Strange as it may seem, Vladislav Namestnikov has a North American game trapped in a Russian body.

Standing at 6-feet and 170 pounds, the 17-year-old center has the speed, hands and scoring touch of his Russian compatriots. But what has scouts raving is Namestnikov's two-way game, one that closely resembles that of North American skaters. "Vladislav has all the skills and talent to be a great player," says E.J. McGuire, the NHL's director of central scouting. "He has a high understanding of the game and an ability to make things happen. And he compensates for a lack of size with straight-ahead speed."

Despite that lack of size, Namsetnikov has begun to garner a reputation for doing dirty work on defense in addition to his solid offensive game. "He works hard at both ends," says Mark Hunter, general manager of the OHL's London Knights, who traded up to the 20th pick and drafted Namestnikov in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League import draft. "He has to get stronger, but we watched him in Belarus [at the IIHF World U18 Championships] and he was the hardest working player on the ice."

Hunter isn't kidding -- Namestnikov had seven points in seven games for the fourth-place Russian team, five of which were goals. The Knights GM has an unusual comparison when looking at the kind of career Namestnikov might have: Hunter believes he plays like Doug Gilmour, who notched 1,414 career points despite being similarly undersized and won a Selke Trophy in 1992-93 as the league's best defensive forward.

A native of Voskresensk (about 100 miles south of Moscow), Namestnikov wasn't always passionate about hockey. "My parents took me out on skates when I was 4 and I didn't like it right away," he remembers. But his mother pressed him to contonue to play because hockey is a family tradition: her brother is Slava Kozlov, the 38-year-old Atlanta Thrashers forward, while Vladislav's father, Evgeny, was a journeyman player who spent time with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders and Nashville Predators.

The family moved to Michigan -- where Namestnikov began to improve as a 9-year-old -- to be closer to Kozlov, who bought Vladislav tickets for the Detroit Red Wings and brought him into the locker room after games. Naturally, the Russians in Detroit, including Sergei Fedorov and Igor Larionov, took a shine to him. "Slava always gives me tips about my offensive game and supported me with hockey sticks when I was younger," Namestnikov says. "He wants me to get to the NHL as soon as possible." With projections indicating he'll be a potential top pick in 2011, that wish is coming true.

When the Namestnikovs moved back to Russia so Evgeny could play in a league there, Vlad added finesse to his repertoire. "Russian hockey is more focused on technique and passing, while it's more physical in the United States," he says. Starting at age 15, Namestnikov spent three years playing for the Russian national 18-under team and for a team in Voskresensk that was part of the country's second-tier league. He was the youngest player in the league but managed to raise eyebrows with 17 points in 26 games during the 2009-10 season. Playing against much older competitors helped fine-tune his already burgeoning game.

Namestnikov's chance to show North America his well-rounded skill set in preparation for next year's NHL draft came this year when the Knights selected him. Namestnikov could have chosen to stay in Russia, but his decision was made simple by the fact that Voskresensk's team folded. He didn't want to sign what would be a five-year contract to play for another Russian team, so Vlad trained with his father for two months, packed his bags and moved into a host family's home to play for London. "My father told me when I got here to keep my head up," Namestnikov says with a chuckle, knowing that he'll be dealing with more physical play than he faced in Russia.

While Namestnikov is focused on the season ahead with the Knights, he also has an eye on his future in the NHL. "It's a different lifestyle, and I worry about that a little bit," he says. Still, playing in the pros has always been a dream and though Namestnikov is undersized, he'll be standing plenty tall on the podium come June when his name is called.

Charles Curtis is a researcher/reporter for ESPN The Magazine and a frequent contributor to ESPN Insider; you can find his full online archives here.