFailWatch). The only spot left is arguable, though Boston Bruins’ draftee Alexander Khokhlachev has made a strong case to play on the first line.

Team Russia actually had to cut some of their offensive talent on Friday. Anton Zlobin, who is tied for fourth in goals in the QMJHL, and Vladislav Namestnikov, who was the only Russian drafted in the first round last summer (by the Bolts) were let go. Among the complementary players, one name that stands out is Jets’ prospect Ivan Telegin.

The most surprising cut, however, came at the back end. Guelph’s Andrei Pedan (a big, physical defenseman who sticks up for his teammates) was dismissed. Instead, the Russians went with only one player who plays in the Canadian juniors, defenseman Artem Sergeev of Val-d’Or. The team’s defense will also miss Red Wings’ draftee Alexey Marchenko, who is done for the year with a knee injury that required surgery. Zakhar Arzamastsev (KHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk), who went undrafted in the 2011 NHL Draft, will be Russia’s most experienced defenseman with 97 KHL games under his belt.

The Russians should be solid in goal with Vasilevsky, the Saskatoon Blades’ Andrei Makarov and Sergei Kostenko from Metallurg Novokuznetsk’s MHL affiliate, the Bears. The team will play their first game tonight at 10pm against Switzerland.

Team Canada

Will Mark Visentin lead Canada to gold? (Photo credit: Nathan Denette)

Just like every other year, Team Canada has the most talented roster of the tournament. The roster’s almost completely composed of first-round talents with a rack of CHL experience, despite the fact that the Canada’s best young players are in the NHL. Team Canada should be especially hungry this year since they haven’t won since 2009 (where they were champions for five straight years) and were embarrassed by Russia in the final period of last year’s gold medal game. They have lots of talent on the blue line and on offense, but their lack of a solid goaltender (Mark Visentin‘s five-goal meltdown in the third period of last year’s final) could prove to be costly. I expect them to be upset yet again.

Team USA

Emerson Etem: Cowabunga, dude. (Photo credit: Bruce Bennett)

Jack Campbell enters his third WJC in net for Team USA and if he plays like he did in ’10, expect USA to be a frontrunner for the gold, especially with Anaheim Ducks’ prospect Emerson Etem leading the offense for the Americans. They don’t have John Carlson, but he might not be needed this time.

Team Sweden

Jonas Brodin (Photo credit: Bruce Bennett)

Another candidate to upset the Canadians, Sweden is solid on defense featuring first-round picks Jonas Brodin and Oskar Klefbom. Sweden’s next great defenseman Adam Larsson and scoring threat Gabriel Landeskog are already playing in the NHL, so look for Mika Zibanejad to prove himself as a leader for the Swedes.

Team Finland

Mikael Granlund’s lacrosse goal against Team Russia last year netted him a stamp in Finland.

All eyes will be on Mikael Granlund during this tournament. The Wild prospect doesn’t have the supporting cast like Canadian and American leaders have, but Finland is still solid and could prove to be dangerous. Look out for 2013 Draft frontrunner Aleksander Barkov to start making a name for himself on the big stage. There’s a rivalry developing between the Finns and Russians and there’s a chance they’ll meet in the quarterfinals, just like last year. Russia won in a thriller then, and another Kuznetsov/Granlund showcase could be a really intriguing match-up.

When George McPhee traded Semyon Varlamov to Colorado in early July, not only did he gain the roster flexibility to sign Vezina-hopeful Tomas Vokoun to a discounted one-year pact, he also netted two valuable assets from the Avalanche: a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and a second-round selection in either 2012 or 2013.

In a year’s time, Colorado could seriously regret this deal. Why? With two injury-prone goalies in Varlamov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, and an offense that has few proven scorers, the Avalanche could fall into the lottery or possibly even finish dead-last in the West. That would give the Capitals a chance to pick in the top five for the first time in five years (they nabbed Karl Alzner fifth overall in 2007). It also presents McPhee and company with a shot at bringing a new Russian superstar to DC. His name: Nail Yakupov.

Let’s get you caught up. Yakupov was selected second overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft. Before this, he played in the Russian junior league (MHL) for his hometown team, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk. Instead of biding his time and trying his luck in the KHL with Reaktor’s parent-team, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Nail thought joining the Ontario Hockey League would be a quicker path to his dream to play in the National Hockey League.

So far, his decision looks to have paid off. Yakupov is currently ranked number one in the vast majority of prospect rankings, though it’s still too early to make any stone-cold predictions for next year. However, many analysts say that Yakupov “has it all” and will surely go number one come draft time in 2012.

In his first year with the Sting, the 17-year-old 5′ 11″ 167 lb. winger was named the OHL’s Rookie of the Month three times. He also broke records previously set by current NHL superstar Steven Stamkos. At the same age, Stamkos posted 42 goals and 92 points. Nail finished his season with 49 goals and 101 points, winning both the OHL and CHL’s Rookie of the Year awards.

For those of you who have never seen him play, here’s a video — with glorious techno music of course — of Yakupov dominating in the OHL:

Wow. After watching this, it’s hard to disagree with the praise Nail’s earned from HockeyProspect:

Maybe the easiest way to compare Nail Yakupov is a smaller version of Alexander Ovechkin. Although it is extremely unlikely for Nail to reach Alexander’s 6’3” 225lb size, he plays a very similar game and has a great number of similar traits.

Travis Yost, HockeyBuzz’s Senators and OHL blogger, agrees:

With as much strength as there is at the top of the draft, the Washington Capitals have to be absolutely salivating. In a best case scenario, imagine that the Avalanche completely tank, and the Capitals go and grab the venerable Nail Yakupov from the Sarnia Sting.

By all accounts, Yakupov is already NHL ready and could hit the National Hockey League as a blue-chip. You know, the ‘can’t-miss’ prospect that’s sure to dominate the league for years and years to come.

A player of his talent could single-handedly marginalize the probable loss of Alexander Semin, who should be in another hockey city come 2012. And, you’d have to imagine Yakupov would love playing alongside one of his country’s most respected and heralded players in Alexander Ovechkin.

Despite his limited size and Russian hockey education, Yakupov is not a complete liability on defense. He also can play both wings — just like fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov. He’s also not afraid to mix it up.

Or check someone through the glass.

So, Caps fans, let’s hope for an awful season from the Avs this year. I truly believe Nail Yakupov is a superstar in the making, a perfect player to compliment Ovechkin and eventually replace an expensive — and possibly declining — Alex Semin on the second line. And really, it’s nothing personal, Colorado. You’ve won your championships. You have your banners. Now it’s time for the Caps to have some good luck!

Additional reporting by Ian Oland.