Player's Profile
- Name: Alexander Naurov
- Position: C
- Shoots: Left
- Height: 5-11
- Weight: 191 lbs
- Birthdate: 1985-03-04
- Eligible for Draft: 2003
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Saratov, Russia
- Acquired: 2003 Entry Draft, 4th Round, No. 135 Overall
- Playing In: Pro
Alexander Naurov
Prospect Grade: 6.5 D (About Prospect Grades)
History
Alexander Naurov has been developing in Yaroslavl's junior system. During the 2001-02 season, he showed good production with Yaroslavl's '85 squad and saw some unproductive time with the Yaroslavl "2" team, which equates to an U20 junior team.
During the 2002-03 year, Naurov continued to play with Yaroslavl "2" but saw limited ice time due to a large number of players at his position. Despite this, he did play in some international tournaments for Russia. His year culminated with an appearance at the U18 WJC, where he produced well from a lower line position.
Talent Analysis
Strengths: Naurov does not posses gargantuan size, but he is built very solidly. He possesses good strength and a low center of gravity, making him very difficult to knock off the puck and allowing him to go through bigger players. He also shows good speed and agility to go with his strength on his skates. Technically, Naurov has a nice package of skills, including quick, strong shots and excellent puckhandling. Naurov also appears to have good vision of the ice. One of Naurov's biggest assets is his relentless pursuit of the puck, making him invaluable on the forecheck. With his stability, strength, and quickness, he also can control play along the boards and in traffic.
Weaknesses: A very sound player, there are not very many glaring flaws in Naurov's game. The most notable issue is an unorthodox stride, which if improved could enhance his skating abilities. The other problems seem to arise from his lack of ice time in the Yaroslavl system, which is beyond his control. Naurov has shown a tendency to be selfish whenever he has played, perhaps in an attempt to earn more ice time. Also, the lack of ice time is likely hurting his development in his defensive coverage, which is around average at this point.
Future
Unless Naurov starts getting more ice time soon, he may never reach his potential. It appears that he will remain buried in Yaroslavl's system in the short term, but perhaps he either will earn more time within the system or will be loaned to another Russian club soon. This will be vital to his development.
When his development is complete, he could be a hard-working but skilled and versatile forward with moderate size. He appears to have the character to make the NHL and also seems to be big and skilled enough to fit into the league.
Stats
Stats Coming Soon...
Profile Last Updated: October, 12th 2007
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