On the Islanders Beat

Russian forward Nikita Filatov was under the microscope at the NHL’s pre-draft luncheon today because he’s the wild card at the top of the draft. Despite misgivings about his slender frame, youthful look and the cultural gap he must bridge, the highlight video that accompanied his introduction supported the growing buzz associated with his name.

Considering Filatov’s fine features, one reporter told him he looked more like a piano player than a hockey player. To which Filatov smiled and said, “Piano player? I no like classical music.”

His English is a little rough around the edges, but he’s far ahead of most Russians when they first enter the NHL and he made it clear his mother, in particular, has been grooming him for the transition to a North American lifestyle. There’s plenty of money to be made in Russia these days, but there was no mistaking his commitment to making the NHL as quickly as possible.

Explaining why he turned down a new contract offer from CSKA, his current team, Filatov said he expected to play about half the games with the Russian Superliga team but only made five appearances, spending most of his playing time with the CSKA junior team for which he scored 32 goals. He also views the NHL atmosphere as far more exciting than it is in Russia.

“It’s the best hockey league here [in the NHL] with all the best players,” Filatov said. “People like hockey here and it shows. In Russia, sometimes 1,000 or 2,000 are at a game. It’s not so good for the player.”

The temptation is to make a cheap joke at the Islanders’ expense about how Filatov might feel about playing a weeknight game at Nassau Coliseum in late October. But highly-touted forwards Steve Stamkos and Colin Wilson, who have played against Filatov in the world juniors, say he’s the kind of player who can put fannies in the seats.

You hear rumors about Los Angeles possibly trading down from No. 2 to get Filatov in exchange for one of the top defensemen and Toronto trying to go up from No. 7 to get Filatov, and you begin to wonder if St. Louis might grab him with the No. 4 pick ahead of the Islanders. If that happened, Isles GM Garth Snow likely would have his choice of defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Luke Schenn, which many would see as a win-win proposition.

But after meeting Boston University’s Wilson today, I wouldn’t mind if Snow traded down a couple spots to get the center iceman the Isles need while going for defense later in the draft. Wilson exuded confidence and maturity, and there’s no denying his physical presence, as he proved at the NHL combine, where he blew everyone away with his strength.

Asked if he’s ready to play in the NHL now, Wilson said, “The combine really helped me out and helped my draft status. Teams have to worry, ‘Is this guy strong enough?’ But that’s just not an issue with me. They know I’m a strong player, and it’s definitely going to help me.”

Comparing his playmaking skills to his goal-scoring ability, Wilson said he was a playmaker at BU who felt nothing was as satisfying as seeing the opening to make a backdoor pass to set up a teammate, but he pointed out that, in the world juniors, he turned sniper with six goals and one assist.

He’s got “leader” stamped all over him, but you can say that about most of the top prospects. Pietrangelo and Schenn are the defensemen most likely to be there for the Isles unless they trade up for Bogosian. All three have size and skill, and Schenn and Bogosian are notably tough.

Bogosian said he models himself after Chris Chelios “because he’s a warrior,” and E.J. McGuire, the director of Central Scouting for the NHL predicted Bogosian will become a franchise player after being somewhat undervalued in juniors. McGuire said Pietrangelo “could blossom into the best player in the entire draft” with his ability as an offensive defenseman. He added that Schenn is the most NHL-ready player and that he plays a “mean game that can lead to a long career.”

Who knows whether this draft will live up to the hype it has received from NHL scouts, but if these guys play as good a game as they talk, there’s reason to believe a lot of teams are going to walk away happy and the game is about to welcome one of the most exciting draft classes in memory.