Maxim Trunev -- Is the Russian Coming? · Saturday August 16, 2008

Maxim Trunev the Hawks number one pick in the CHL Import draft may not come to Portland. As the story goes, his agents/representatives gave conflicting messages to the Hawks. One agent told the Hawks he wanted his client to play in the WHL. The other wants Maxim to come after “special compensation.” Hawk management is not sure which one to believe.

From the Portland Tribune article, Ken Hodge, WH GM had this to say,

“Recruiting was always a concern. Russia has a number of pro leagues available, and it’s also a country where people expect a lot of special deals… backdoor deals. I don’t think we’d like to break any of the league’s policies, rules or regulations.”

Maxim’s agents have work this situation well and got the Hawks to jump, picking him third overall in the CHL Import Draft

If Maxim is as good as his press, then he may be able to work a compensation deal with Montreal or go back to Russia and play in their pro leagues. We may not know until after his camp in Montreal.

Note to Maxim:
Maxim, sorry you can’t make it to camp. Though, it is not nice to let your agents/representatives mislead the Hawks into thinking your coming.

What you may not know and your agents may not have told you is that the team has tremendous upside and is about to make a run for the Memorial Cup. This could be the biggest move in your career. If you don’t believe me, have your agents call, Cam Neely, Brendan Morrow, Marion Hossa to name a few; just to see what playing for Portland did for their careers.

Remember those who represent you do not always represent YOUR best interest. Maxim, take control. Portland is a great destination. Our billet families are know for their great hospitality.

Soon we will be owned by a Billionaire owner with connections to the NHL.

Make sure you pick an agent that is aware of all the new developments.

— S. Blanchard

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Maxim Trunev Steal of the NHL Draft · Friday June 27, 2008

The Montreal Canadian’s have nothing but positive comments about their 5th round pick Maxim Trunev.

“It was a very good day for us and we tried to hit a few homeruns,” said Canadiens Director of Player Recruitment and Development, Trevor Timmins, who has swung a hot bat for the Habs in recent years, to say the least. “We drafted some excellent young hockey players today.”

Known for his sleeper picks and late-draft gems, Timmins already has a hunch about which of his latest picks could end up surprising people.

“I think Maxim Trunev will prove to be the steal of this draft,” predicted Timmins about his fifth-round pick. “I see him taking the same route as Sergei Kostitsyn. Even though no Canadian Junior team has acquired Maxim’s rights yet, it won’t be long before teams starting fighting over him.”

Trunev was the only non-North American player chosen by the Canadiens, who followed the league-wide trend that saw only 29 total Europeans picked out of the 211 players selected over the weekend.

The WHL Portland Winter Hawks are not fighting over him, but have acquired him with their 1st pick (3rd) in the CHL Import draft. There are some limited stats that show a proclivity for goal scoring. But more important here are some comments from people who have seen him play:

Rich Kromm (Coach)

Has worked with Trunev the past two summers at the Okanagan Hockey School in Penticton, British Columbia.

“He is very dynamic and gifted offensively. Like many of the top Russian players, he has great skill, but his creative abilities, offensively, set him apart,” Kromm says. “His maturity will allow him to be an immediate impact player by adding a scoring punch to our lineup.”

Matt Bardsley (Director of Player Development)

A “high skill player and a very good skater,”

Ken Hodge (General Manager)

“Trunev was the best available player who would commit to playing for Portland.

“I’m pretty excited. I think we got a quality player. He’s the kind of player we need,” Hodge said.

Step two… get him in a Hawk uniform.

— S. Blanchard

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US Divisional News · Friday January 18, 2008

— S. Blanchard

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