The most noticeable potential at the age of 7-8 is manifested in the line of attack, since children's excitement and the desire to be the first in the thick of hockey events, in the dynamics of decisive actions and the unfolding kaleidoscope of events on the ice, as well as to become a direct participant in an abandoned puck, predetermines the choice of most young guys in favor of playing offense. The quality selection and inflow to this position is not accidental. The year 2013 was no exception, where in the line of attack there are now a number of very original and extraordinary boys, many of whom will set the pace of the game in the future for this year of birth. As always, the capital teams are ahead of everyone in the selection.

With such a selection of performers, as in the CSKA and Dynamo teams, I feel that these two teams in the future will be trendsetters for the given year of birth and will compete with each other for the right to be called the strongest, at each of the tournaments in which they will host together participation. Well, strong competition favorably affects the growth of the skills of young players, and we can only be happy that there are as many strong teams as possible by 2013 year of birth.

Dynamo has a choice in attack, everything is in order, at least, the presence of such talented players as Kosmos Orlov, Arkhip Lazarev, Ivan and Elisey Levushkin, Maxim Trofimov, Roman Pomylev supposes the team's play as the first number and a total focus on bombardment of the opponent's goal.

How many secrets the Kosmos keeps Orlov is hard to guess, but usually everything ends with his next abandoned puck. Now, in 2013, it is not enough to beat the opponent's top five, you still need to circle and go around all your teammates, who are also trying to be the first on the puck and score the intended goal. In Dynamo, of course, the game scheme is built very well and each player knows his place on the court, and tries to strictly follow the coach's instructions, besides, the general level of game preparation is high, but in matches for KHK teams, where the general level of preparation is a little different, it was interesting to watch how the Kosmos picks up the puck, bypasses strangers, at the same time its own, leaving neither the slightest chance to take possession of the puck. The player has good motor skills for his young age, scoring flair, understanding of the gameplay, technical base and focus on the opponent's goal, thanks to which he plays quite effectively and productively in the attack of the team.

It is also worth mentioning the twin brothers Levushkin separately, since the guys are late in the year of birth, and this is practically six months or almost a year younger than all the others, which is a significant period, but does not particularly affect their game. Oversized guys take their toll at the expense of speed, agility, good movement and speed in working with the puck. The main instigators and snipers in the team are Lazarev and Trofimov.

CSKA is also doing well with fighting personnel, and if we take into account that in the future the composition of the team will be further strengthened due to systematic and selective selection, then the team in its potential will be able to become one of the flagships of hockey in its year of birth. At this point in time in the attack of the army, the overall Ilya Vetkin stands out noticeably. By the way, he does not get lost against the background of the older guys born in 2012. An early development hockey player who grew up early and in motor skills he is head and shoulders above most of his peers, and in reading the game prevails on the court, and his throw is very strong for his age and delivered. Therefore, his high performance and pronounced leadership qualities are not surprising.

Ilya is not the only one breathing CSKA attack, I am very impressed by the play of the right wing Makar Grinkevich in the attack of the red-blue. In poetic terms, the hockey energy on the site he exudes so high-voltage that sometimes you wonder how ice does not melt under his skates. A smart, technical player with good hockey abilities and inclinations, who is able to create a scoring chance both for himself and for his five partners.

The game of Michael Ogurtsov looks no less interesting - this is a dimensional striker of the power plan, who feels at ease on larger grounds, where you can roll out and there is a place to push and beat an opponent. He is one of the top scorers in any tournament he takes part in.

The army team also has a hidden reserve in the person of Pavel Bure, the son of our legendary player. Now he stands for the senior year of birth 2012 and is gaining experience in the game, and in the future, if possible, he will be able to strengthen his year of birth at the tournament.

A potential star by his year of birth, this is how the central striker of the Kazan team "Ak Bars" Emil Zaripov can be described. Do not be confused by the name of this player, which is absolute, consonant with the name of the legendary hockey player of the Kazan team. If there are any family ties, then they are absolutely conditional and are of a secondary nature for a given period of time. Much more important is the game of the hockey player himself, and this is how future stars are probably born in the hockey firmament, instantly flashing a bright supernova and blinding everyone with their light. There is a chance not to see his games during the ice battle, but for this you have to sit through the whole game with your eyes closed. He stands out on the court with his movement, and in many respects predetermines the outcome of the fight with his individual actions on the court. He is a fairly large player for his age, well coordinated, with a high level of technical characteristics. It is not particularly difficult for him to wind up and beat the opponent's players over and over again due to better skating and puck control technique. Then it will be interesting to see how much more he can add to his game, because with each new season the general level of training of young hockey players will grow and level out, and nothing will be given so easily, including for children endowed with a large share of hockey talent. But I suppose that the ceiling of its capabilities cannot be discerned now, since it is high enough for the naked eye, more serious optics are needed here.

In addition to Zaripov, as part of the Kazan team "AK Bars" I will note the game of another central striker Amir Sharifullin, a very nimble and tenacious player, with decent dribbling at speed, with a sniper talent and leadership skills.

We have decided on a potential star by the given year of birth, now we will determine the player who best suits the phrase "Russian rocket". It is not difficult to make a choice, there is such a player in the line-up of "Auto-Spartakovets", and his name is Andrey Bornovolokov. The central striker from Yekaterinburg has a distance speed of just some cosmic proportions for his year. He turns on with his feet in a matter of moments and if you add good technical data to his speed, then in the end you get a very sharp and non-standard striker, with high leadership qualities and bombarding talent.

Judging by the matches watched, Novokuznetsk has a very interesting and combat composition, there are a lot of interesting and talented guys in its ranks, with a high base of individual skill. Players such as Vadim Borodin, Mikhail Malyshev, Artem Oreshin set the tone for the team's attack. I will especially highlight Oreshin's puck handling technique, the impression is that the puck, as if by an invisible tape, is screwed to the hook of the young hockey player's stick.

It would be very sad not to see the birth of Chelyabinsk boys in the list of the most notable players in 2013. Yes, there are not many of them, but there are talented guys in Chelyabinsk, take the same Vladimir Kozlov, who has a good starting acceleration, or Timofey Matveyev, a player with leadership qualities and a pronounced scoring instinct. Of course, I would like the productivity of the school to be comparable at least to the work of recruiting in the 90s, when no matter what year you take, Chelyabinsk players such as Kuznetsov, Shalunov, Nichushkin, Trenin, Abramov were among the clear leaders of their year of birth. Apparently, the coaching department of Chelyabinsk is going through not the best times now, but we will believe in the best.

I am impressed by the play of the following strikers Zakhar Teske (TsKhM) and Vladislav Artyushin (KHK), both look very solid on the court in an attacking plan, kick well, are technical and are capable of a lot in the attack of the team.

One of the most technical strikers in his year of birth is Kirill Maksimenko (Olympian), so it doesn't really matter for him what size of the court to play, since he can beat one to one literally on a small piece of the ice rink comparable to a handkerchief.

As part of the team "HC Dmitrov" I remember the game of Vladimir Ukolov and Demid Sysoev. So Sysoev is a versatile player, capable of playing equally useful both as a defender and as a striker. Adds in high-speed qualities, then there will be no price for it. His team-mate Ukolov is a very fast and focused hockey player, with good puck control, reading the game and for such an attacking opponent's defense players need to keep an eye out.

The Far East has its own outstanding stars capable of delivering under two dozen pucks per match into the opponent's goal. It is a pity that players of this caliber do not stay in their native land for a long time, flap their wings and fly away soon to raise the prestige of some metropolitan team. So Ratmir Alekseev (Admiral) and Matvey Zhmaev (Progress) with such a set of individual qualities that they possess and with such a level of their own skill, it will be difficult for them to hold out for a long time in their teams.

One of the most talented players by his year of birth is Daniil Yurkov from SKA-Yunost, a tempo player who shows himself well in the creative part of the attack and in the destruction of the opponent's attacks. He is well-versed technically, sees the site, notices partners, is quite varied and creative on the site. He stands out not only in games for his peers, but also for the senior 2012, where he is one of the leaders of the offensive line.

The line of attack for 2013 pleases with its high-quality shots and I can't even believe that at the age of 7 or 8, the guys are ready to create and perform such masterful things on the site. For example, Yaroslav Ryazanov from the “Volna” team is a recognized team scorer, he has everything in order with speed qualities, he is also quick in working with the puck and has a set throw. He sees the court and is always ready to play for a partner if he is in a better position. I will also highlight the game of the following guys. For example, in the game of Daniil Inozemtsev from Berdsk, it is captivating that, with all his individual skill, he reads the game well and quickly, calculates the situation and does not rush headlong into the opponent's goal, acting with a cool and reasonable head. The same striker Grigory Ovchinnikov plays beyond his years of maturity, literally with the puck on the "you" and noticeably stands out for its attacking potential. No less talented is Philip Zyryanov, who is a very nimble and technical player, with balanced skating and speed qualities. He is one of the team's sharpest strikers. No less interesting in the attack is Yegor Baikalov from Puck, who is one of the leaders of the St. Petersburg team. How many goals he scored in individual passes, and how many more goals he will score in the future.

I will also note the play of the following attackers - these are Maxim Ivanov (South Urals), Yaroslav Zaburdaev (Lada), Alexey Chanchin (SKA-Yunost), Ivan Konopikhin (Metallurg.Mg), German Li (Amur), Matvey Tsyganov (Torpedo N.N.) , Vsevolod Grigoriev, Dmitry Zaitsev (both Yeti), Kirill Magdyuk (Titans), Yaroslav Annenkov (Altai), Ivan Babiets (Alpha), Alexey Gustoyedov (Swifts), Nikita Likhachev (SKA-Strelna), Andreev and Shatalov (SKA Silver Lions) ), Mikhail Krainov (Temp), Luka Dvoenko (Dynamo S-P), Platon Klekov (Dynamo), Artemy Levankov and Artem Andreev (both CSKA), Demid Alexandrov (Rubin), Alexander Baryshev (Wings of the Soviets). All these guys are very interesting, with their own charisma. So, I'm sure about their game there will be a reason to talk separately in the future.

There are interesting, smart guys in the line of defense, but due to their age, they need more time to declare themselves. Regarding the matches watched, I noted the double-sided defender Georgy Galichanin, I do not know, however, what his club affiliation is, since at many of the tournaments he played in different teams, be it Belgorod, Voronezh or Bobrov. Nikita Mitrofanov (Dynamo S-P) is no less interesting in the defense line. Dynamo's Ilya Yashin and Bogdan Malichenko looked good at the Breakthrough Cup. Vasily Morozov (KHK), Daniil Kartashov (Titans), Firsov (Altai) are talented.

It's too early to draw any definite conclusions about goalkeepers. In the end, all the guys are great.

Well, I wrote the letter "A" in the hockey alphabet for 2013 year of birth. Let's see what will change over time in the alignment of forces and the list of names by the time when the time comes to write the final letter "Z".