An evolving Alexander Romanov strengthens the Montreal Canadiens pool
Alexander Romanov is continuing to improve as a defenceman for Team Russia at the World Juniors, and the Montreal Canadiens should be ecstatic.
It was relatively quiet on the World Junior front on Sunday. There will only two games on the schedule, one which saw Montreal Canadiens second-round pick Alexander Romanov and his Team Russia facing Team Switzerland.
The result was as many expected seeing Russia take the win 7-2. But what has many fans, mostly of the Montreal variety, buzzing is the play of Romanov on the blueline.
The 18-year-old was advertised as a dynamic skating offensive force on the backend. Romanov has a vast understanding of the game and can adapt his tendencies for different situations depending on what is being asked of him. He was a fish out of water at first in the KHL, but slowly paved the way for himself onto the roster gaining confidence to do more on the ice, and the World Juniors has provided Romanov with a platform to bring all those skills and abilities to light.
Perhaps it’s the stage or the quality of competition. Maybe Romanov has simply found another gear. Whatever the case may be, the young defenceman has looked great since the beginning of the tournament.
Romanov flies in all areas of the ice and uses his edges to his advantage. It’s not always the basic play, at times Romanov will take an extra turn to evade or deceive an opposing player to create a lane for himself to skate with the puck. He’s also nailed his timing when it comes to joining the rush.
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Activating as a fourth forward from the backend is something seen a lot nowadays in the NHL. What gets defencemen in trouble is when they go when they shouldn’t go. If the offensive rush doesn’t work, you have a couple of players quickly skating the other way for an odd-man rush against.
Romanov recognizes when it’s advantageous to activate and can get back in time to cover as well.
His physicality has been discussed in the past, and he continues to use it both offensively and defensively. There are the few moments where it gets him in trouble, but luckily he has a good partner in Alexander Alexeyev to help out.
Romanov managed to get a primary assist on Alexeyev’s goal to make it 5-3. It was pretty textbook as Romanov received the puck at the blueline from down low on the powerplay. He quickly fed Alexyev with a nicely placed pass who walked in a fired the puck past Akira Schmid.
With three assists, Romanov is tied for first in points among defencemen with Branstrom and Boqvist of Sweden with four. Combine that with Ryan Poehling, who is tied for overall points with Morgan Frost, and the Montreal Canadiens are continuing to look good at the World Juniors.
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We can’t disregard the fact that it’s easier for Romanov to play against and with players closer to his age. However, the growth from this tournament can go on and help him improve his performance in CSKA Moscow. And if that continues, the chances of Romanov turning out to be a second-round steal will get in higher as the years go by.