Sergei Kolosov/Siarhei Kolasau signed.

[uk_redwing 495]

[selkie 10]

Now that link clarifys a lot...

The Belarusian transcription from the Kyrillic alphabet can be really ugly sometimes. My first thought was "What, we signed a guy from Polynesia? Do they even have ice sheets down there?"

You see, the Red Wings recently set up an Asian scouting office that's normally based out of Vladivostok. The guys in the office decided to take a vacation after the draft, and headed to Samoa for a week. They turned up this group of Samoan kids playing an improvised game of street hockey on the beach- goals made from repurposed tuna nets, sticks carved out of native hardwoods, and they thought a couple of the kids had potential.

Siarhei? Big Samoan-Indian guy. Not surprisingly, he gets his size from the Samoan side of the family. Good soft hands, can use his size drop other players like a mo-fo on a check but needs to work on his skating, as right now he's never been on ice skates. But you take some chances on some of these guys and sometimes it works out nicely, and since Homer's only got so many more years left, we might as well look for a replacement large ass to park in front of the net.

[Guest Dump-N-Thump]

I'am excited for this kid, Hopefully he can prove he is worthy of his contract, and hopefully he sticks to the NA game, I think he will because he played in the USHL before, So its not a totaly different culture.

I'd enjoy Ference or another rough ruggid veteran *Richard Mathicuk* to be in GR to help this guy learn how to be a solid stay at home defensmen.

Veteran leadership is what we are missing right now in GR. and i hope we can get someone who can help groom Kolosov

[Shutemdown 23]

Well, if he's big and physical, than that's good enough for me. The last thing we need is another undersized defenseman.

My hunch tells me he's the next Chris Pronger.

Honestly, I think you might be right! I began reading every article I could about this guy when I first heard that we had signed him. Granted, he won't be around for awhile, if at all, but if he steps up his game, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with.

I've read a couple different profiles about him so far, and although some of them are different than eachother, they all say a couple of the same things:

- He's a hard-hitting defenseman with GREAT size

- He's definately got a mean-streak

- Not afraid to stick up for teammates

- Surprisingly good skater for his size

- His size... 6'4"... We all like big defensemen.

he may be a little wet behind the ears, but he'll be great one day if he can continue to develop his game. If nothing else, we all know one thing's for sure. If there was any system that could develop this guy's skills the BEST, it would be the Detroit Red Wings! Best system in the world...

Speaking of other prospects I'm definately keeping my eyes on (sorry, not trying to go too off-topic)--

- Ville Leino- Plays a puck-possession style that fits the Red Wings' current system to a T ... Exciting, dynamic offensive player who has the upside to be a real home-run acquisition ... Good playmaker ... Strong down low on the cycle ... Controls the puck well along the boards ... Great puckhandler who is dangerous 1-on-1 ... Soft hands ... Finishing ability has come a long way from his earlier years in Finland ... Competitive and determined ... Capable of playing center and right wing.

- Daniel Larsson- The new Swedish goalie. I like that he came to the U.S. with only a contract, but knowing that he wouldn't be playing for a little while. He wants to be able to get used to the smaller ice, etc. Props for that, though... that's awesome.

- Max Nicastro- The kid got criticized for making it seem like he didn't want to come to Detroit, but it was a mistake... more of a misunderstanding. Anyways, he seemed like a great all-around player and a promising defenseman one day.

-Jesper Samuelson- All around, this guy sounds great. Great hockey sense, great set-up man, can be lethal on the PP, flashes of amazing skating and puck-control. If he can get himself up there, he'll be a great player for the Wings.

[titanium2 867]

Well, if he's big and physical, than that's good enough for me. The last thing we need is another undersized defenseman.

My hunch tells me he's the next Chris Pronger.

http://griffinshockey.com/team/roster/inde...l?player_id=118

Personal: Lives in Belarus…Hockey idol as a youth was Chris Pronger…Most exciting places he’s visited are Turkey and Egypt…Also speaks Russian and Belarussian…Played soccer growing up…Favorite foods are pasta alfredo, Caesar salad and mushrooms…Favorite movie is Eurotrip…Favorite TV show is Man vs. Wild…Favorite web site is Russian Facebook…Favorite sport to watch besides hockey is tennis…Enjoys fishing and camping.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, haha.

[titanium2 867]

He's signed again for one more year.

http://redwings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=534533