Dima Zhilkin, who was selected by the Saginaw Spirit with the 19th overall pick, has now formally signed his OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
The Saginaw Spirit selected Dima Zhilkin with the 19th overall pick in Friday night’s OHL Draft. He was the first player selected in the 2008 draft class to sign an OHL Development Agreement and Scholarship today.
This season, Zhilkin was a member of the U16 Toronto Jr. Canadiens; the next year, he will wear a Spirit jersey.
His style of play is all about speed and ingenuity. Zhilkin is a prolific offensive player who can trick defenders and create space for himself with his explosiveness and evasiveness.
Dima — the younger brother of Danny Zhilkin — plays a very electric, exciting style of game. He always seems to wear a smile on his face.
Zhilkin’s high-paced game will translate to the major junior level, the only concerns in his game revolve around his size. He is on the smaller and slighter side, but his evasiveness allows him to dodge pressure quite well.
With the Jr. Canadiens, Zhilkin was the go-to player offensively and almost all of their offence went through his hands. This is what Saginaw is getting with Zhilkin as a player — he has the ability to run and drive an offence.
The Spirit loaded up at this season’s trade deadline, which means several of their top players will be leaving next season. Zhilkin should be able to come in and play a middle-six role upon his arrival.
His electric playmaking will bring a lot of fans in to see the Spirit next season, and Saginaw fans should be thrilled with this draft selection.
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