Mike Sanderson provides a detailed scouting report on Brookly Kalmikov of Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. A 'C' prospect to watch from NHL Central Scouting indicating a mid round pick, his best asset is his shot. Strong hockey roots on Canada's east coast having been born in St. John's Newfoundland while his Ukrainian born father, Konstantin, played in the AHL.
A note on the 20-80 scale used below. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity
| Brooklyn Kalmikov | Eligible 2019 Draft |
|---|---|
| Position: LW, Shoots L | H/W: 6-0", 171 lbs |
| Stats to date (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) | Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, QMJHL (21-8-3-11-10) |
Skating: Kalmikov’s skating is ordinary for a pro prospect. It gets him where he needs to go but he is not a tremendous skater. He is not slow by any means; he relies more on his play-reading and his instincts to get to the right areas of the ice to snipe pucks. He has good straight-away speed; enough to overwhelm an unsuspecting defender caught flat-footed, but he does not have the edges to seamlessly cut around blueliners at top speed. Grade: 50
Shot: Kalmikov’s shot will open a lot of doors for him, and not just from the blast of the shot itself. His ability to hum a puck past goaltenders is his greatest asset, and he knows how to unload for maximum effectiveness. His wrist shot is very strong, with a very good weight-transfer from back-to-front for a heavy shot that gets to the goalie in a hurry. He has one of the best wrist shots in the QMJHL firing from within 30 feet. His favourite spot is the bottom of the right circle, into the slot, at about 20 feet – he scored half of his goals last season from that spot, either shooting or poking in rebounds. Grade: 55
Skills: Kalmikov is a sniper, not a playmaker, but he does have the ability to set up players. He is usually opposite on the powerplay and on the rush on the weak side to find open ice. His passing is a fine decoy for his shot to keep defenders honest, and his stickhandling can draw the defence in, opening up the pass or the shot, depending on what he wants to do. Kalmikov is harnessing much of his puck skills as he gets a better idea of what he can do with those skills. Grade: 50
Smarts: Kalmikov’s game is to get to areas to shoot, and then shoot. It makes for a simple but effective package. His decision-making has improved since last year; he had some trouble creating separation to fire pucks in his rookie season, but he has improved his play reading and his quickness this season. He is very effective at reading where the puck is going and getting to the loose puck first to fire it on goal. Having said that, he is ineffective without the puck and can get tunnel-vision with it. Grade: 50
Physicality: Kalmikov would be better served to keep adding pounds to his frame, as he could win more puck battles at a bigger size. He is not a power forward; at least, not yet. He does a good job of making his way to the slot to shoot, for what it’s worth. All of his goals so far this season have been scored in and around the slot. Grade: 45
Summary: Brooklyn Kalmikov is a player who knows his limitations and plays within them. He is a very effective sniper who, like so many other junior players before him, can improve his play without the puck. He comes from good pro stock. His father, Konstantin, was born in Ukraine and played parts of 13 seasons in North America and was a Toronto Maple Leafs third rounder in 1996. Brooklyn was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland in the same season as his father played for the St. John’s Maple Leafs in the AHL. His father was also a goal-scorer and grew to be 6-3” and 205 pounds at his optimal playing weight, which bodes well for the younger Kalmikov professionally. He has the tendency to score in bunches – he will play hot or cold throughout a season, and his consistency can be put into question.
Overall Future Projection (OFP): 50.75