Dmitry Zhukenov checks in as the 10th ranked prospect in our consensus rankings.

Canucks fans really didn’t know what to make of Dmitry Zhukenov when they heard his name called 114th Overall at the 2015 Draft. And you could hardly blame them. Even those among us with the most expansive knowledge of that draft class and the players involved were left grasping at straws looking for information on the newest Canuck.

A year has passed since though and Zhukenov’s time with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the QMJHL (who selected Zhukenov 10th overall in the CHL Import Draft last off-season) has afforded prospect-savvy fans and the curious among us the opportunity to gain a better feel for the slight Russian centre. Similarly, playing in the QMJHL, as opposed to the MHL (where he played in his draft campaign), has granted us the ability to glean more from his qualitative resume, too.

More information is never a bad thing and gaining another year’s worth hasn’t done anything to lessen Zhukenov’s status among the Canucks’ pool of prospects. In fact, his position of 10th in our consensus rankings represents a sizable eight spot jump from last year’s. Let’s unpack what the undersized Russian has done to bolster his stock, on the other side of the jump.

Zhukenov plays, what I like to call, an understated game. And I mean that in the most complimentary sense. He plays a reliable, heady two-way game, predicated much more on intelligence and positioning than sheer physical dominance.

Benning says 4th rd C Zhukenov is hard on the puck despite small stature, high hockey IQ, & well rounded. Reminds him of Datsyuk at same age — Matthew Sekeres (@mattsekeres) June 27, 2015

Four games in the Penticton Young Stars Tournament hardly cements this fact, but it is worth noting that in those four games at last year’s tournament he led all Canucks in Corsi For%. A small qualitative nugget, nothing more or less, that in some small way backs up this observation. If only modestly.

As an offensive fixture, Zhukenov isn’t without a diverse toolkit. He doesn’t have a particularly strong shot, but he makes up for that with his unrelenting drive to the “dirty areas”, as evidenced by the heat map of his goals. The extent to which his heat map for goals scored is within one part of the dangerous scoring chances area is almost comical.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

If Zhukenov is to make it, though, I don’t expect it will be as a pure sniper. He’s a playmaker first and foremost, a fact driven home by the lengthy series of deft passes completed in the highlight package I’ve posted above. Ideally, you would like this to bear out in Zhukenov’s assist splits, by way of a heavy slant towards primary helpers. Instead, you’re looking at a near 50/50 split — 23 primary to 19 secondary assists.

That’s become something of a recurring theme, though. Outside of strong international play with Russia’s U18 team, there isn’t a wealth of offensive production to fall back on.

This season, Zhukenov potted a not-spectacular 57 points in 64 games for the Sagueneens. That seems like a relative improvement on the 19 he scored in 35 games of MHL action in the season prior, but less so than what you might hope for from a player in their draft+1 season.

Second straight season of modest boxcar statistics in tow, Zhukenov’s probability of developing into a full-time NHL player hasn’t taken a noteworthy jump forward. This season of play bears out a 4.3% success rate when looking at statistical and stature based members of his cohort, with Matthew Lombardi as his best successful match.

Advertisement - Continue Commenting Below

Still, much in the same way I feel his production belies Zhukenov’s offensive capabilities, I feel his pGPS undersells his chances of developing into a full-time NHL’er. Spoiler alert, I had Zhukenov ranked higher than any of my Canucks Army peers. I think his intelligence on and off the puck, in combination with his deft touch offensively, make him a relatively strong bet to carve out a semi-productive role in the NHL one day.

This season will go a long way in determining the probability of that, though. At some point, he’s going to have to take that next step. He should have every opportunity to do that next season. The Sagueneens weren’t a particularly strong side last year and should be looking to take a step forward. Though Nicolas Roy is blocking the path to a spot in his natural position at centre on the first line, Zhukenov’s taken many a shift on the wing. It will be interesting to see if he makes the leap to that line this time around.

I’m not sure Zhukenov will ever live up to that loosely dropped Pavel Datsyuk comparison, but he might have a worthwhile NHL career in the works as is. At the very least, I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest at this stage that he’s the best centre prospect in the Canucks’ system. That counts for something.





