Sea Dogs to take Russian with top pick
Published Tuesday June 30th, 2009
Draft Director of hockey operations admits team has work cut out to lure forward to Saint John this year
The Saint John Sea Dogs know who they want. Now it's a matter of finding a way to get him.
Sea Dogs associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly said the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League club will choose 17-year-old Russian forward Stanislav Galiev with the first overall selection in today's Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. As a follow-up, the coach wants to meet with the player in Moscow later this summer.
"It's real tough to pick a guy like that and not expend the time and energy into getting him,'' Kelly said. "You don't get many opportunities to pick what you believe is the best player available.''
Kelly and director of player personnel Norm Gosselin both scouted Galiev last season when he played for the Indiana Ice of the United States Hockey League. The junior circuit regularly produces NHL draft picks and players who earn scholarships to play at NCAA Division I schools.
"He has the style of a North American player,'' Gosselin said of the 6-foot-1, 177-pound winger. "He really impressed me with his work ethic.
"We have to convince him that Saint John will be a good city for him. He knows Indianapolis, but he doesn't know Saint John. It's a matter of building that relationship and confidence.''
The Sea Dogs also own the fourth pick, but the club didn't announce the player they have targeted to fill that slot. The Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League are scheduled to pick second and third, respectively.
Galiev tallied 29 goals and 64 points in 60 games for Indiana before notching nine points in 13 playoff contests. His efforts helped the Ice win a USHL championship, another piece of experience that enhances his overall appeal.
Kelly also likes that Galiev played the point on the power play, and the coach has an appreciation for the player's willingness to leave home at a tender age.
"It was a great team and a great coach (Jeff Blashill),'' Galiev said about his season in Indiana during a telephone interview Monday from Moscow. "It's a great league. It's more physical (than junior hockey in Russia).''
Galiev said he doesn't plan to pursue college hockey, but he didn't indicate he would play for the Sea Dogs in 2009-10. He said his main focus is a training camp for the Russian national under-18 team that will compete at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August.
Kelly's coaching career has taken him to Russia in previous years, so he already has a mental image of Moscow.
"I'm looking forward to it,'' the coach said, adding he wants Galiev to play for Saint John in the upcoming season. "There are a lot of unknowns for (Galiev) and his mother (Svetlana). In order to convince a player to play in your program, you have to be confident enough to do it on their terms. If you talk to them at their home, they're relaxed and not threatened.''
Kelly said his approach will include facts about the high number of NHL players and draft picks with CHL experience.
"We want him in our lineup as quickly as possible,'' he said. "If I didn't believe (going to Russia) was the right thing to do, I wouldn't waste the ownership's time and money. It's my sincere belief he's ready to take the next step. There are times when certain players need more of a challenge.''
Galiev's agent, Alex Belopolsky, said the player wants to remain in Indiana for another season.
"At this point, the family has made the decision to remain in Indianapolis for another season,'' Belopolsky said. "We've met a number of times with the Saint John management, but they (the Galiev family) have given their word (to Indiana), and he'd like to play one more season there and then move up to the next level. We've discussed at length all the advantages and disadvantages of each program. He was happy with the way he was treated (in Indianapolis), and he likes his teammates and the coaching.''
Kelly contends that will be the case in Saint John as well. And he believes playing in the QMJHL will improve the player's chances of going high in next year's NHL Entry Draft.
"I think good players relish the opportunity to test themselves,'' Kelly said. "I really believe a move to the CHL is in the boy's best interest. We need to provide evidence that we will help him develop as a person as well.
"For me, if you're looking at an individual, you look at his history. His history is that he's focused on becoming an NHL player. He's going to be a pro player. When that happens, to some degree, is up to him.''
Belopolsky said previous contact with the Sea Dogs left positive impressions.
"(Galiev) is humbled by the interest they've expressed,'' the agent said. "He knows of the organization and the quality and professionalism with the people who are involved. It's a very intriguing opportunity for him, without a doubt.
"He sees it as a potential great opportunity. It's a committed organization, a committed ownership. Some of the steps they've taken show they are succeeding. It's a professionally-run organization with high goals and objectives. Those are some of the things we've discussed.''
Belopolsky said Galiev was playing in the Moscow Dynamo junior program before going to Indianapolis.
"In his case, he didn't sign a contract with Dynamo, which simplifies him leaving Russia,'' the agent said.
That's another source of optimism for the Sea Dogs.
"If he comes this year, he won't be a fourth-line player,'' Kelly said. "He's going to have an impact.
-
PRACTISING PATIENCE: Kelly said the Sea Dogs will remain patient with Mike Hoffman and Nicholas Petersen, both of whom were selected at the NHL Entry Draft Saturday in Montreal. Saint John acquired the rights to both players on June 5 to complete blockbuster deals made in January.
Hoffman was drafted by Ottawa in the fifth round (130th overall), while Petersen was plucked by Pittsburgh in the fourth round (121st overall).
"The approach you have to take now is that you know who to talk to,'' Kelly said. "The (NHL) teams are going to have to sort through their own minor-league teams to see where players fit.''
-
INITIAL MEETING: Chris Kreider, taken 19th overall by the New York Rangers, was drafted by the Sea Dogs in 2008. The Saint John brass, including majority owner Scott McCain, met with the player's family. But it appears he'll continue on his path of pursuing college hockey.
"We just introduced ourselves,'' player personnel director Norm Gosselin said. "We're going to stay in touch with the agent (Matt Keator). For them, they don't have any idea about the CHL. For them, it's like the moon. The kid grew up with the mentality of (going to) the NCAA.
"He's not really open right now, but if the New York Rangers had the choice to say where the player should play, maybe they would want him to come to the CHL, but the agent would (then) ask for a contract. There are so many things that could change.''
-
MOVING UP: Guy Boucher is the new head coach of the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.
Boucher is coming off a successful run last season as coach of the Drummondville Voltigeurs. He led the club to their best season in franchise history (54 wins, 112 points) and a berth in the Memorial Cup.
The 37-year old Boucher also enjoyed success at the international level, working as an assistant coach with Canada's men's under-18 team on three separate occasions, most recently at the 2008 world under-18 championship where the squad won gold. Earlier this month, Bulldogs coach Don Lever and his assistant Ron Wilson were fired by the Montreal Canadiens, the Bulldogs' parent club.
Disabled
Search Articles
More CE Network Sites & Partners:
