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Get to know a draft pick -- Valeri Nichushkin

IHOCKEY-U18-WORLD-RUS-GER

Russia’s forwards Valeri Nichushkin (R) and Pavel Buchnevich celebrate after scoring against team Germany during a quarter-final game of the IIHF U18 International Ice Hockey World Championship in Sochi on April 25, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER NEMENOV (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

Leading up to the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in New Jersey, we’ll be profiling top prospects who may hear their names called Sunday in the first round. Nothing too in-depth. Just enough so you know who they are and what they’re about.

Valeri Nichushkin (RW)

Height: 6'3" Weight: 196 Shoots: Left

Team: Chelyabinsk-2 (Russia Juniors)

Country: Russia

NHL Central Scouting rank: No. 2 among European skaters

What kind of player is he?

Nichushkin is someone that brings out all the typical things you hear about Russian players. He’s highly skilled, has tremendous offensive potential, and also might wind up in the KHL next season. While he does have a deal signed to play there (with Dynamo Moscow), he can reportedly opt out of it if he makes an NHL team immediately.

He was a dominant factor on the Russian team at World Juniors this past year with four goals and three assists in six games. He was so good he earned an invite to the World Championships in May. His talent is almost unquestionable with some even going so far as to compare him with Alex Ovechkin.

His main bugaboo? Consistency. An inconsistent, but highly talented, Russian player will earn him more unfavorable (and perhaps unfair) comparisons.

Quotable:

“Good size, solid skill set, lacks consistency, Subway Series participant, phenomenal 5 Nations, getting better, signed KHL deal. We still have MANY concerns about him coming over so it must be thoroughly investigated.” -- Mark Seidel - North American Central Scouting

“He might have as a high a ceiling as any player in this draft. We were all set to rank him out of the top 6 or 7, until he informed everyone he plans to play in the NHL year. He might go in the top 5 or 6 now.” -- Mark Edwards - HockeyProspect.com

“He did play with the men in the KHL and played very well there. He plays for the most part a pretty complete two-way game. The only concerns would be there are some inconsistencies to his effort sometimes. But that doesn’t put him in a category all by himself.” -- Tony McDonald, Carolina Hurricanes director of scouting.

For more 2013 NHL Draft previews, click here