Claimed:Bogdan Podarok - Rookie Profile [Reviewed]

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Bogdan Podarok - Rookie Profile

 

Name: Bogdan Ibrahimovich Podarok

Position: Right Winger

Handedness: Right

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 171 pounds

Hometown: St. Petersburg, Russia

Age: 18

Jersey Number: 17

Drafted 10th overall by  in S47 Dispersal Draft

 

 

Bogdan Podarok has the prototypical body for a skilled winger. At 5'11" and 171 pounds, he can weave through defenders with his speed, but don't expect much from his physical game. The Russian winger doesn't have a cannon of a shot, but his shot placement is on point, and he's putting work in on his backhand. As far as passing goes, he has the mechanics down, but his hockey IQ just is still developing, and he tries to force plays too much. Podarok's skate speed is excellent, and he is gaining more and more control every day. He's also been working on his dekes and puck control, something that has greatly improved since he's joined the VHLM.

 

Podarok entered the VHLM in S46 as a relatively unknown winger from Russia. Discovered by Saskatoon GM Ahma in a Finnish junior ice hockey tournament, he was quickly claimed by the Wild midway through the season. In Saskatoon he worked on the first line with Sir William Covington III, an S46 draft pick who made headlines with his in-your-face attitude off the ice, and the legendary Unassisted, everyone's preseason favorite to be the first overall pick in the S47 VHL draft. His production was a little lackluster in his time in Saskatoon, scoring only one goal and 7 assists in 19 games.

 

The offseason was a turning point for the young Russian. Podarok had the honor of being placed on the first line of Team Pancakes in the S46 Top Prospects Game. Despite a meager showing in the game, the one assist he garnered wasn't bad, and he never looked overwhelmed among the players that, for the most part, had a whole extra year more than him. Podarok put in lots of work in the offseason on becoming a more well-rounded player. His work paid off on the form of a 10th overall selection in the S47 VHLM Redraft. He projects to be a first round pick in the deep S47 draft.

 

This season Podarok has looked excellent for the Bratislava Watchmen. He's tallied 9 goals and 6 assists in just 8 games so far this season, as the Watchmen, led by Podarok, Artom Zhumbayev, and Vincent Adultman, have rolled to a 4-2-2 record, never losing a game by more than one goal. Podarok has become a shot blocking machine, and is currently tied for second in the league with 17 blocks, making Zhumbayev one happy goaltender! Podarok is one of the question marks in this year's draft. Bratislava and weak teams in the VHL sincerely hope he's the franchise winger they need to turn into a competitor.

 

Pros

 

1. Finesse work - The young wingers upside starts with his skating. Podarok has great speed, reaching a top speed of 23.2 miles per hour on the ice. His control at first was poor, but he has shown great improvement in this category. His puck handling is great as well, dangling his way in between defenders with ease. In an interview with The Daily Slovak, Podarok tells reporters why he focused on these skills. "My hero growing up was always Pavel Datsyuk." Podarok explains, "Watching him slip through defenders and make goalies miss like that, I knew I wanted to be like that one day."
2. Selfless Play - Podarok has emerged as an elite shot blocker, consistently giving up the body to stop picks before they make it to the net. For a player of such small stature, it's almost unprecedented to see that amount of blocked shots. "Podarok loves to surprise like that," Bratislava GM Banackock said, "He doesn't like anyone telling him he can't do something. You say small guys can't take the strain of blocked shots, and he says 'watch me'"
3. Shot Aiming - Podarok never had much of a slap shot, a deficiency that was a red flag to begin his career. Instead of letting it stop him, the Russian has honed his shot to perfection. He's put so many hours into placing that shot just right, that going top shelf is just second nature to him. Podarok has developed a soft touch that helps him place the puck where he wants it when he gets in the crease. "I had a problem with my game," the winger told the media, "instead of letting it limit me, I turned it into a strength. It's just what every player has to do."

 

Cons

 

1. Defense - Podarok isn't a player that will wow you as a defender. His fundamentals are poor and too often you can fake him out of position. His size doesn't give him the ability to physically pressure other forwards like you need to be able to to succeed. Luckily, he makes up for this deficiency somewhat with his ability to get in front of shots
2. Size - The tiny winger's size already limits his defensive effectiveness, but it can also hurt him offensively. The reason Podarok has to squirm his way through into the offensive zone is because he can't power his way into it. Through 8 games so far this season, he's been knocked down 38 times, good for 3rd worst in the league. "He simply doesn't have the physique to withstand other players messing with him" friend and former GM Ahma said about Podarok, "He's a great player, but when your 5'11", 171 and you go up against 6'6", 250 guys, you lose that fight 99 times out of 100."
3. Experience - Podarok has less experience than most prospects at this age. He was a young unknown player in the KHL's SKA St. Petersburg, and is playing in the VHLM with less than half a season's worth of games under his belt. Podarok is determined to not let that stop him. "Everyone starts somewhere," The winger said in a press conference, "Just because I've never done it before doesn't mean I can't. All the great ones were in my position once, I just hope my name is mentioned with them someday."

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Feedback:

What a fine rookie profile. Good stuff here. I think soon enough you won't be a question mark like you say.

[Tim 182]

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