Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.blogcritic.com
- Name: Nikita Filatov
- Position: LW
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 6-0
- Weight: 185 lbs
- Birthdate: 1990-05-25
- Eligible for Draft: 2008
- Drafted: 2008
- Hometown: Moscow, Russia
- Acquired: Trade with Columbus, 2011
- Playing In: Pro
Nikita Filatov
Prospect Grade: 7.5 D (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: HF Staff
History
2007-08: Filatov continued his dominance at the junior levels, performing well with CSKA 2 and on Russia’s U18 and U20 squads. His performance on the U20 squad was especially impressive, since Filatov was one of the youngest players and that did not prevent him from being one of the brightest stars. He again finished as Russia’s top point getter and second sniper just a goal behind Viktor Tikhonov. In Russia, Filatov made his Super League debut to fill in on the fourth line, but he did not stick with the already established high powered squad and only skated 5 games for CSKA’s main club team.
2008-09: Filatov spent most of his first season in North America playing in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch. In 39 AHL games, the dynamic Russian scored 16 goals along with 16 assists for 32 points. He saw time in 8 NHL games with Columbus, registering 4 goals. Filatov appeared in his second World Junior Championships for Russia, where he served as the team's captain and scored 8 goals and 3 assists for 11 points en route to a bronze medal.
2009-10: Filatov began the season in Columbus, appearing in 13 games with only 2 goals on the scoresheet. The Jackets' top prospect was unhappy about the ice time he was getting from then-coach Ken Hitchcock and Filatov was eventually loaned back to Russia. Playing with his former team CSKA Moscow, Filatov's scoring touch returned with 9 goals and 22 points in 26 games. He added 1 assist in 3 playoff games for Moscow. Filatov served as captain of Russia's WJC entry for the second consecutive year, but the tournament was a disappointment for the team. Filatov scored only 1 goal, 5 assists and was stripped of his captaincy before the team's final game after questioning the team's coaches in the media.
2010-11: In a season when he was expected to breakout, Filatov may have regressed in his development. Columbus had sent development coach Tyler Wright over to Russia to assist with his preparation during the off-season and he came to camp early with a clean slate from new head coach Scott Arniel. He’d spoken with his friend Sergei Shirokov, who previously played for Arniel in Manitoba and offered his background on the coach. The winger broke camp with the Blue Jackets contributing seven assists in 23 games before getting sent down to the AHL in December. He scored nine goals and 11 assists in 36 games with the Springfield Falcons where he missed some time with a neck injury but continued to show flashes of his talent.
Talent Analysis
A talented scoring forward who is capable of creating offensive chances for himself and his line-mates. The right-handed shooting winger possesses excellent skating ability and a very quick top gear. An above average puck-handler, but is not as effective in traffic and this is something that he has been working and improving over the past season. Hasn’t yet filled in his 6’0 frame, though has gained some strength and put on much-needed weight. Does not have a strong physical presence and will likely continue developing and becoming more capable of handling physical pressure, but will not likely ever be able to dish it out at the same level due to his size limitations. Has a very dangerous wrist shot and very soft hands – capable of making very precise passes. Defensively tries to help, but is marginal in his own zone, preferring to break out into an offensive rush. Overall he’s a very talented forward who continues to improve every year and doesn’t hesitate to take on challenges.
Future
Filatov will begin the season in a top-six winger role with the Ottawa Senators in 2010-11 and try to show everyone what he’s capable of producing. He’ll need to demonstrate a commitment to the organization as the competition for minutes with fellow prospect will be challenging and he may have to spend some time in the AHL as well.
Stats
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Profile Last Updated: October, 24th 2011
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