Galiev, a ’92 birthday forward playing with the Indiana Ice of the USHL, is a Russian player with a ton of natural skill. Not draft eligible until 2010, Galiev possesses excellent individual puck skills, supreme vision and plays with an edge sometimes found absent in Russian players. In addition to his vision and passing skills, Galiev also has a lethal shot (slapper, wrist and snap) and will let is go from anywhere, often trying to fool goaltenders who expect him to be a pass-first player.
I recently saw Galiev play a pair of games and was impressed with his all-around game. In a league driven by 18 and 19 year olds, Galiev is excelling as a 16 year old and plays a regular shift in addition to quarterbacking the power play. A tall, slender kid, Galiev will play in traffic and can play dirty if need be. He wasn’t terrible defensively but you can tell that he can use some work playing without the puck. Galiev has an awkward, hunched over style of skating but he gets to where he needs to go and has adequate speed. He seems to complain the referees a lot and can be seen banging his stick or otherwise acting out if he doesn’t get a call that he wants, but keep in mind he is only 16.
It is widely thought that Galiev is using his year in the USHL to attract attention from CHL scouts and be taken in the CHL import draft. He certainly has skill to play but could use a little more bulk, again conceding that he is only 16. Keep an eye out for Galiev in draft prospectus this summer and going forward, as his numbers in the USHL (more than a point per game pace) suggest he could do some damage playing in the CHL, which seems to offer a little more offense than the USHL.
