Dynamic winger who can make a difference in every game he plays. Plays a power game, gets in tight, barreling through opponents to make plays. Lines up at the half wall from the right side and uses his left shot to fire blasts on the PP. Smart and always in motion, looking to have the puck returned to his possession. He captained the Russian Hlinka Tourney team by example.
In the Bronze medal game, while on the PK, he worked the wall in his end to unearth a puck which he quickly got up ice giving his teammate a breakaway. His teammates attempt was stopped and as the USA team tried to exit their defensive end, he meets the exiting US player with contact. The puck then rolls to his teammate at the red line who advances it to him. As he enters the zone near the left wall and as the US defender closes, he spins back around and fires a backhand pass to his teammate who got another chance.
Always working, and has such quick hands and head. I chuckle at the various scribe's concerns about his "hunched over skating stride, kicking heels out; the same concerns were articulated to me about Mike Gartner in the 1979 draft, who was passed on by Colorado, St. Louis and Detroit and available to the Washington Capitals in slot four...it didn't stop him from scoring 40 plus goals in eight seasons for a total of 708 goals/ 1335 points.
The year the Blues stole Tarasenko 16th overall, I commented in my mock (where I had Tarasenko "a gift dropping to slot ten", due to the "Russian factor") how this was a top five guy. I am going to go out on the line right now and say this kid is the best up and down winger in the class. Everyone should start praying their team doesn't pass him by, because he is the real deal, from Russia with love.
--Bill Placzek--
