Evgeni Artukhin

can anyone tell me anything about this kid, besides the fact that he is HUGE, (what is his potential) and how will he fit in the T bay line up.

I'll take a stab at this one...

Artukhin is indeed HUGE, but he is certainly no pylon. When he hits you, he hurts you. Not always by design either, just because he is so stinking big. Has nice wheels and skating skills for a guy with that size, and with more than just a modicum of offensive skill, he has NHL 2nd line power forward upside.

However... as with many prospects, much of this speed, size, and offensive skill is still in raw form. He was a frequent scratch in Hershey this season, but received a lot of one-on-one instruction from the coaching staff particulary in the areas of being responsible defensively in his own zone. He needs to learn to read the game better and be smarter both with and without the puck. He needs to learn, as Bill Barber has said, to "skate his lanes." Up and down his wing, not drifting from one side of the ice to the other blindly chasing the puck.

Probably more problematic is that Artukhin has been getting alot of (bad) advice from peeps back in Russia telling him that he is too good for the AHL and that he should return home to play. As such, his teachability and coachability has left much to be desired. When he sets his mind and attitude to learn and apply what is being taught, and be patient and wait for his NHL opportunity when he is ready, then he'll be an awesome package of size and skill. If he does that, then he'll be fine.

He was a frequent scratch in Hershey this season, but if he returns to NA next fall, he should be a big part of Tampa's plans for their new sole Springfield affiliate.

Oh... and while in Hershey, Artukhin was receiving after-practice one-on-one pugilistic lessons from the all-time AHL penalty minute leader Dennis Bonvie. :amazed:

Pete, Chad, other feel free to add on...