There are some aspects of Edmonton Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin’s game that don’t necessarily make the highlight reels, like his hard work, the big hits, and the board battles he wins time and again.

But lately he’s scored some very nice goals and made some very pretty plays as well, with his last two tallies being of the highlight-reel variety, setting a career high in goals in the process. With that in mind, we caught up with his skills coach, Ned Lukacevic, to get his thoughts on the flashy play of his friend, Podkolzin, in recent games.

“It’s amazing. You can see how much his play has grown, and I’m not just talking about his offensive side — he’s just a wrecking ball out there too. He’s playing hard all over the ice, fighting and standing up for teammates, and it’s nice to see him having some success offensively. It always helps players build their confidence.

And this is the most important part of the season right now. So I think he’s hitting his stride, not just in the season but also in his career. He’s really making a name for himself, not just as an NHL player, but as a really good NHL hockey player.”

“Confidence is a big part of it, but I think that confidence comes from consistently doing the right things on the ice. And not just for a week or a month, but for a season, a season and a half, even two seasons.

Since he’s arrived in Edmonton, he’s really put his head down and just worked.

He knew with the Oilers that this was another opportunity — maybe his last opportunity — that he couldn’t let slip by. And I think he understood that this might be his last chance, as bad as it sounds, at 22 years old [when they traded for him].

He knew he had to do everything he could, and that started with just working — putting on the work boots in a mindset like, ‘I don’t care where I’m going to be. If I work hard, I’ll move up eventually.’ Over time, his play has grown, his confidence has grown, his game has grown, and it all started from the foundation of working hard.

Now the puck’s finding him more, and he has more opportunities and more chances. I’m not going to say he’s high risk, but he’s taking more risks. A year ago, we would never have seen him take the puck by the net and go end to end. He would’ve chipped it off the wall or looked for a pass. But I think now he sees that the coach has confidence in him, the group has confidence in him, and he feels like he belongs.

When a player — any player — feels like they belong, that sense of empowerment does incredible things for you, not just in hockey, but in life, period.”

“I said to him in the summer, ‘You’re going to get 20 goals and 20 assists next season,’ and he kind of nodded his head and said, ‘Yup, let’s do it.’

When he first got traded from Vancouver, I called him and said, ‘Do you want to go on the ice?’ and he said, ‘I’m running.’ And at the time, I thought, ‘You’re running again?’ He was always working out. I tried calling him five times that week, but he was just running, jogging, running, jogging, or at the gym. I just remember his mentality and demeanour at the time — kind of like, ‘I’m going to take the bull by the horns,’ in an ‘I’m going to prove people wrong’ kind of way.

His attitude in Edmonton from the get-go, to me, was like, ‘I’m going to be ready, I’m going to show everyone, I’m going to show everyone that the Canucks made a mistake.’

He was so motivated. Then last summer, when I said to him, ‘You’re going to get 20 and 20,’ he said, ‘You think so?’ and I told him, ‘100%.’ From there, he just had the attitude of, ‘I can do it.’ He hasn’t achieved it yet, but with his mindset, he can get there, and he believes in himself.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I’ve mentioned this before, but I have an emotional investment in the Oilers because I’ve trained him, and we’re such good friends. He’s such a good person. My kids — my son is always around him — and he loves the Oilers, so we have a really strong emotional connection to the team because of him.

On one hand, I don’t look at it like, ‘Yes, I’m so happy for him because I’m his skills coach.’ I’m just happy for him because, as a former pro, I know what it’s like to be so close to something, know you have the skill, and then underachieve. That’s a regret and a stain that can never be wiped off.

I’m just happy for him as a person. I take myself out of the equation as a skills coach, and I’m genuinely happy for a hockey player who’s living his dream and actually doing it — after all the adversity he went through, putting in all the hard work, and being told he wasn’t good enough. I just relate to him as someone who’s kind of been there, been in a similar situation, and that’s fulfilling in itself.”

“He’s just more comfortable with the puck, but also understands when to hold on to it and when not to. At the same time, I think he’s still very honest and true to his game. If you look at his numbers, he’s never been, quote, unquote, ‘a goal scorer.’ He scores — he’s able to find the back of the net in spurts, but he wasn’t drafted as a goal scorer. But he does have a scoring touch, if that makes sense. He has offensive flair.

As we know, it takes guys time to develop that through confidence and through playing regularly. If you look at his time in Vancouver, other than his first year, he wasn’t a regular, and it’s hard to find continuity in your game. I think that he’s been able to find continuity in his game, not just as a goal scorer, but as a complete player, finding a role on the Oilers.

And now, you can see that he has a scoring touch when given the opportunity. Sometimes that’s all it takes, an opportunity.”

“If you look at the goal he scored on Andersen, there’s such a small hole there. If you were to rewind to even a year ago, I don’t think he would’ve taken that shot. He now believes in himself — even if he misses, it’s not going to affect him negatively.

We worked a lot on shooting, just quick releases — getting the puck on your stick and off your stick quickly. We also worked on sharp-angle shots because we train on a small rink where everything is a little tighter, and the space is more condensed. So he had to practice a lot of tight-area shots, both forehand and backhand.

In a way, you can see that shooting repetition and muscle memory are paying off a little bit, because he knew exactly where to shoot on Andersen. It was a perfectly placed shot with the right release. He understands when to use a snapshot, when to use a slap shot, and when and where to shoot the puck, but that comes from him.

He’s a smart hockey player. I can give him the tools, tidbits, and work on quick releases in tight areas, but he’s the one controlling those things.”

“In a unique way, I sometimes feel it’s better for him to go on the third line in spurts, because then he’s the guy — he’s the driver of the line. He’s the reason that line can spark.

Yes, you play on the second line with Leon Draisaitl, and you’re on the ice more often. But you look at it both ways: you’re not going to have the puck as much, because you’re moving it to him, finding space, and creating space. When you’re on that third line, you’re driving, and you might be the guy the puck comes to more often. You’re maybe the guy with the most playmaking ability and the one who sets things up.

I think what he has is that he’s like a Swiss Army knife. You can play him with Draisaitl, try him with McDavid, or down on the third line, because he sees the ice well, and his work rate is incredible. He can play on lines one through four because he’s smart and knows his role on each line.”

“My initial thoughts were, ‘holy sh*t.’ At the same time, I thought, ‘No surprise.’ His stride is so powerful, and he’s actually a very fast skater. When you watch him, though, because he’s so big and plays so hard, it doesn’t always look like he’s really fast.

Also, the brunt of his game — where he’s really effective — is below the hash marks and on the forecheck, so you don’t always see him flying with the puck. You see him creating turnovers, but for the most part in his time in Edmonton, he hadn’t really carried the puck in, however, we’re seeing that more now.

Also, on that play, he was on his toes on the faceoff, beat the defenceman, and got the puck because he was ready. That’s his mindset — he knows he not only has to be good on the forecheck and in the defensive zone, but also off faceoffs. He knows he always has to help out, and there are no shifts off for him. That’s just Pods.”

“It was insane. He’s coming up the wall, wheeling and dealing — goes inside, outside, then inside again. That’s a high-end hockey move, especially at that speed. And then the backhand pass, being aware of where Draisaitl is — it was incredible.

In NHL players’ careers, they can have breakout moments, and I feel Podkolzin is having a coming-out party right now. I think you’re going to see that he’s only going to get better.”

“I knew he could become a fan favourite, based on his work ethic and energy, his attitude, the way he plays the game, and the pride he has.

You’re just seeing now the evolution of Vasily Podkolzin.

Also, I compare him to former Vancouver Canuck Alex Burrows. When Podkolzin went to Edmonton, I told him, ‘This is the kind of player you have to be when you go there,’ and he agreed. I showed him how Burrows played with the Sedins — he was an energy guy, but he created, became a fan favourite, and took advantage of his opportunities. That’s very much like what Podkolzin is doing with the Oilers.”

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