With the Canadiens prospect beginning camp in a top KHL position, Martin St-Louis has received a promising development from Alexander Zharovsky.
After spending a considerable portion of the summer in Montreal, the 19-year-old is once more in Russia with Salavat Yulaev Ufa.
Before preseason matches start, Zharovsky has been placed on a line with Vadim Shipachev and Egor Suchkov during early camp sessions, offering the young forward an interesting chance.
Shipachev offers an amazing resume to that blend. He has scored the most points in league history, tallying 892 over 954 KHL games.
The importance for Zharovsky is not just sharing shifts with a successful veteran. He gets to observe an experienced center at the professional level read space, handle possession, and generate offense.
Now, the Canadiens prospect must demonstrate his ability to maintain that duty. His next test will be when Ufa shifts from practices to exhibition games, since training-camp lines may change fast.
For Martin St-Louis, the Canadiens may be preparing a significant offensive reinforcement.
Montreal has plenty of justification to keep a tight eye on him. Zharovsky was ranked 33rd among drafted NHL prospects on Scott Wheeler’s recent top-100 list, making him one of the organization’s most highly rated young players.
Playing alongside Shipachev may speed up elements of his offensive growth that are hard to replicate outside of significant competition.
Moreover, Zharovsky has a obvious road to improving expectations this season. A clearer idea of how quickly he might get an NHL chance would be provided to the Canadiens by more consistent output and better professional deployment.
Kent Hughes is not required to expedite that procedure. The general manager in Montreal might let Zharovsky mature in Russia while observing if his position changes throughout the season.
Although it is not a guarantee that Zharovsky will spend the entire year next to Shipachev, the current line assignment is just an early camp development.
However, it’s the kind of chance Montreal would want for a 19-year-old talent. Players that discover open ice may be rewarded by high-quality linemates, who can also need quicker decisions.
Whether the coaching staff in Ufa plans to maintain the tandem will be determined during preseason games. If Zharovsky maintains his position, his season may start with significantly greater responsibility than Canadiens fans anticipated.
At the moment, Montreal can view the first reports as a victory. In order to continue developing, Zharovsky went back to Russia, and his initial duty has placed him alongside one of the KHL’s most skilled offensive players.
Leave a Reply