Both were prolific scorers before they got to the pros, with Gerbe totaling 60 goals in his final two college seasons for national power Boston College. Abramov, meanwhile, had 129 goals in three seasons in the QMJHL and captured the league's MVP honor in 2016-17 when he led the way with 104 points with Gatineau.

Abramov isn't quite as vertically challenged at 5-9, but the 20-year-old is facing many of the same challenges Gerbe did when he first got to the professional level.

The Cleveland Monsters captain checks in at 5-foot-4 and carved out an NHL career of more than 300 games and is in the 11th season of his professional career.

When it comes to having a big example on how to be a small player who makes it to the highest level, Vitaly Abramov has a good one in Nathan Gerbe.

From there, the two's paths have diverged a bit. Gerbe was in the NHL in his first pro season, if only for 10 games, while Abramov is still adjusting to the professional level. So far, in 41 games with Cleveland, Abramov has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points.

The frustration is evident with Abramov, but Gerbe still sees his young protégé's potential.

"He's skilled," Gerbe said. "He's a strong skater and a fun guy to play with and watch. I think now it's just all about, how he can be that player (he was in the Q) here and how can you be effective every night doing those little things?"

So far, it seems as though Abramov is making progress. He had just one goal in a 19-game span over nearly two months near the start of the season, but the Chelyabinsk, Russia, native scored in back-to-back games Dec. 21-22 and had two goals and two assists in a four-game stretch from Jan. 12-23.

Abramov got to Cleveland with his ability to create known in hockey circles. He was one of the top offensive threats in the Q for years, drawing rave reviews for his offensive talent that made him a third-round pick of the Jackets in the 2016 draft.

But the step from playing against younger players to pros who are at the top of their game is, in fact, a step, one that requires an adjustment in Abramov's playing style.

"I think the game is more simple up here and you need to manage the game better than in juniors," Abramov said. "That's the biggest adjustment. Chip the puck, make plays when you can, play smarter defensively and offensively.

"I need to find the right place to use my creativity."

Gerbe, for one, sees improvement as Abramov has gone through his first professional season.

"I've worked with him a bit this year," Gerbe said. "You can tell his talent is there on the ice. It seems that he's finding a better game for himself now than he was early on. It's a bit of a transition from juniors to now. Guys are stronger, faster; it's a different type of game.

"He's learning. He's progressing. He's taking care of the puck, which maybe before he hasn't. He's learning when you can do something and when he can't. That's part of the game - how do you manage the game, how do you manage your own skill? He's getting better at that."

One example of that came Saturday in the Monsters' game with Chicago. Given time to operate behind the net, Abramov tried to scoop a lacrosse-style goal over the netminder's shoulder, nearly resulting in a goal for Cleveland.

Two days earlier, Abramov made some nice plays with the puck but showed where he's still trying to pick his spots. With the team down 4-1 in the third, his offensive zone pass to the center of the ice was intercepted, and the Wolves had numbers to break out, scoring on the odd-man rush to put the nail in the Monsters' coffin.

Figuring out that balance and how to become more impactful on the score sheet will be Abramov's goal over the rest of the season.

"It's not about the stats right now," Abramov said. "It's just about the game. I need to get better in some areas on the ice, just keep going, keep working hard every day and hope everything will be better."