Steve Zipay at Blue Notes has this quote from possible #1 pick in tomorrow's draft Matt Duchene on former Brampton Battalion linemate and Rangers prospect Evgeny Grachev..."I lined up against him in Russia it seemed like every shift (in the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Kazan)," said Duchene, who has since befriended the big forward, and "helped him acclimate to North America and the Canadian lifestyle. I've helped him learn more English. We're friends. My mother had a photo of him and I on the screen of her computer when he was picked by us (Battalion). After the 8-0 game, (when Canada won the gold medal for the Under-18s), I went over to him and said, 'Don't worry about it, you're gonna be a great player,' and he will be. He's caught on real fast. He started playing the Russian style, trying to bull everybody over, but he's learned to use his size and speed and reach and is becoming a star."
...i've said it before, if the Rangers can't move salary to bring in a sniper this off-season and Grachev has a big camp, he could find himself with the big club next season.
No comments:
Post a Comment