With the 19th pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning have selected Andrey Vasilevskiy, goaltender for Tolpar Ufa of the Russian Jr. League.
NHL Draft 2012: With the 19th Pick, Tampa Bay Lightning Selects Andrey Vasilevskiy
A native of Tyumen, Russia, Vasilevskiy was ranked the No. 1 European goaltender by the ISS and NHL Central Scouting. Able to fill the net impressively at 6’4” and 204 pounds, Vasilevskiy’s draft stock started to rise after he split time in the World Juniors tournament for Team Russia, but the question of if he will go to North America or stay in the KHL is an obvious concern.
One of the most purely talented goaltenders in the draft, Vasilevskiy also has excellent positional skills and a willingness to take away shooting angles as he fills the net. Athletic and regarded as an excellent butterfly netminder, he could be part of the long-term answer in net that Tampa Bay has sought for the last several years.
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