Claimed:Rookie Profile: Aleksei Federov

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VHLM Rookie Report: Aleksei Federov

Federov with the big hit on opening night in the Russian Junior Hockey League.

 

Player Name: Aleskei Federov

Age: 20

Birthplace:  Novosibirsk, Russia

Height: 6'2.5"

Weight: 207 pounds

 

When the words "hockey" and "Russia" come together, there's numerous elite stars who have come, gone and are still playing that carved the way for the Russian style. Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Bure, Alex Mogilny, Sergei Federov, Alexei Kovalev, Pavel Datsyuk are simply to name a few. When it comes to dynamic talent on the forward end, the list goes on and on and on. However, lookin at the defense, you see a lot of mediocrity with the front runners being Sergei Gonchar  and Sergei Zubov. Russia has had such immense talent come from their nation, however, have lacked when it comes to developing defensive talent. This may be all about to change though as over the years, all of Russia has been following one main defense prospect and he only continues to prosper, develop and turn into a largely skilled 2-way defenseman who brings a whole new level of hockey and challenge to the ice.

 

Aleksei Federov, nephew to the former NHL Russian star who laced them up many moons ago, is finally making a name for himself in the North American hockey world after making a name for himself over in Russia for the last 3 seasons of junior. Known to be a decent sized bodily presence on the ice, it's been quite the challenge to live up to his last name, yet whenever spoken to, he handles it like someone above his own age. Aleksei has seen self improvement over the last 3 seasons of play and has continuously focused on his defensive side of the game, however, recently in an interview has spoken out about how he wishes to excel more in the offensive department.

 

 

"My job as a defenseman is to play defense, so I ask you.. why wouldn't I focus solely on defense and make sure I am excelling 100% at my position. After all, that is the duty of my position. To play hard, play strong and keep the puck out of our net and zone. When the puck is in our zone, it's time to crack down and get it out of there. After I find my way with this, which I do more and more everyday, I will focus more on my offensive abilities. I'm not saying they're not there, they're simply not my main role as a dman".

 

Federov is entering the VHLM at one of the highest times possible. The league is on fire with all sorts of talent and has seen a much higher amount of players in the league. With this, comes more competition and that's exactly what he'll have when he enters the VHLM potentially as a Free Agent who is looking to sign prior to the start of playoffs. Numerous other dmen have declared themselves eligible for the S54 VHL Entry Draft, thus creating more competition when it comes to the Scouting Board rankings. While we enjoy looking deep into the future, let's take a look at the present and see how he fairs on paper.

 

Plus

Determination and Work Ethic

One of the biggest assets he has outside of physical skill is his determination. He has a goal, a vision if you will, inside his head and heart that he wishes to crash through and he simply does it. His drive and motivation create such a large work ethic that the only way he doesn't turn out to be a great prospect is if he decides to give up or regresses heavily over the next 2-3 seasons

 

Defensive side to the game

We've said it before and we'll say it again, and if we don't he surely will. This kid focuses on the defensive side of the game because... well.. he's a defenseman. At the end of the day, who doesn't like to score goals, but this kid loves nothing more than to send his opponent crushing and crashing into the boards or ice with a hip check and stopping the opposition in his tracks. His bigger than average body and skill help shut down the opponents and help his team head back the other way.

 

Checking

Everybody loves watching the highlight reels or getting really stoned and watching old videos of some good hockey hits. Well, in the near future you're likely to see Federov tearing off a couple heads and sending their shit flying forward to next Tuesday. He may not be the biggest, but he can tangle with some of the toughest in the league. He doesn't back down to many when it comes to laying a solid hit and never will shy away from a corner battle.

 

Negative

Offensive aspects

As stated, his defensive game is amazing but he lacks fairly significantly right now on the offensive side of things. He has an amazing, hard and fast shot and at times can find himself in the right places, however, his eyes are mostly glued to what the team could do if they got the puck. Essentially, you won't be counting on him to score and will likely rack up on the assists if anything.

 

Fighting

While his hitting game is on point and he doesn't scare away for 99.9% of the league, he doesn't seem to like to drop the mitts to often. Whether this decision is because he's afraid to fight, can't fight or is being smart by staying out of the penalty box because he's more helpful on the ice rather than the sin bin, we're not too sure! What we do know is that in 3 seasons in the Russian Junior Hockey League, he's only fought 5 times.

 

High Potential, Medium Risk

Everyone knows that once an agent acquires a second player, the potential could vary. He could have amazing potential, but the risk is much higher with these guys as opposed to their main players they look after. While Federov has extremely high potential, we also believe that he has medium risk to become a flop and fall off the face of the earth. While the chances are lower rather than high, it still is a possibility and something to examine over the next season or two while he develops.

 

Overall Rating: 8.5B

 

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