Some European players wait until they are drafted to make the jump to the smaller North American ice rinks. This is not always an issue but for others it takes time to adjust to North American hockey.
Vitali Abramov is a Russian winger who moved to Canada and got a head start on making the transition to North America. He may be small in stature (5'9'') but he has plenty of skill - he compiled 93 points in 63 games in his first season in the QMJHL. Abramov had been a dominant offensive force coming up through the Russian junior programs so the Q was a new challenge for him.