Was able to watch some more of these prospects in-depth yesterday. Here's what I got...
Dylan Guenther
The first thing that jumps out, obviously, is his quick and strong release. His one-timer rips and is quite accurate. A shoot-first mentality, but has a good eye for the open man. Can't deke to the best of them, but can get around players. Not really too creative one-on-one, but will play situationally. He'll dump and chase if he needs to or use his strong lower body to power his way through the offensive zone. That's another thing that I like, his skating power and edgework. Strong starts and stops don't get off step often, unless after a long shift. He's quite a big and fast skater... almost Gauthier-like. He'll battle along with the boards and lay hits. Pretty aware of his surroundings of the open man/space, both offensively and defensively, to break up lanes or send passes out on the breakout. I think one thing I want him to work on is being a little more committed to the defensive game, but he isn't a liability. Sometimes will lag on the backcheck, but he has a good forecheck. He also has an active stick to plug passing lanes. All-in-all he looks like he could be a solid top-line/top-6 wing option and could be a contributor soon on an NHL PP. I like what he brings to the table. Easily a top-5 talent could go No. 1.
Stanislav Svozil
A two-way defender, but I think he ultimately ends up a mobile defensive defender in the pros. The reason being is his stone hands. Don't necessarily like the way he handles his shots or quick passes, although if given time, could develop that. He has an underrated two-line pass to try for a breakaway. He does play on Kometo's PP, though, so he has some coach's trust. Defensively, I like his game. Gets his sticks in lanes, fights in front (albeit I want him to get physically stronger), and has good awareness of his assignments. He'll also jump in on rushes from time to time and also jump up and disrupt zone entries. Outside of his offensive struggles, I think he also thinks faster than his body does. I want him to work on his edges, strong starts and stops, and overall skating ability, too. ATM, I think he needs a lot of time to hone out his game. Would definitely need an adjustment period in NA hockey. Think he'll be a project that could become a top-4 two-way, but at this moment more like a defensive defender. Mid 2nd round talent, IMO. Might not take him in the 1st round.
Cole Sillinger
Center with offensive flair and finesse, but not all devoted to the other elements of the game. I'll start with the good. He's a deke machine and a shoot-first type. Has good vision, finding lanes to seem passes to open teammates. Breakout passes are good, too. The coaching staff also uses him in all situations including PP and PK. The things I don't like... "junior" style of play. He doesn't use his body or fight for pucks, instead, he allows his teammates to dig in the corners while he waits off to the side. Even then he is limiting his drive of play when the opposition has the puck with lazy forechecking and backchecking. He will, though, use his vision to see if he could jump up and break up a breakout in the neutral zone. Gets knocked down a lot when pressured, but hopefully will gain more strength and grow into his body. He's going to need to commit to the game around him if he's playing in pro hockey, especially in the NHL. If he can develop that, you have yourself a top-6 creative all-star on the wing. If not, he busts.
Olen Zellweger
Small, but bulky, offensive defender with very good footwork and speed. Has QB PP skills and has shown that in his small sample size for this year. Has a good shot that is peppered low with high-quality rebound capability for deflections and clean-up crews. Has a knack for over-committing on pinches, though, and going up for an odd-man rush. A little more defensive coaching could help alleviate that. Very good skater, too and can jump up and come back at ease. Physically aware and will board battle to the best of his ability. Early 2nd round talent, IMO, but he could be a defender who rises into the 1st round.
Sasha Pastujov
Not a huge fan, TBH. He has good forechecking abilities and plays deep in the corners to pry a puck out. There are some things I think that could develop a little later like skating, getting stronger, etc., but ATM he gets knocked down quite easily and doesn't provide much skating effort to pressure opponents. His offensive ability outside the PP seems to lack as well. Just ultimately doesn't bring much to the table. He will go down to block shots, however, he'll lose his assignments in the defensive zone. He is not good with the puck on his stick in a quick transition. He'll throw blind passes and send the puck up the boards without looking and evaluating his situation, thinking on a dime and make a play. You have to have good puck possession in order to play in the pros. His shot is okay, nothing crazy. Passing ability needs to get better. I wouldn't touch him in the 1st round, ATM. Mid-late 2nd round talent, but I think he needs to work on his hockey IQ significantly.
Fedor Svechkov
Big and fast kid who has a quick and powerful pass/release. Has the drive to hound opposing players with the puck on their sticks and try to cause a turnover. Knows how to possess the puck and has underrated stick handling skills. Plays in all situations for Ladia Togliatti and has since been promoted to the VHL. One knock I do have on him, though, is that he gets caught on the backcheck a bit. As a center, there needs to be a bigger desire to get back into your defensive zone. He does forecheck quite well, though, and keeps an active stick to plug lanes, disrupts plays, and create a breakout or zone entry. I love that he has the smarts to slow plays down when needed. There was an offensive chance in the video where two of his teammates kept throwing shots on the net with no thought or look to the open man. Those shots kept getting blocked from the defensive breakdown, but when the puck came to his stick he brought it to the wall (bringing the defensive player with him) and created space for his teammates to open up to. Once that happened, he threw a quick, crisp pass to the defender who swung it to the open man and got a dangerous shot attempt on net. Solid work of play there, IMO. He's big riser for me. Might actually be a top 10 talent in this class.
My other blurbs on some other 2021 prospects is on page 20 of this thread if anyone else was curious...
