BLOG: Podkolzin earning praise, taking advantage of opportunities

CALGARY, AB – Vasily Podkolzin has taken advantage of every chance to impress, and it’s being heard in the reviews of his Oilers teammates and coaches about how the Russian carries himself both on and off the ice.

The 23-year-old was on the ice first at Scotiabank Saddledome for Sunday’s optional morning skate before the Battle of Alberta, making use of the opportunity to further fine-tune his game before a big rivalry matchup against Calgary after putting in a few solid performances on the top line with Leon Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson.

“I try to be a little early,” he said. “I'm still a young player and I still have a lot of stuff to learn and to work on. That's why I try to be a little early.”

"Just keep building, keep pushing hard, and just try to make more good habits because this will be a big thing later on in the season."

For the Moscow product, developing good habits early in the season is something he’s trying to do, and his approach fits in well with the team philosophy of trying to get a little bit better each day – especially considering the Oilers early struggles and Connor McDavid’s current absence from the lineup.

Podkolzin had a hard-working assist on Edmonton’s opening goal during the first minute of their victory over Nashville on Thursday, starting with the hard pursuit of the puck and check on the defenceman that began the sequence that resulted in Arvidsson tapping home his first goal of the season off a primary helper from Draisaitl just 37 seconds in.

"It's a great opportunity for me to play with guys like that," he said. "Just try to learn something new every day and try to enjoy it."

Later in the game, with the Oilers up 4-1, he dropped Jeremy Lauzon with a hard left hook during a fight, showing he has the means to impact the game physically as well.

Podkolzin is averaging 11:22 of ice time this season, but that number’s been much higher in the last four games as he garners more responsibility with his contributions as a top-six winger who can play fast and physically to help create chances for his teammates.

"Just be moving my legs always and try to make the right decision; try to make a fast decision and keep playing hard," he said. "I think that's the biggest point for the whole team. We have to keep playing hard."

Coach Knoblauch has been delighted with what he's seen from Podkolzin early this season and puts him into the same bucket of players who've been pushing the needle on offence, but just haven't got the offensive returns they've deserved.

Above all, he's seen a player who's dedicated in every facet at improving his game and taking advantage of every opportunity, recording his two assists this season over his last four games.

"We've been so happy with Pods," Knoblauch said. "Just with everything he's done, it hasn't shown up on the scoresheet very much but I think he's creating a lot of scoring chances. I think he's been one of the many players that we've had who's been very unfortunate not being able to score and contribute more than they have.

"Off ice – yes, he's usually the first one on the last one off, working on some kind of skill – but on top of that, he's usually one of the first guys at the rink and he'll be watching his shifts and doing the stuff that he needs to do in the gym. He was very quiet, but he's somebody that not only the coaching staff appreciates, but I know the players really appreciate what he brings to our team."