WINNIPEG JETS | ALEXANDER BURMISTROV
Posted by Oak and Oar on
We are now almost ten games deep into the Winnipeg Jets inaugural season. Not the start that Winnipeggers had hoped but we are not totally in the basement which is a good sign. And to be honest who actually thought we would actually be on this roller coaster ride this season. After winning tonight, in ridiculous fashion, there do seem to be quite a few bright spots and reasons to be excited. Bright spots, in my humble opinion, have included Kyle Wellwood (whether or not he has a tough time eluding the blue line), Andrew Ladd, Tobias Enstrom, and Nik Antropov.
However one lone Jet has really grabbed our attention. Twenty year old Russian born, Alexander Burmistrov. Burmistrov was drafted in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in the 1st round 8th overall by the Atlanta Thrashers. Last season Burmistrov had more of a defensive role with the Thrashers. Suiting up for 74 games, Burmistrov potted 6 goals and 14 assists. After 9 games this season, and undergoing a bit of a role change with the Jets, the 6’1″ center has tallied a point a game (3 goals / 6 assists) and has the highest +/- rating with +3. Not only is he a quarter of the way to last year’s points total but he is one of the strongest skaters, possess bar none the most captivating puck-handling skills and has arguable some of the best on ice vision in the NHL. Yes, arguably. What does not need to be argued is the fact he has quickly become a hometown favourite.
We first had a chance to watch Burmistrov play at the 2010 World Juniors in Saskatoon. In 6 games he had 3 goals and an assist. Now I don’t want to get ahead of myself and knock on wood, but according to TSN the young gunner is on pace for a 71 point season (20 goals / 51 assist). Hard to believe the kid just turned 20 this past week. I think it might be time to put the Selanne jersey behind glass and track down an Alexander Burmistrov jersey.
So you can get to know #8 a bit better here are Burmistrov’s answers from his scouting report.
NHL Team: Detroit Red Wings
NHL Player: Pavel Datsyuk
Shootout move: Low Blocker Shot
Video Game: Call of Duty, FIFA
Movie: Gladiator
TV Show: The Buried Life
Actor: Russell Crowe
Cartoon: The Simpsons
Website: Facebook
Restaurant: The Keg
Sport (outside of hockey): Soccer
Breakfast: Eggs and bacon, oatmeal
Superhero: Superman
#8: He wears the jersey number eight as a tribute to former Russian NHL star Igor Larionov and he patterns his game after his favorite player, Pavel Datsyuk.