DETROIT, Aug. 22 -- Sergei Samsonov, a 17-year-old Russian phenom regarded as one of the top three prospects in the world, signed Thursday with the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League. Samsonov, who will be eligible for the 1997 NHL draft, has been compared to Russian superstars Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny.
He grabbed the world's attention during a tour of Ontario with the Central Red Army junior team in 1994-95, scoring 46 goals and 37 assists in just 24 games. As a 16-year-old in the Russian Elite League last season, Samsonov had 21 goals and 17 assists in 51 games. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound forward was third in scoring and fourth in goals. 'Sergei is inordinately talented and blessed with a great deal of pugnacity and courage,' said Vipers coach Rick Dudley. 'He is a phenomenal package. Sergei is one of the most talented and exciting players in our game. The signing is a special treat for our fans.' Samsonov is the third eastern European teen-ager who has bypassed junior hockey to play in the International Hockey League. Radek Bonk spent parts of two seasons with the Las Vegas Thunder before the Ottawa Senators made him the third overall selection in the 1994 NHL draft. Petr Sykora played a season for the Vipers before the New Jersey Devils picked him 18th overall in the 1995 draft.
