Kosmo Kramerev - Scouting Report

[Mongoose87 363]

 

Overview:

In stark contrast with his junior hockey career, which was married by repeated off-ice indiscretions, absences and multi leagues folding, Kramerev was relatively quiet off the ice and very impactful on the ice, in his VHLM career. He demonstrated useful tools in the offensive and defensive zones and in the transition game, the question remains as to whether he can continue to develop them at the VHL level.

 

Offense:

 

Key Statistics

Goals	Assists	PPG	PPA	SH%
29	77	18	28	11.20

 

Looking at Kramerev's offensive output, one might be inclined to think of him as a playmaker, due to his deceptive 77 assists. In fact, Kramerev's style of offensive play might be described as "selfish." His best asset in the offensive zone, by far, is his ability to carry the puck, and he likes to use that skill. Kramerev is willing to rag the puck, around the blue line and down the boards behind the net, for extended periods, while he looks for an opening for his next best asset, his shot. Kramerev has an arsenal of shots that one would expect to see from a young forward. Finally, if he cannot find an opportunity to shoot, and can no longer carry the puck, Kramerev will reluctantly fall back on his modest passing ability.

 

Kramerev relies too heavily on his skill with his stick and skating to maintain possession. He needs to add some muscle, or he will be an easy target to bump off of the puck, against the more physically imposing opposition in the VHL.

 

Defense:

Key Statistics

Hits	Blocks	+/-	PIM
94	142	-28	84

 

Kramerev's defensive game is something of a mixed bag. While he often shows great anticipation and positioning, allowing him to get into passing lanes and prevent shots, when he is subject to mental lapses, they tend to be costly ones, as evidenced by his unfortunate -28. Kramerev only blocked 142 shots, leading some scouts to question his willingness to get in the way of shots. He averaged less than a penalty per game, which is impressive at the over 30 minutes per game he played.

 

Kramerev has no physical edge to his defensive game. Most scouts agree that favorable home ice scorekeepers inflated his hit count, and he rarely uses his body to separate opponents from the puck.

 

Transition:

Kramerev can simultaneously be a delight to watch and incredibly frustrating in transition. He combines good but not great speed to carry the puck up the ice, into the offensive zone, usually finishing the entry with a hard shot, to score or produce a rebound. However, his desire to carry the puck himself often leads him to overlook easy passes.

 

Kramerev sees the ice well and gets back into position quickly, when moving from offense to defense. He sometimes finds himself out of position, due to aggressive offensive play, and isn't fast enough to consistently compensate.

 

Conclusion:

Kramerev's strengths are obvious, and there is little question that they have VHL potential. What remains to be seen is if he can develop physically, enough to more consistently protect the puck and to play more effectively in his own zone. He will never scare forwards receiving a pass, but if he could improve his play to separate them from the puck more regularly, he will be a very complete player.

 

Projects to: Powerplay specialist