Vladimir Gorbunov

2005-06 Update:

Vladimir Gorbunov is now playing for THK Tver in the Russian High League. He was released by CSKA Moscow in 2004 and is currently in his second year with Tver. On October 9, 2005 Gorbunov recorded a two point game with a goal and an assist vs. his old team CSKA Moscow. Tver lost the game 5-3. He is currently a teammate of former Anaheim Mighty Duck Stanislav Chistov. On October 17, 2005 Gorbunov scored his only other goal as of yet in the 2005-06 season in a 2-1 win over Novosibirsk. The goal was the game winner and Gorbunov was named one of the three stars of the game.

News from 2000

The Islanders really scouted Europe well to find this player according to former Chief scout Gordie Clark. Gorbunov is classified as a skilled 18 year old playing in the Russian League, which is considered an AHL for the Russian Elite League. But he still is playing with men. The left handed shooting right wing is a top end skater with great hand skills. Gorbunov also plays a very aggressive game.

This pick was acquired from Tampa Bay on June 24, 2000 as part of the Kevin Weekes and Kristian Kudroc deal for the fifth pick overall ( Raffi Torres ), the 105th pick in the fourth round ( Gorbunov ) and the 202nd pick in the seventh round( Ryan Caldwell ).

Courtesy of RussianProspects.com

He played for CSKA Moscow and CSKA 2, CSKA Moscow's farm team in the 2001-02 season.  Vladimir was one of the team's top forwards and played consistently on the second or third line.  He is known for his aggressive style of play. Vladimir plays with heart and has been getting bigger to back it up. At the end of last year he suffered a shoulder injury, and has since then returned and established himself as one of the better centermen in CSKA Moscow.

Talent Analysis:

Size & Physical Play: Vladimir stands at almost 6’1 and weights about 180 pounds.  He is strong, smaller sized player who depends on an aggressive, but not dirty, style of hockey and playing in traffic to make his bread.  He is good at this type of hockey, though it has caused him some grief with his smaller sized frame, as he has had to have shoulder surgery at the end of last season and only returned to the lineup in the end of October.  Shot:  Vladimir’s shot is about average, but isn’t anything special. The release is pretty good, and the strength and precision are about average, maybe a bit higher.  Skating:  Vladimir is very maneuverable, but is not very fast. His speed is average, and he depends on his lateral movement and strength to punch through traffic.  Technical  Skills: Vladimir is a good puckhandler. He is not a Zherdev, but can handle the puck well.  He plays a solid positional game and sees the ice and plays a positionally solid game.  He is always aggressive and carries the puck well up into the zone.  Vladimir is not really a selfish player, but on occasion takes the puck in himself, trying to score all on his own.  He is capable of making a good pass, but on occasion with his aggressiveness and quick decisions, his passes lack precision.   Defense: Vladimir’s primary value is in his offense. On defense he continues playing aggressively, but doesn’t see the game as well. His smaller frame also gets him in trouble a bit when push comes to shove against bigger guys.  Mental Game: Vladimir tries very hard in every game and isn’t known for taking shifts off.  He follows through on plays, staying aware of the situation as it develops and after it unfolds, seeing if he needs to get back on defense or take the spot behind the net.   Vladimir doesn’t panic on the ice and usually looks collected and calm.  Overall: Vladimir Gorbunov is an average sized winger with a respectable array of skills. He plays aggressive hockey and doesn’t hesitate to go through traffic though it is still unclear if he can physically handle that type of hockey in the long term.  His passing and speed could also use some improvement.  

Back In Russia:

Vladimir Gorbunov has spent all of his professional hockey career with Viktor Tikhonov’s HC CSKA Moscow.  He hasn’t really been a part of the Russian National team and was drafted by the New York Islanders because of his contributions to HC CSKA in the Upper League at a young age.  During the 1999-2000 season, the year of the draft, he debuted on CSKA’s roster and managed to pile up 18 points (11+7) in 40 games.  He improved on that total by 6 points (10+14) the following 2000-2001 season.  And improved even further in the during the 2001-02 season to 25 points (12+13) in just 34 games. The 2001-02 season performance was the most impressive considering the fact that in the previous years CSKA was a mediocre Upper League team, meaning that due to the lack of talent players like Gorbunov received a lot of ice time and responsibility. This changed prior to the 2001-02 campaign, as the team acquired a lot of new talent with its new found funding, but Gorbunov’s role remained constant on the team’s third line. Another curious point is that he achieved his totals for the 2001-02 season without almost any ice time on the power play unit.  After the regular season Vlad added another 10 points (4+6) in the Final Tournament that elevated CSKA back into the Super League.  

NHL:

A little more then two years have passed since the New York Islanders used their 105^th overall pick to take Vladimir Gorbunov in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. Thus far he has not disappointed them with putting two solid seasons together and continuously building up his game.  His shoulder injury did cause Vladimir to miss the preseason and slowly work his way back onto the lineup.  This season will be Vladimir’s first in the Super League and it remains to be seen if he can elevate his game to the new level.   His upside in the NHL is probably a second or third line duties with limited ice time in uneven situations. He has an aggressive player and if he bulks up a bit to handle the wear and tear, he could ready for a closer look next summer.

- Wears #16 with CSKA Moscow