Rodion Amirov - LW - Tolpar Ufa - NHL CSS EU5
17GP - 10G+12A
ORNSKOLDSVIK, SWEDEN - APRIL 27: Russias Rodion Amirov #27 semifinal round action at the 2019 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship at Fjallraven Center on April 27, 2019 in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. (Photo by Steve Kingsman/HHOF-IIHF Images)
The KHL is not a joke of a hockey league, and in many draft-eligible players, you’ll often find them playing well under five minutes a game or less. Anything outside of that kind of ice time over a large sample is worth looking into, especially on a team with as robust a junior program as Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Rodion Amirov often could be found playing 10 minutes or more, and while he struggled to put points on the board, a deeper look at his playing style and tracked data shows what could be an excellent pickup for any NHL franchise.
If you haven’t read the background on my work and approach, please read the embedded article before continuing below.
Once you have read the article, or are familiar with Scouching, here is the full video
Think
Amirov’s report starts with a highly refined part of the game, especially in the offensive zone. He supports teammates all over the ice, though not tremendously active physically along the boards. While he can get physical if need be, his game is much more focused on support and controlling the puck. He anticipates play well, closes gaps on forecheckers and uses his agility to continuously find open ice and push play positively. He can clog open ice defensively and cut play off in transition well through his positional awareness. Rarely abandoning defensive coverages, over anticipating breakouts, and using teammates effectively to maintain possession to identify quick passes, Amirov is a reliable player who can chip in in all three zones through his positioning. He had a clear preference for controlled transitions offensively, with a 74.2% OCZT%, and removing non-KHL games, that measure stood at 75%. Overall, a high level thinker of the game, especially away from the puck. He can get pinned under pressure from time to time, and seemed to be trying to do too much on his own, but as a KHL rookie his results were still exceptional.
Think
Bad Think
Move
Continuing with the positives about Amirov’s game, he is an extremely fluid and agile skater. What he may lack in real high end speed, he makes up for with skill and an ability to both set his stance wide to protect pucks as well as stand tall to make quick cuts around the ice in short bursts to create space. He can be hard to pin down offensively with his ability to spin and pivot to open space and survey the ice from new perspectives. Doing this in the KHL at his age is not a joke. Amirov is explosive in his first few steps, and certainly gets around in bursts, but combined with his skill, it could be a lethal combination down the road. Top end speed could be better, and he could use his agility and skill to push deeper into the offensive zone rather than stopping up at the blueline and looking for cross-ice options. He can outwork defenders and keep them on their toes along the boards and being able to generate that kind of explosiveness has nice potential against bigger and slower opponents. With more training and experience keeping control of the puck and holding onto it, especially under pressure, he could be a highly dangerous offensive player.
Move 1
Move 2
Get
Amirov is the type of player to rely on smarts rather than physicality to follow and chase down loose pucks. He often positions himself well to stop breakouts in open ice, and has the explosiveness and work ethic to get pucks back and quickly make a read on the play. There’s a constant mentality of finding open ice near the puck allows him to track scrums well and wait for the right time to jump in to gain possession back. He can get physical along the boards, but does it with surprising efficiency focusing on body positioning between the opponent and the puck, rather than use his body to pin opponents to the boards. That being said, finding open ice, supporting teammates or monitoring defenders seems more his style. Being stronger and making decisions quicker could benefit him here. Amirov was prone to getting pinned and mitigated somewhat easily, so working on his strength and improving his agility further could help him fight through pressure better. He could lose track of players in the defensive zone and not have the strength to move them away from high danger areas.
Get Pass
Pass
At the time of making this video, Amirov has been the only forward to complete 80+% of his passes so far. 59.88 completed passes/60 is the best of all profiled pro forwards by 15%. More of a “field general” puck possessor, focusing more on sustaining cycles and moving pucks up the ice with control rather than an offensive playmaker. Amirov responsibly uses teammates well, but without using his agility and skill to push deeper offensively and get pucks to dangerous areas, his playmaking upside could be limited. In all areas, he was an excellent play facilitator who showed a no-nonsense approach to passing the puck. His skill with his hands to navigate pucks into more open ice to make passing easier. Improving his skill and ability to navigate pressure over time will help him offensively, as he could lose control of pucks a few moves into a defensive encounter. There isn’t a ton of flash, but there’s the potential for it and there’s nothing wrong with a great facilitating winger who can focus on maintaining possession and finding open space away from the puck looking for scoring opportunities. On the downside, he can take a bit too long to make passes and panic when faced with pressure, but more confidence in his skill and quicker decision making will help his stay focused.
Pass
Shoot
The intelligence that Amirov possesses allows him to and constantly find open space around the offensive zone. He pushes to medium danger quite a bit, and while just 55% of his attempts were high/medium danger, he played mostly in the KHL in my tracking, and registered 11.84 of those attempts/60 minutes, which only trails Lukas Reichel among professional players profiled, and far surpassing Tim Stutzle by 59%. He can get shots off quickly and chase down ensuing rebounds with his explosiveness. Another major positive is his willingness to be patient and use his agility to navigate into dangerous areas. Amirov doesn’t fall into a common trope of young players stopping up at the blueline looking for low danger shots. Getting more confident and pushing to dangerous areas more often will make him a more dynamic threat, but the shot he’s got as of today is good, and he isn’t afraid to use it from areas you can score from.
Shot
The Best Part
His skating is really remarkable, especially on his edges. He isn’t the fastest player, but his agility, explosivity and ability to pivot and adapt quickly can make him a dangerous opponent. He can weave up the ice and maintain control of the puck well, and he’s more than capable of leaving opponents in the dust.
The Good Part
His smarts are really notable, and almost interchangeable with the skating talent he has. He’s constantly looking for open ice, constantly facilitating play off the wings and in transition, constantly following play away from the puck and choosing his moment to strike effectively.
The Not-So Good Part
There isn’t a ton of downside to Amirov, if I’m being honest. Having more confidence and strength could help him produce offensively in the KHL though. He could lose control of pucks under pressure, and pushing into high danger areas more often could help boost his production. Some may see his lack of constant physical engagement and relatively high rates of low danger shot attempts as potential issues, but he’s a great play supporter, facilitator, and anticipator and can get away with being an open ice player with tremendous transition potential. It is also important to constantly remind yourself he’s playing good minutes in the KHL and driving play very well, so shortcomings need to be framed correctly.
Overall
Amirov is a rock-solid, all around offensive player with two-way upside. He gets his shot attempts from dangerous areas, he can facilitate play very well through his passing and puck carrying, he’s dynamic, especially in transition, and while he may have some defensive downsides, he still can keep up with play and engage himself constantly. Unlocking his playmaking potential with more confidence, skill and assertiveness in the offensive zone could make him an exciting scoring option in the draft, but he could make a living as a transition player who drives great results. With his natual instinct to constantly look for scoring chances away from the puck in the offensive zone and getting dangerous shot attempts off his own stick. A versatile, intelligent and skilled forward like Amirov could be a great fit on any NHL team with a bit of patience.
NOTES
Data tracked includes controlled and uncontrolled zone entries and exits the player is involved in, as well as shot attempts, their location, the player's pass attempts, and the percentage of those pass attempts that are directed to high or medium danger areas. The grades referred to in the video are assigned with a number and a letter grade. The number from one through four indicates the general tier of talent, with one being highest, and the letter indicating the consistency around that tier of talent.
Final Rankings: Think - 1C, Move - 1B, Get - 1D, Pass - 2A, Shoot - 1C, Overall - 1C
Click here for all tracked data from every Scouching Report!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1y6dAnYsYQg5f5Zrt0ilo9gR1hfFNIPXl3PuKpubFbrc/edit#gid=664929841