Podkolzin has now matched Horvat's Canucks rookie output
It doesn’t mean they’ll have the same career trajectory, but it’s interesting all the same.
After a two-point night on Monday, Vancouver Canucks rookie Vasily Podkolzin matched the point total from Bo Horvat’s rookie season in 2014-15.
With a goal and an assist against the Dallas Stars, Podkolzin now has 14 goals and 11 assists, for 25 points in 73 games. The 20-year-old Russian has caught fire of late, notching eight points in his last five games.
Three straight games with a goal, second point tonight and it is NIIIIIIICE for the rookie 🚨 pic.twitter.com/popiizpQRd
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) April 19, 2022
Horvat, meanwhile, scored 13 goals and added 12 assists for 25 points in 68 games as a 19-year-old rookie in 2014-15.
Both players were also drafted in similar spots — Podkolzin was 10th overall in 2019, while Horvat was picked ninth in 2013.
This doesn’t mean Podkolzin is the second coming of Horvat, but it does help put his season into perspective.
Among Canucks rookies since 2000, Podkolzin is tied for eighth-place in scoring, with a chance to climb higher on the list. He’s also fifth in goals, and for what it’s worth, first in plus-minus (+11).
Podkolzin has put together the 8th-most points by a Canucks rookie since 2000.
What should excite fans is that Podkolzin, who was billed as a defensively-responsible two-way winger, has improved throughout the season.
Now, with Horvat out of the lineup, he’s getting a chance in the bumper spot on the first-unit power play, and saw a career-high 18:44 of ice time on Monday.
And if they find a way to make the playoffs, Podkolzin could be a big reason why.
Podkolzin projects to be a top-six winger that the team can use in all situations, including the power play and the penalty kill. Even as a rookie, his strength on the puck has been noticeable, as has his heavy shot.
Another parallel with Horvat, and a cause for excitement: Podkolzin and Horvat are tied in points per 60 minutes at five-on-five (1.54). That places them tied for fifth place among Canucks regulars this season, behind Conor Garland, J.T. Miller, Tanner Pearson, and Elias Pettersson.
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