Ilya Sorokin? Most Isles fans are over the moon with this kid. In reality, the Islanders organization looks at Ilya as their franchise goalie of the future. The feeling was that bringing in Varly had a lot to do with being able to sign Iyla. I will address that issue with my guests.
On every site I checked up on Ilya, they expect Iyla to be a starter for years. Some of the reports say they love his positioning. He is rarely caught out of position. He could improve control of rebounds, but he makes up for that with his very fast, cat-like reflexes.
From what I have seen, Ilya can be a superstar. He has excellent potential. Everyone I read says he is a grade-A prospect. Most people can agree that Isles have a good one in Ilya.
Tommy Baffi, our regular guest from Coaches Corner and the Drive for Five Facebook group, says:
“He is the fastest goalie I have seen going from east to west. Ilya has a quick glove hand, and he would have to adjust his angles to the NHL Game cause of the rink size change.
Give him two seasons; he will be the number goalie for the Islanders. And he will be for years to come—a terrific positional goaltender who will rarely get caught out of position. “
My second guest is Paul Kreischer. If there is someone who knows Ilya, it is Paul. Paul has scouted him since he has come into the League, so he has first-hand knowledge. You can find him on Twitter @P_Kreischer or @IslesTalk. He is also on Facebook Isles Talk and Youtube Islestalk.
“If the New York Islanders were to throw Ilya Sorokin straight into the fire, Islanders fans would see a more aggressive, and a younger style of Thomas Greiss in net. He comes farther out of the crease than Greiss and is far more athletic to make up for any mistakes he may make, especially with early rebound control. Like every goalie that comes over across the pond, Sorokin will need time to adjust to the NHL’s speed, players crashing the net on a more consistent basis, and his timing with opponents’ slapshots. You’ve heard comparisons to Roy, Bob, Brodeur, Nabokov, even Varlamov… Believe them, but give him the time to grow, mature and mold his game into the Islanders system. If you want a finished product, look no further than the one goalie who did fit perfectly with a Trotz/Lou system, Martin Brodeur.”
Final Word from Russ Cohen
Russ Cohen is one of the best authorities on prospects. You can find Russ Cohen on Twitter @sportsology. His site is http://www.sportsology.com/. If you don’t follow him, please do; the man knows his stuff.
“Ilya Sorokin is athletic and a steadying influence in net. He has very smooth movements with a solid stick. He can learn a few things about the NHL from Semyon Varlamov, but he won’t take a backseat to him for very long if given the chance.”
I like to thank my guests for helping me with my blog.
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