Penguins/NHL
Scouts see NHL offensive ability from Belov
The Pittsburgh Penguins are making a hard run at signing Russian defenseman Anton Belov of Avangard Omsk and the team is considered among the front runners to sign Belov with an unknown western conference team.
Belov, 26, is a big skilled defenseman at 6-foot-4, 218-pounds. Belov had 9 goals and 26 points in 46 games for Avangard.
The Penguins are drawn to Belov because of his excellent skating ability on the backend. Two people in the know I spoke with early this afternoon, both claimed that Belov has NHL ability when it comes to the offensive skills he possesses; Strong skater, hard shot and has command on the breakout. Both, though, expressed some question marks whether his offensive ability will make up for some defensive issues he will likely have at the NHL level.
