Todays profile is on one of the newest members of the Edmonton Oilers; Vasily Podkolzin. Born in Moscow, Russia in 2001, the right-winger was recently acquired by the Oilers during the hectic week caused by the St. Louis Blues offer sheeting Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway. The Oilers sent a 2025 fourth-round draft pick to the Vancouver Canucks for Podkolzin.
Podkolzin playing career
Though born in Moscow, and playing minor hockey there, Podkolzin moved to the SKA Saint Petersburg system to play junior hockey. From the 2018–19 season to the 2020–21 season, he played games with SKA Saint Petersburg’s junior team, their minor league affiliate, and with the Saint Petersburg KHL club themselves. Podkolzin was the first player born in the 21st century to play in the KHL.
Podkolzin was drafted 10th overall by the Canucks in 2019 and played his first game with the Canucks on October 13, 2021 against his future team, the Oilers. He scored his first goal the very next game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Podkolzin spent most of his entry level contract moving back and forth from the AHL and NHL and signed a two-year extension this summer at a $1M AAV.
International play
Podkolzin has played internationally for Russia on quite a few occasions. The first captaining Russia in the 2018 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. He led the tournament with eight goals and 11 points and won bronze.
Next he played in the 2019 World Juniors tournament, scoring three points and again winning bronze. That year he also played in the U-18 World Hockey Championship scoring four points and this time bringing home silver.
Podkolzin played for Russia in the 2020 World Juniors, scoring five points and winning silver.
In 2021, he was named captain of the Russian World Junior team and scored four points but the team finished fourth.
Podkolzin’s career statistics
Podkolzin started out his NHL career well, with 26 points in 79 games in his rookie year, but unfortunately has fell off drastically since then; his PPG rate essentially halving and his GP decreasing drastically with each new season. A positive note is that, in his first year, when he was given the most ice time and games, his shooting percentage was significantly above league average.
| Season | Tm | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM | S% | ATOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | VAN | 79 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 26 | 12.2 | 12:48 |
| 2022-23 | VAN | 39 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 9.8 | 11:50 |
| 2023-24 | VAN | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0.0 | 10:49 |
| Career | 3 yrs | 137 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 43 | 10.2 | 12:15 |
Player profile
Podkolzin is a right-shot winger known for having a good shot, solid speed, with good hands, and decent playmaking. Listed at 6’1″, 190 lbs, he is a good size and uses it to avoid being bullied in the corners, occasionally laying a big hit. Though he spent some time in his rookie year playing with Elias Pettersson, he has mostly seen a bottom-six role with the Canucks.
Strengths
By far the biggest strength in Podkolzin’s game is his wrist shot. The most impressive goals of his NHL career have come off his hard, accurate wrist shot, and he has beaten goalies before from very low angle attempts. As previously stated, his shooting percentage was well above average in his rookie season.
The second thing you notice when watching Podkolzin highlight reels is his net front tipping ability, especially in the higher slot.
In his pre-draft scouting reports, Podkolzin was often lauded for having good hands and playmaking ability. Like all bottom-six forwards, he has learned the value of working hard and grinding for the puck.
Weaknesses
Podkolzin was considered a very promising prospect when he was drafted. His pre-draft numbers from playing in Russia were by no means mind-blowing, but he did pass the eye test with good speed, hands, physicality, and a great shot. The problem is that these skills have not proven themselves developed enough to make him successful in the NHL and though he was obviously drafted by the Canucks with top six aspirations. he hasn’t shown that skill.
For a player in his position, who has always been able to assert his offensive skill, adjusting to a bottom six role is difficult. Now that he has joined the Oilers and will be playing behind what looks to be one of the best top six in the league, his focus should be heavily on defence. Podkolzins advanced on-ice stats like Corsi and SF% aren’t actually that bad and his focus should be on limiting shots against more than maximizing shots for when he is on the ice.
Where does Podkolzin fit into the Oilers organization?
Here is one possibility for the Oilers line-up, though Podkolzin has always been a right-winger he does shoot left, so it may be that he switches to left wing with Corey Perry staying on his natural side. Though this line-up is essentially speculation, Podkolzin is very likely to play in the bottom six in some fashion or another.
| Ryan Nugent-Hopkins | Connor McDavid | Zach Hyman |
| Jeff Skinner | Leon Draisaitl | Viktor Arvidsson |
| Mattias Janmark | Adam Henrique | Connor Brown |
| Vasily Podkolzin | Derek Ryan | Corey Perry |
With his puck tipping ability, Podkolzin could be an option in front of the net on the second power play but I wouldn’t consider it likely. It is more likely that he finds himself on the penalty kill though I wouldn’t consider this especially likely either as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, and Mattias Janmark are the usual PK suspects.
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