2012 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Nail Yakupov
by Kevin Corey on Feb 5, 2012 1:53 PM EST
Email
Print
Each week starting in February I will feature a top draft eligible player from each of the NCAA, CHL & USHL leagues for the upcoming 2012 NHL Entry Draft. While the Islanders work on their 2nd half playoff push (as usual), I think this is a good time to read up on players who could end up putting on an Islanders jersey this June. For more Islanders rants and Draft Prospect news, I invite you to follow me on twitter:@Kevin_Corey
This year’s draft has already started a Twitter trend – #FailForNail. Currently playing for the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League, Nail Yakupov is considered to be the fan favorite to go 1st overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Yakupov was named the top North American-based skater in mid-season rankings released by NHL central scouting. When interviewed by TSN.CA, Dan Marr, the NHL's director of central scouting said "He's capable of being a difference-maker in a game." He continued by saying "He's got the ability there to just take over a game. He's got that high-energy, high-speed game and he's got a scoring touch."
After four straight seasons a Canadian has gone number one, this elite Russian has a chance to follow Alexander Ovechkin’s footsteps from 2004, going number one in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Bob McKenzie of TSN admires Yakupov’s willingness to go to the dirty areas to score goals and mix it up a bit once in a while.
"Last year Nail Yakupov was selected 2nd Overall in the CHL Import Draft. Expectations are high when you’re picked at that spot, but you never really know what to expect. On the first day of training camp, he unleashed the biggest one timer I’ve ever seen out of a 16 year old. At that moment I knew Yakupov was something special. Nail is arguably the best prospect available in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft for several reasons. First and foremost is his skating. He maintains a low centre of gravity, great strength in his lower body and his quick footwork allows his first few steps to be very strong, giving him exceptional acceleration."
- HockeyProspect.com’s Mark Edwards
After bowing out to Sweden one month ago at the World Junior Championships in the gold medal game, Yakupov unfortunately suffered a left knee injury that very same night putting him on hold to resume his season with the Sarnia Sting. The 18 year old finished the tournament with nine assists in seven games. Yakupov normally finds himself at the top of the scoring charts but has recently started to slip mostly due to playing 16 games less than the leading OHL scorer Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s. According to Puck Daddy, "the name "Nail" is of Arabic origin and means "reaching" or "achieving" or "gaining success." Quite fitting for Yakupov". It’s safe to assume the fans of Columbus are already promoting the "Fail for Nail" Campaign even before the clock mishap in Los Angeles. However, will the "Russian Factor" scare Columbus General Manager Scott Howson away after his dealings with Nikita Filatov?
CBC HNIC radio interview with Jason Davidson
Interview with Dan Sallows
Interview with Yahoo Sports Dmitri Chesnokov
Season to Date: GP:29 G:22 A:33 P:55 PIM:24
NHL Potential: 1st Line Winger
Check back next week for a Matt Dumba feature. Please feel free to share this article with anyone who cares about the NHL Draft.
Submitted FanPosts do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog or SB Nation. If you're reading this statement, you pass the fine print legalese test. Four stars for you.
26 comments
|
Add comment
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Hey, thanks for writting this
I’m going to go edit my prospect report to link this and give people a head’s up.
"Mark D: the internet's foremost chronicler of Milburian insanity" - Pretty Good Idiot
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Good stuff Kevin
I think I said “whoa” like 4 times during the video.
I’m looking forward to the other posts. Maybe you could do one on M. Subban, not that we’ll be getting him…I wish!
When I go out on the ice I am at peace. This is my best element. No one can talk to me. No one can bother me. I just go play. That is why I love it so much - Chris Osgood
Thanks for the comments
@Mark D. I appreciate the tag. I can’t take all the credit though because there are so many hockey analysts talking about this guy. It was easy to find information on Nail. I will most definitely be putting in the same effort for 29 other prospects. I didn’t see anyone talking about it on here so I figured, why not go for it.
@Backstop87, I can’t agree more. The kid is gold. The only thing that scares me is “The Russian Factor”. I honestly think Alexander Semin could be a beast in this league, but his lazy play and softness tends to make him invisible sometimes. Also, I’m starting to think Alexander Ovechkin is becoming the new Kovalev of the league. I hope that’s not true because I believe he has more to offer, but his stats don’t lie. Again, this is only my opinion though.
Thanks for reading!
Nail
What would you say is a fair comparable NHL player? A smaller Ilya Kovalchuk?
UVa Student. Twitter: @ericdavidmorris
His Russian Coach said Pavel Bure is his comparable:
Who could he be compared to?
“That’s a good question,” TSN’s Bob McKenzie told me last week. “You can’t say Ovechkin because he is not as physical or as powerful. He will get his nose dirty to score a goal. But he won’t necessarily overpower you the way Ovechkin did. The very first time you see Ovechkin, we saw him as a 17 year old, the thing that impressed you was not just that he was fast, he could score goals and had a great shot, but that he ran people over. There’s a difference in that. But I am not sure there is a Russian winger that he could be compared to. I don’t want to say Semin either. I don’t have a good answer for you on that.”
“He reminds me of Bure,” Russian National Junior Team head coach Valeri Bragin told Sovetsky Sport’s Pavel Lysenkov on Monday. “He is just as quick, a good goal-scoring winger. He is not as big as Ovechkin or Kovalchuk were when they were drafted, but he is very quick. I am really looking forward to playing him for the National Team after not having seen him play a year.”
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
"John Tavares(a top 10 forward in the NHL)"-Neil Greenberg
Good write up Kevin. Keep them coming!
I really have no idea where we are gonna end up. You’d hope and expect a better than 5th worst finish. So hopefully no shot a top 5 pick. But depending on injuries and trades(PAP and Frans and Nabby for now), it could honestly vary I’d say from 3rd worst to 12th best imo. And if we trade for a player to help us, who knows what could happen lol.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
"John Tavares(a top 10 forward in the NHL)"-Neil Greenberg
I've been thinking about this
Say the isles finish bottom-10 but not top 5, who would you want them to draft? Would you make a trade to move up and pick say Dumba or Murray? Would you stay where you are? Just some food for thought
Why yes, I do have a man crush on Bailey and Martin, and no, I don't care what you think about it
There are a number of projected top 4 d-men in the top 5 and not a lot of high-end forward talent(as it looks right now).
Isles don’t get a top 5 pick, just pick a d-man. We are really weak at high-end d talent in the prospect pool for the future, so it just makes sense if we have a chance to draft a top 4 D with BPA, we should. But I’d love Nail or Grigorenko or even Forsberg falling to us. Right now at the 7th pick, if the season ended today we’d have, most have us picking a d-man(it’s early though), and there seems to be a lot of top 4 d-men in the top 10 of this draft.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
"John Tavares(a top 10 forward in the NHL)"-Neil Greenberg
I wouldn't trade up at all with the first pick
if it were top 8 or 9, that would land one of Griffin Reinhart or Morgan Reilly. I would trade up the 2nd rounder into the 15th to 22nd overall range, and the next tier of Dman are there…this would land someone like Ollie Matti, Slater Koekoe, Nick Ebert.
If the Isles can get two first rounders, one top 9, the other in the 15 to 22 range, it will certainly fix the problem with lack of big quality D in the prospect department. The only areas lacking in the prospect pool would then be a potential number one D, and a Gillies/Lucic like big physical winger who can fight, skate and play with the stars.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Feb 6, 2012 11:52 AM EST up reply actions
I'm with CIL
The top 10-15 is filled with D talent. None are that far ahead of any of the others. I’m a sucker for size with mobility so Reinhart is my preference but really any of those top guys are good bets.
No Sleep 'til....We Find Some Secondary Scoring
Yes, please
Unfortunately, the Islanders have foolishly squandered their early season tanking efforts in the latest run, and we’re sadly unlikely to see Nail’s showboating on this squad.
=d
Has this guy seriously not heard of Cody Rosen?!
What a joke!
When I go out on the ice I am at peace. This is my best element. No one can talk to me. No one can bother me. I just go play. That is why I love it so much - Chris Osgood
This is a very useful article by this clown
When you write something this stupid, it’s a great signal that you’re a complete idiot and should not be taken seriously in this or any context.
=d
not only him
the other 2 guys have us drafting the D-man who’s already blown out his knee!
These comments crawl up from the depths of the deepest Chasm of Saar
Wow
All three of them must be joking. First off we don’t need another goalie, and why would we pick the guy with a torn ACL who hasn’t played since the fall? It just makes no sense
Why yes, I do have a man crush on Bailey and Martin, and no, I don't care what you think about it
by DarthDoyle on Feb 6, 2012 3:28 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That's just beautiful.
They’ll let anyone write on the Internet these days!
/shows self out side door
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Islanders should choose between Dumba and Ceci if they pick 6th and Yakupov, Grigorenko, Murray, Forsberg, and Galchenyuk are off the board.
If they’re serious about Subban, they can trade up from their second rounder into the late first and grab him. But they’d never draft him 6th overall, i hope lol
Comments
No need for personal shots now, this is an open forum. As much as I love fans talking to each other, try to be constructive when you inform a fellow fan. There is no room for “talking down” on this message board. Take that crap to the Rangers message boards.
No need to worry
Click on the link that David posted – some dumbass at the NHL.com Draft Center projected us to pick G Malcolm Subban (PK’s brother) and wrote “Do the Islanders need another goalie? No. Do they need a good one? Yes.”
I assume they’re referring to that, unless they’re speaking in some sort of new code I’ve never heard of. But when you’re a draft “expert” you’re supposed to be well-aware of each team’s specific needs, and he clearly has not taken a look at us. If he did, he would notice that we have Kevin Poulin waiting in the wings, and would also notice us waiting with bated breath for the savior between the pipes. (Exaggerations, but I digress.)
by sayvillelax94 on Feb 6, 2012 9:36 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Kevin, if you're referring to the thread from DavidSweden
Then like sayvillelax explained, it’s in reference to the link in his comment. They have the Isles picking a goalie at #5.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Something to say? Choose one of these options to log in.
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Lighthouse Hockey
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
Islanders Schedule
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Who are the Non-Smythe candidates for the Devils, Kings?
- End is near for Rick Nash, Blue Jackets as trade discussions set to resume
- Why the Devils and the Kings are evidence the Capitals shouldn’t trade Alex Ovechkin
- Eulogy: Remembering the 2011-12 New York Rangers
- Stanley Cup Final: 5 keys for New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings
Latest stories and headlines from NHL.com
- Shawinigan wins Memorial Cup in OT
- Cataractes forward Chaput wins Memorial Cup MVP award after putting up 12 points
- Knights' impressive run comes up just short in Memorial Cup final
- Zlobin's overtime goal lifts Cataractes over Knights in Memorial Cup final
- Zlobin's overtime goal lifts Cataractes over Knights in Memorial Cup final
SBNation.com Recent Stories
1979-80
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
Source: Uploaded by user via NYIslanders on Pinterest
May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
