Tarasenko Q&A with Alessandro Seren Rosso

Recently I did a Q&A with Alessandro Seren Rosso, a Russian Hockey journalist writing for sites like HockeysFuture.com and RussianProspect.com regarding the St. Louis Blues top Forward prospect, Vladimir Tarasenko.

We spoke regarding Tarasenko’s current abilities, growth potential and his NHL readiness. He also included some information on other Blues prospects currently playing in the KHL.

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Q. Through 20 games Tarasenko has 4 goals, 8points and a Minus-2 rating. How would you summarize his overall play at this point of the KHL season?

Alessandro Seren Rosso: Even if from an American point of view such stats might be disappointed, from an European point of view this is solid production, especially when we are talking about a 18 years old. He’s improved from last season, now he plays more physically, tries harder, and the opposition takes more care of him than in the past.

Q. What aspects of his game still need improvement in order to make the jump to the NHL? Can changes be made in the remainder of the KHL season?

ASR: To be honest I think he’s ready to play in the NHL. I think that Tarasenko is a better player than Alexander Burmistrov, and Burmistrov got a roster spot with the Thrashers. He needs to get used to the more demanding North American style, and this isn’t something that he can get in the KHL, but I think that he’ll be ready anyway. If you’re a skilled player you don’t need to be overly physical, and there are less physical players than him in the NHL (Semin for example).

Q. Tarasenko is a likely candidate to play a large role on Russia’s U-20 team at the WJC in Buffalo. How important is that to his development?

ASR: It’s very important because he’ll be one of the leaders of the team and this will do good for the growth of his personality. I don’t think this will change a lot on his “technical” play because he’s already an excellent player, but being a leader might be good for some players. It didn’t work out for Filatov last year, but Tarasenko most likely would be a better leader than him as he has, in my opinion, less ego.

Q. Is there much of an emphasis on playing a solid “two-way” game in the KHL as other leagues and is Tarasenko playing a two-way game?

ASR: Tarasenko has a good two-way game. He isn’t Jere Lehtinen, of course, but he commits a lot and gets down to block shots. You should still remember that he’s a Russian player, and while there are many players from Russia who plays a good defensive hockey (like Datsyuk), most of them, especially wingers, play only for scoring goals. Tarasenko isn’t like that, he’s more committed to the defense than the average Russian player and has also developed some physical play. Moreover he’s a good forechecker thanks to his very good skating and great committing.

Q. How would you describe Tarasenko’s physical and mental maturity at this point? How are they coming out in his play?

ASR: As the case with most of junior players Tarasenko is a little bit inconsistent, but this is something that he’ll fix with time, it’s not a big deal at this stage of his career. His physical play is improved, as well as his ceiling. Remember that we are talking about a player who was a candidate to play the senior World Championship with team Russia, and thus we’re talking about an elite player, at only 18 years of age. This is an indication not only of his great raw talent, but also of his physical and mental preparation.

- BNZ: In summary Alessandro believes that Tarasenko can grow in to a North American style player and his mental maturity and physical abilities can translate to the NHL game sooner than later.
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Alessandro also discussed the other Blues prospects currently playing in Russia, Sergei Andronov, Jori Lehtera and old buddy Nikolai Lemtyugov.

ASR: Andronov is failing to produce. He plays decent ice time, about 14 minutes a night, but so far scored only three goals and zero assists [in 20 games].

ASR: Lehtera is doing well, 16 points in 18 games, 9 goals, +7. He plays on the third line, but plays also PP.

ASR: Lemtyugov is doing fairly well, plays fourth line with Ak Bars, which are the two-time KHL reigning champions. He amassed 6 points with 4 goals in 13 games, with 11 minutes a night.

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* Throughout the season the Bluenote Zone will have prospect Q&As those who know the kids best. Keep an eye out for more soon.