Vasily Podkolzin spent his summer training like Zach Hyman, and the Edmonton Oilers are about to notice.
This offseason, Podkolzin put in 12 one-on-one sessions with skills coach Ned Lukacevic. No breaks. No small talk. Just reps.
Podkolzin posted 19 goals, 18 assists and 37 points in 82 games last season, carrying a plus-16 rating on a $1,000,000 cap hit.
Hyman scored 31 goals and added 21 assists for 52 points in just 58 games, at a $5,500,000 cap hit.
That gap is exactly what Podkolzin is trying to close. He wants Hyman's toolkit, not his own ceiling.
The drills were built around wall play, deflections and net-front tips, the same bread-and-butter work that turned Hyman into a 30-goal scorer on the Oilers' top line.
Podkolzin even labeled the reps himself. "Let's do a Hyman tip," he'd tell Lukacevic. "Let's do a Hyman redirect."
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Podkolzin's summer audition lands right as Mike Babcock takes over
It's a little like an apprentice shadowing a master craftsman, except the workshop is an empty rink in Burnaby and the tools are pucks fired off the boards.
Lukacevic also had Podkolzin working the Power Edge Pro aid, the same equipment Connor McDavid uses for edge work and reaction time.
According to Lukacevic, Podkolzin shoots one-timers with his hands cinched tight together, deliberately copying Leon Draisaitl's low, quick release from the left circle.
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Is that enough to turn 19 goals into 25? Bob isn't ready to promise that, but the process behind it looks real.
Mike Babcock takes over as Edmonton's head coach this season, hired on June 23, 2026, which means every returning forward is making a fresh first impression.
Podkolzin, at 25, still carries a bargain $1,000,000 cap number for a team paying McDavid $12,500,000 and Draisaitl $14,000,000.
That value only holds up if the offensive touch shows up on schedule, not just in offseason video clips.
Lukacevic isn't just working with Podkolzin either. Mark Scheifele, Brenden Dillon and Logan Stankoven all came through his sessions this summer.
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For Podkolzin, the real test starts whenever puck drop actually counts, and a new coaching staff will be watching every shift to see if the offseason grind shows up on the score sheet.
Should the Oilers bump Vasily Podkolzin into a bigger power-play role this season?
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