Since New York Islanders rookie camp began, we have been keeping notes on what we've seen from Maxim Tsyplakov. With just one preseason game to go, here's our scouting report on No. 7.
Since New York Islanders rookie camp began, we have been keeping notes on what we've seen from Maxim Tsyplakov. With just one preseason game to go, here's our scouting report on No. 7.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Since New York Islanders rookie camp began, we have been keeping notes on what we've seen from Maxim Tsyplakov.
With just one preseason game to go, here's our scouting report on No. 7.
What has stood out the most has been Tsyplakov's patience with the puck and playmaking abilities. He doesn't rush any plays, making the right reads and even slowing things down if he doesn't like what he sees.
"That's exactly what we're looking for," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "We love his patience with the puck."
He has incredible lateral vision while transitioning down the ice and when he establishes himself in the offensive zone.
Tsyplakov may be a rookie, but he certainly hasn't acted like it on the ice.
Most rookies are over-cognizant of getting off the ice when their shift ends. Sometimes, they leave the ice too early, but that hasn't been a problem for Sippy.
He skates like a 10-year veteran, which shows us how high his confidence level is.
Something we've seen on a nightly basis has been Tsyplakov's raw strength.
He's been strong with the puck through the neutral zone, whether he's carrying the puck, creating a passing avenue, or just busting up the ice.
He purposely puts his body between the puck and the opponent, sometimes extending his knee to add a foot or so of puck protection.
There have been a few times when Tsyplakov has found himself a tad too deep in the defense zone. But he's also shown confidence and an aggressive nature to get involved, which many rookies may be hesitant to do.
He does have a tendency to curl behind the offensive-zone face-offs, another aggressive move to find loose pucks, which Roy certainly loves.
Outside of hounding pucks off the face-off, Tsyplakov has shown a second effort in most areas of the ice, like on his backcheck, causing turnovers in the neutral zone, leading to secondary opportunities.
On the power play, it's his commitment to screening the goalie that has truly stood out, but also knowing when to open up as a pass option:
No player is perfect, and mistakes will happen.
He made a mistake in their latest 4-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, one that he needs to learn from.
"He needs to understand that on his tracking, he needs to know who's behind him because they're going to get in front of him, especially the top defensemen. That happened on Monday night, where he let the defenseman in front of him, and then they had a great chance because of it."
Coming from the KHL, there's other areas of his game that he needs to fine-tune to fit the NHL game.
"It's his play without the puck, his awareness where the other defensemen are in our defensive zone coverage [that he needs to work on]," Roy said. "If he's capable of holding up defensively against top lines and top defenseman, then they'll be okay.
"We'll help him in that. He's not alone. We have that responsibility as a coaching staff to make sure that he understands what we're looking for and what Brock and Kyle need as well."
Tsyplakov is likely to begin the season on the second line, alongside Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri, along with playing at the net front on the top power-play unit.