by Christopher Nardella, Staff Writer, All Habs Hockey Magazine

MONTREAL, QC. — With the Jarred Tinordi situation bursting into an effervescent flame, the Canadiens’ left-handed defensive depth, once considered to be superior and more prosperous than most, has now become an organizational liability. Aside from Nathan Beaulieu, the Canadiens are clearly inadequate in terms of youth on the left side, with the prospect of Andrei Markov retiring a massive blow to the team’s future prosperity. The lack of prospects acquired and developed in the organization coupled with the latent development of Beaulieu, the offensive famine that ravaged the team through the preceding seasons might be addressed through the defensive corps in this upcoming draft.

Mikhail Sergachev, D, Windsor (OHL)
6-3, 206 lbs., Shoots L, Russia | @sergachev31
2015-’16: 67 GP, 17 G, 40 A, 57 PTS (Windsor Spitfires)

CSB: No. 8  | ISS: No. 8 | THN: No. 9 | HP: No. 8 | FC: No. 8

Mikhail Sergachev‘s 2015-’16 OHL season ended on a personal high note. Sergachev recorded five points in the same number of playoff games as his team was ousted from the postseason not the first round, only winning a lone game. The regular season was one of ascendance for the blueliner, as he recorded 17 goals and 57 points in 67 games, a total good enough for third on the team, only trailing Logan Brown and Christian Fischer. This being the former fifth overall pick in the OHL Bantam draft’s first season in North America following one season in the MHL with Irbis Kazan.

Sergachev provides phenomenal offensive ability from the backend. The 6-foot-3-inch, 206 pound defenceman has an affinity for carrying the puck out of the offensive zone both to generate scoring opportunities and to clear the zone. He is often found deep in the offensive zone when penetrating the blueline.

When in the offensive zone, Sergachev is tremendous at eluding defenders and getting open for his teammates to find him. He changes directions very quickly, thus throwing off his assigned forward, yet still has the ability to be aware of the sequence and moves accordingly. The Spitfires leading scorer on the backend, he has a fluid stride and can find the height of his unparalleled speed quickly.

Similar to other talented offensive players, the Russian defenceman has outstanding vision and finds unorthodox passing lanes and creates plays out of seemingly nothing. He makes risky plays on occasion in the name of creating offensive opportunities and makes audacious passes through lanes that few other defenceman in this draft class can. Despite being dependent on his shot in the offensive zone, his passing ability comes close to the same effectiveness as all forms of his heavy shot.

Sergachev has above average hands, even relative to a forward. His quick puck-handling abilities allow him to pull off passes in tight areas of the ice and make moves at the blueline without constant odd man rushes the other way. The defenceman isn’t irresponsible with his abilities and tends to make the first move followed up by shielding the puck from the adversary. Although he doesn’t rely on his stick handling to get around or through the opposition, he certainly has the ability to do so. It’s a sector of his game that continued to emerge as his confidence rose in his first season in junior hockey.

His abilities come and go with setbacks however. Sergachev occasionally gets caught trying to do too much and doesn’t always make the percentage play when exiting the zone or making a pass. This is an element ubiquitous in the Canadiens defensive core, although less so on the barren waste land that is the left side of the pairings. Sergachev can play either side, and was constantly put on his off side with the Windsor Spitfires, looking more comfortable on his strong side.

Congrats #NHLDraft prospect @sergachev31 of @SpitsHockey! 2016 #OHL Defenceman of the Year: https://t.co/6nrsYUWRZo pic.twitter.com/PjPXLTj2JS

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 29, 2016

As previously mentioned, the projected first-round pick has a cannon of a shot from the backend. Along with his outstanding skating abilities, this is what helped make his transition to North American hockey so seamless. Sergachev has an extremely heavy shot and both his wrist and slap shots are very accurate, the most staggering portion of his game with the puck on his stick. His shot of preference, and justifiably so, is his slap shot, but he doesn’t let it overtake his strong ability to decipher which shot is appropriate for the time of the game. His wrist shot often finds wholes in the oppositions’ screen and finds the front of the net, usually released when in a tangle with the player covering him.

The Nizhnekamsk, Russia native also has a physical element to his game. Physicality isn’t the base or genesis of his success in either of the three zones but the above-average sized defenceman does have the ability to put players on their backsides. He often runs around in the defensive zone when attempting to separate players from the puck and makes them pay for making an incursion into the corners. He very much enjoys playing physically, although he doesn’t do it as often as some scouts might prefer.

Sergachev is undoubtedly talented in the other team’s end, but his defensive game leaves things to be seen. When in his own zone, the Russian’s head isn’t always on a swivel, which allows for the other team to sneak in behind him into open areas. He gets caught puck watching quite a bit, thus his awareness isn’t to the level of an elite defenceman despite still being leaned on heavily by Windsor. He does have a very good and active stick which allows him to breakup plays, even though he sometimes doesn’t tie up stick in front.

Need to catch up on potential draftees? You will find the All Habs draft archive here or use the quick links below to check out our most recent articles on the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

2016 NHL Entry Draft on All Habs Hockey Magazine
In case you missed them! Here are the most recent articles on the draft.
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