Hometown: Kazan, Russia
Birthdate: April 20th, 1993
Height: 6'1
Weight: 178
Position: Goaltender
The Facts:
It's been a big year for Andrey Makarov.
Makarov was selected in the 1st round, 30th overall in the 2011 CHL Import Draft by the Blades. Makarov had spent the 2010-2011 season with the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the QMJHL, before the franchise was folded. Makarov went unclaimed by any of the other QMJHL clubs before being promptly picked up by the Blades in the import draft.
The Russian's first year in the WHL was a solid one. He posted 8 wins in his first 11 games with the Blades, registering a 2.63 GAA and a .922 save percentage through September and October. He kept that play up into November, where he won 8 more games and was named as the Blades Player Of The Month.
The solid start to the year earned Andrey a spot on the Russian squad for the World Junior Hockey Championships. Makarov played the role as backup to start the event, before getting the call late in the tournament and eventually stopping 57 shots in a Gold Medal game defeat.
A concussion in his return to the Blades in early January slowed Makarov's performance in the second half of the year, but his first full season in the WHL was still a remarkable one. He ended up posting 29 wins, a 3.01 goals against average, a .913 save percentage, a pair of shutouts and 1640 saves (7th overall in the WHL).
The strong year overall earned Makarov the 7th spot overall when it comes to Central Scouting's North American goalie ranking. It also earned Makarov a trip to the 2012 NHL Draft Combine in Toronto at the start of June. At the combine he interviewed with NHL teams and finished tied for 8th in the hand-eye co-ordination drill and 1st overall in the 4 jump (mat) mode, ground time, drill.
The Scouting Report:
Andrey Makarov is an athletic goaltender with good size. He's very quick in the crease, battles hard and has a very impressive glove hand. Makarov handles the puck well and isn't afraid to act as a 3rd defenceman when handling the puck. He's proven to be very mentally tough, handling pressure situations and big games. Still considered to be a very raw goaltender in his movement and positioning. Has been compared to fellow Russian goaltender Evgeni Nabokov in terms of playing style.
The Numbers:
Wins: 29 (9th in WHL)
Goals Against Average: 3.01 (15th in WHL)
Save Percentage: .913 (7th in WHL)
Shutouts: 2 (T-12th in WHL)
Minutes: 3107 (13th in WHL)
Saves: 1796 (7th in WHL)
The Video:
http://www.saskatoonblades.com/video/index/id/7839e6950d5e742dc2af5f55e4f9156f
Find out if and where Andrey Makarov gets picked in the upcoming 2012 NHL Entry Draft, which kicks off this Friday night from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The draft continues with rounds 2 through 7 on Saturday.
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