2012 NHL Draft Prospects: Andrey Makarov

Andrey Makarov is one of the most interesting goalies in the upcoming NHL draft. Makarov hails from Kazan, Russia and stands tall at 6'1. He is a goalie who is going through his second draft, as he was passed up last year, but surely will get selected this time around. 

Andrey is a patient and composed goalie who is very athletic. He plays an unorthodox style and is nearly identical to fellow Russian netminder Evgeni Nabokov with his narrow (upright) stance, as well his calmness and economical mindset and his amazing footwork.

Makarov is best known for this year's World Junior Championships, where he put on one of the greatest goaltending performances the tournament has ever seen when, as the backup goalie, he relieved incumbent starter Andrei Vasilevski with six minutes left and a one-goal lead in the semifinal against Canada. He held the fort down, and Russia would win, 6-5.

The Russian coach than shocked a lot of people when he named Andrey the starting goalie for the gold medal game over Vasilevski. As it would turn out, Makarov would make a genius of his coach and stop 57 of 58 shots in the game of his life in a 1-0 overtime loss to Sweden in which he was named the player of the game. Makarov's minuscule 0.88 GAA and .979 save percentage in the tournament instantly put him on scouts' radars.

Makarov started his career in Russia playing with Lada Togliatti of the MHL before coming over to North America in 2010-11 to play with the Lewiston MAINEiacs of the QMJHL. With Lewiston, he would be the backup goalie and played in 27 games, going 11-12-2 with a 3.37 GAA and a .890 save percentage. The MAINEiacs would fold prior to the 2011-12 season, and Makarov would change leagues, going to the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, and this time around, was the starting netminder, playing in 54 games and going 29-21-2 with a 3.01 GAA and a .913 save percentage.

"The Russian Factor" is significantly less with Makarov as it is with, let's say, Vasilevski because Andrey has already played in North America for two seasons while his Russian counterpart has so far stayed in the motherland. As well, you can see in the interview that Makarov wants to continue playing in North America to get to the NHL.

Now, here is my interview with Andrey Makarov in Q&A format:

Q: What NHL teams are you currently in talks with?

A: Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets

Q: What is the biggest strength in your game?

A: I like to play in pressure situations!

Q: Are you excited to be getting drafted after going undrafted last year?

A: Yes, sure! It's my dream to be drafted to the NHL because it's the best league in the world...I want to play here! 

Q: What do you feel that you did differently that propelled you from being a backup/1B to being a starter/1A?

A: I think my work last year in Lewiston was not that great, so in the offseason, I worked hard to try and be better, and then this season was not bad!

Q: What was the transition like going from the QMJHL to the WHL?

A: The WHL is a much more physical league than the QMJHL. 

Q: How did you learn your English?

A: I learned my English last year in Lewiston!

Q: Was your 57-save gold medal game performance the best game of your career?

A: Yes, I love playing for my country and it was a good performance by me! 

Favorites

NHL Team: Tampa Bay Lightning

NHL Player: Ilya Kovalchuk 

Video Games: NHL 12

Movie: The Expendables

TV Shows: Family Guy

Pump-Up Song: Club songs

Home-cooked meal: Rice and chicken

Activity Away From The Rink: Hanging out with teammates, movies, restaurants

Andrey's Eliteprospects page