'Nucks Surfing

Koltsov enjoyed a career season this past year while skating for Avangard Omsk. He was amongst the elite Super League defensemen on a short list with very few names, including former NHLers Dmitri Yushkevich and Alexander Giroux. The young defenseman stood out at both ends of the ice, finishing the 2005-06 season in a four-way tie for the top defensive sniper position with 13 goals. It is the ease and effectiveness with which Koltsov quarterbacks the power play and joins the offensive rush that makes him so valuable in an opponent’s zone. Koltsov not only produces points, but also makes his linemates better, as he distributes the puck and forces the opposition to keep him in check instead of concentrating on the other four Avangard players on the ice.

As one of the top blueliners in Russia, Koltsov will represent Russia at the World Championships in Riga, Latvia. The 2005-06 season did not go to waste as some were worried. While before the young defender was considered a strong prospect and one of the top young blueliners in Russia, after this season, he is considered as one of the elite Russian defensemen outside the NHL. At this point, however, Koltsov has very little to gain from the developmental perspective if he remains in Russia. Financially, Avangard may make it more appealing for him in the short run, but Koltsov likely already sees the writing on the wall with the significant drop in talent in the Super League this past summer and the likely imminent departure of other talented players back to the NHL.