"He's been awesome": Podkolzin's development plan paying off for Canucks
The past 12 months haven’t gone as expected for Vancouver Canucks forward Vasily Podkolzin, but they’ve led to the right place.
The 22-year-old is helping the Canucks make their playoff push, and his impact is growing by the day.
“It’s pretty special to be part of the team, part of this season. It’s pretty cool,” said Podkolzin to Daily Hive about joining the Western Conference leaders while the team is performing so well.
The Russian winger spent the majority of this season in the AHL but was recalled at the start of the month. Since joining the team, he’s been a ball of energy for the Canucks. The 6-foot-1 forward ranks fourth among all players in hits-per-60-minutes (minimum five games played).
“Especially at this part of the season, a month or three weeks before playoffs, we have to be ready to forecheck. For myself, I’m playing on the fourth line right now; it’s my priority,” the Russian winger said after Friday’s practice.
Podkolzin earned his first point of the season in a recent 4-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
“He was banging guys. There were three forecheck and hits he had. Listen, you don’t want to get hit, right? I felt like a couple of their D later in the period, they got rid of the puck a little quicker because of Podzy doing that,” said head coach Rick Tocchet about the game against the Canadiens. “That’s the mentality we have to have. You’ve got to wear teams down with that, and Podzy has that skill to separate people from the puck.”
With a coaching staff that has thousands of games of NHL experience between them, any time spent in Vancouver is invaluable.
“It’s great to have this coaching staff who played in the NHL,” said the young player. “It’s nice to be around, nice to learn something every day and get some advice.”
While the Russian winger has bounced around the lineup, he’s been playing on the fourth line with Nils Aman and Teddy Blueger as of late.
“He’s been awesome. He’s been very solid defensively, he’s been really good on the forecheck, physical. His decision making has been very solid, I think he’s been very reliable for us,” said Blueger about his new winger.
Because he played in the NHL at such a young age, it can be easy to forget that Podkolzin is just 22 years old. With every passing game, he’s finding his spot at the NHL level, and his confidence is improving.
“I feel pretty good; I feel comfortable here. I know I haven’t scored in months, but I know it’s coming soon,” he said.
The head coach sees the results of that confidence in his play with the puck. While Podkolzin has just one point this season, he scored 14 goals as a rookie and has the touch to be much more than just an energy player.
“He’s getting better. Working out with him today in practice, [he’s] a lot calmer with the puck, a little more supple. The way his body is now, he’s getting closer and closer,” said Tocchet about the player’s offensive instincts. “He handled the puck so good today, now it’s visualization in a game situation, who cares if there’s 18,000 fans or if you’re at practice? It’s the same movement, and now you’ve just got to apply it, and I think that’s the next key for him.”
The time spent in the AHL this season seems to have paid off, as Podkolzin has fit seamlessly upon his return to the highest level. With the playoffs not far away, it’s easy to picture his wrecking-ball style thriving in the postseason environment.
For the Canucks, it’s time to reap the rewards of being patient and watch a young player blossom into an impact contributor.