TORONTO -- There was one question Nail Yakupov couldnt escape during the NHLs scouting combine. Gary Carter Jersey . Mikhail Grigorenko and Andrey Vasilevskiy kept getting it, too. Even Alex Galchenyuk -- an American despite his Russian-sounding last name -- was unable to get through an interview this week without being asked why hed rather play pro hockey in North America than the Russian-based KHL. "I told (my parents) that since I was a little kid my dream was to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup," said Galchenyuk, who was born in Milwaukee. "Its not to play in the KHL and Gagarin Cup. I think I want to be a great player in the NHL and play against the best players. ... "I just want to play in the NHL and I see myself in the NHL." Its become increasingly difficult for Russian teenagers to convince NHL teams of that fact. Consider that 47 Russians were selected in the 1992 draft alone, yet only 39 have been taken in the past five years combined. The point will come into focus even more this month at the draft in Pittsburgh, where Yakupov is expected to be the No. 1 pick overall and Grigorenko and Vasilevskiy are potential first-round selections along with Galchenyuk. However, even the top-ranked Russian players elicit concern from some NHL teams. Its a taboo subject for many -- general managers and scouts alike are loathe to speak publicly on the topic -- but the continued threat posed by the KHL is causing many to think twice before drafting teenagers from Russia. "Part of the problem is you never get them to buy in," said Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney. "Theres always that little option that when you face some adversity, its easier just to say nyet and go in the other direction (to the KHL) instead of making it work. You have that out. "I think I can speak to probably every manager in the game saying theres some hesitation there." That much was made clear to the current batch of Russian prospects as they were subjected to interviews from as many as 20 teams. Even Yakupov and Grigorenko, who both moved from their homeland to play in the Canadian Hockey League, found themselves repeatedly explaining their future intentions. "All the teams asked me about this, about the KHL," Grigorenko said. "I understand why theyre concerned about this, but I told them I will not go there for sure." The 18-year-old managed to display a sense of humour about the topic. He went through interviews on Thursday wearing a polo shirt adorned with a large red Maple Leaf that he picked up at a local mall. "Everyone was laughing," Grigorenko said. "I came here last year to play in the NHL. Its my dream, I will wait for the chance. I just want to play in the NHL." However, theres no denying the strong allure of the KHL. Both the Washington Capitals (Evgeny Kuznetsov) and St. Louis Blues (Vladimir Tarasenko) have had trouble luring recent first-round picks to North America. Players are able to earn a lot more money in Russia than theyd get on an entry-level deal in the NHL and they dont have to worry about the possibility of being sent to the American Hockey League, where they make considerably less. The chilling effect it has had on the NHL is undeniable, with only eight Russians selected in the 2011 draft and just 30 players from that country having appeared in a game this season. Edmonton holds the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and will have Yakupov visit the city this weekend for a follow-up interview. That organization hasnt selected a Russian-born player since 2006 and GM Steve Tambellini is anxious to become better acquainted with Yakupov. "You have to get to know the player, you have to get to know the person," said Tambellini. "You have to find out what really motivates them and why and what their goals are. And then maybe you get a sense of if there should be some hesitation or not." Yakupov sat down with 18 different teams this week and fielded several questions about his nationality. The consensus No. 1 pick in this draft for the past year, there have been some whispers that it could end up working against Yakupov. If Edmonton were to pass on him, Columbus might do the same with the second pick given the trouble that organization had previously with top-ranked Russians Nikita Filatov and Nikolai Zherdev. However, Yakupov says hes "not worried" about teams being unsure of him because of his homeland. He hails from Nizhnekamsk in the far east of Russia and insists that hes his own man. "Every player has his way, you know?" said Yakupov. "Im Muslim, Im not Russian. If you say what happens with the Russian factor, its his life. I have my life. Ive got to work. "It doesnt matter what teams going to (take me) in the draft. ... For me, it will be my team, my first favourite team in the NHL. I want to play and do everything for them." Jeurys Familia Jersey . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. Wilmer Flores Jersey .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown. http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/tim-tebow-mets-jersey/ .ca. Hello Kerry, After watching Nino Niederreiter clobber Alex Burrows with an open-ice hit on Wednesday, do you think he should have gotten more than the two minutes for interference.AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Chicago Bulls didnt get a great night from their starters Wednesday. Their backups made sure they didnt need one. Reserves D.J. Augustin and Taj Gibson combined for 48 points on 18-of-30 shooting as the Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons 105-94 for their fifth win in six games. The Bulls only led by one point going into the fourth, but Augustin and Gibson had 20 of Chicagos 34 in the fourth. "A lot of guys are stepping up on this team right now," Gibson said. "Everyone is working hard and helping in whatever way we need. The guys are just focused on the team right now." Both coaches went with seven-man rotations for most of the game, but Chicagos duo completely outmatched Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum. They finished with 12 points on 5-of-20 shooting, including a 1-for-11 night from Bynum. "Will played his heart out, just like he always does," Pistons coach John Loyer said. "He gives us everything hes got every night, but there are going to be some games where the ball just rolls off the rim. Theyve got two very good players coming off the bench -- Gibson has done that all year for them and Augustin has been like that since he got to Chicago." Joakim Noah finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his sixth career triple-double, including two in the last three games and three in the last month, while Jimmy Butler had 18 points and 12 rebounds. "Jos our leader, and a triple-double is nothing to him," Butler said. "We are starting to expect that from him. He does so many things well that it makes it easier for the rest of us." Greg Monroe led Detroit with 27 points, but the Pistons struggled all night to get anything going from the outside. They took 34 shots from outside the paint, and only hit nine (26.5 per cent), including 2-of-11 on 3-pointers. In contrast, the Bulls hit 46.7 per cent from outside. "They hit shots, especially in the fourth quarter, and they picked up their intensity on defence," Loyer said. "We didnt match that, and when you do that against a playoff team, you areent going to win many games. Steven Matz Jersey. " Detroit led for most of the second quarter, but appeared to get rattled by an officials decision. Smith was driving for a layup that would have made it 43-34, but the shot was blocked by Mike Dunleavy. Smith didnt get back on defence, staying near the basket to argue the call, and Jimmy Butler got an easy alley-oop dunk at the other end. Smith was then called for a technical, and Augustin hit the free throw to make it a four-point game. Chicago scored the next four points to tie the game, and a technical called on Loyer with 3.7 seconds left in the half helped the Bulls take a 52-47 lead at the intermission. The Pistons narrowed the gap to 71-70 in the third quarter, but Augustin and Gibson kept scoring off the bench to help Chicago stay in front. Augustins three-point play early in the fourth keyed an 11-2 run to start the period, putting the Bulls up by 10. "We talk about how we want to finish games, and we were real strong coming out for the fourth," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "Our defence was strong, and our ball movement was good. Hitting the open guy makes a big difference." Augustin wasnt finished, either. His 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 15-point lead with six minutes to go, and the Pistons never threatened down the stretch. "They just outplayed us in the fourth quarter," Andre Drummond said. "They are a very disciplined team that prides itself on defence. We hung with them for three quarters, but they ran their offence in the fourth quarter and outexecuted us." NOTES: Loyers technical at the end of the first was called in a highly unusual manner. Loyer was discussing a call with official Olandis Poole, who showed no indication of calling anything, but John Goble rang him up from 30 feet away. ... Gibson and Brandon Jennings picked up technicals arguing calls in the second half. Gibson left the game with 3:39 to play after rolling his right ankle, but returned moments later. ... IndyCar champion Scott Dixon was honoured during the first half as part of a promotion for the Detroit Grand Prix. Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Online Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping ' ' '