2016 NHL Draft
RW Vitalii Abramov
Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL)
Steve Kournianos | 05/06/2016 | New York | [hupso]
Profile
The Draft Analyst Ranking:
| DEC | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 35 | 27 | 26 | 26 | ** | ** |
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 5’9, 175 lbs
Born: May 8th, 1998 Chelyabinsk, Russia
Obtained: Selected by the Gatineau Olympiques in the first round (13th overall) in the 2015 CHL Import Draft, June 30th, 2015.
Notes: 2015-16: Named QMJHL Rookie of the Year after leading all first-year players in goals (38), assists (55), points (93) and plus-minus (+36)…His 93 points tied for fifth in overall scoring, and was the second-most by a QMJHL rookie in the last 10 years…Led all rookies with seven goals and 13 points in 10 playoff games… Played for Team Cherry at the 2016 CHL Top Prospects Game…Invited to play for Team Russia at the IIHF Under-18 world championship but did not participate…2014-15: Split the season between Traktor Chelyabink’s U17 team and their MHL squad…Helped Russia win the gold medal at the 2014 World U17 Challenge with three goals and six assists in six games.
Regular Season
| Season | Club | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | Plus/Minus |
| 2014-15 | Chelyabinsk (MHL) | 20 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 0.70 | +6 |
| 2015-16 | Gatineau (QMJHL) | 63 | 38 | 55 | 93 | 1.48 | +36 |
Playoffs
| Season | Club | GP | G | A | PTS | PPG | Plus/Minus |
| 2014-15 | Chelyabinsk (MHL) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | -1 |
| 2015-16 | Gatineau (QMJHL) | 10 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 1.30 | +7 |
Scouting Report
Everything Vitalii Abramov does is electrifying. The diminutive Russian wing is not a one-trick pony – he can beat you with speed, deception, passing and/or a deadly accurate shot. Each asset is a cog in a wheel, relying on other skills to combine for an explosive on-ice tour-de-force. The style of play in the Quebec League (among others) is conducive to undersized finesse forwards, and Abramov is one of its best at exploiting it.
You can argue that no draft eligible combines escapability and instincts as well as Abramov, who knows how to evade defenses and slip into a scoring area all on the same play. He has an innate feel for plays as they develop, and what we love about him is the way he shows no mercy – Abramov is a quick-strike playmaker with acute decisiveness. More slippery and shifty than blurring and blistering, Abramov is a very good skater with exceptional balance and lower-body strength. He’s an elite stickhandler who can dipsy-doodle the puck through tire spikes without it breaking into a million pieces. This kid may look small and can cherrypick with the best of them, but his enthusiasm, skill and athleticism make him one heck of a workload to defend against.
