Prospect Info: 2023 142nd Overall - Mikhail Ye. Ilyin

[SEALBound]

His production for a 18yo in the KHL is quite good. Excited to see how he continues to develop. I'd like to see him at 0.5PPG+ for the season.

I love players with great hockey sense. Always have. And hey, hard to argue with a kid who wears #99, right?
Wayne Gretzky
Wilf Paiement
Mikhail Ye. Ilyin

You forgot Mark Donk and Buzz Fillbin.

 

[The Old Master]

Just thought that Ilyin is a great example that pretty much every year I get really wrong on someone lol.

your my horse even if you never win another race.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Might be why he fell. Last year he was on Cherepovets' bottom lines and scouts were like "okay he's playing in the KHL and all but he's not big, he's not fast and he isn't scoring so what's to like here?" Guessing even our scouts felt the same way to some extent or else they would've picked him higher than they did.

I feel this is the exact same scouting report as me: I'm not fast or big or have any particular redeeming skill but I feel like I'm in the right place most of the time

 

[Hockeyville USA]

29 points in 65 games in the K as an 18 year old is extremely impressive. Wonder if you guys have found a truly hidden gem. Almost no one on Twitter or HFBoards has really hyped him up, which is odd

 

[Malkinstheman]

29 points in 65 games in the K as an 18 year old is extremely impressive. Wonder if you guys have found a truly hidden gem. Almost no one on Twitter or HFBoards has really hyped him up, which is odd

No one hates Pens prospects more than Pens fans lol. We're traumatized by years of bad drafting and development

 

[Turin]

29 points in 65 games in the K as an 18 year old is extremely impressive. Wonder if you guys have found a truly hidden gem. Almost no one on Twitter or HFBoards has really hyped him up, which is odd

Hopefully we get more footage of him this year. Seems like he's already the Pens 4th or 5th best prospect with a chance to climb.

 

[Ryder71]

Hopefully we get more footage of him this year. Seems like he's already the Pens 4th or 5th best prospect with a chance to climb.

I rank him top three.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

29 points in 65 games in the K as an 18 year old is extremely impressive. Wonder if you guys have found a truly hidden gem. Almost no one on Twitter or HFBoards has really hyped him up, which is odd

Great year for him.

As to why he’s not getting more hype- pretty much zero footage of him. Also looks like a bad skater in what little we can see.

 

[Factorial]

No one hates Pens prospects more than Pens fans lol. We're traumatized by years of bad drafting and development

It's more lack of high picks because they've been traded away.

 

[DearDiary]

Great year for him.

As to why he’s not getting more hype- pretty much zero footage of him. Also looks like a bad skater in what little we can see.

From the Pens discord, people who've watched him say he's slow at accelerating up the ice. Though he's good on his edges and agile with his first stride while stick handling from a standstill.

 

[steelcityassault]

No one hates Pens prospects more than Pens fans lol. We're traumatized by years of bad drafting and development

And if he laughs at one of Josh Yohe's jokes, he'll be sent to Siberia! (Wheeling, WV)

 

[Peat]

29 points in 65 games in the K as an 18 year old is extremely impressive. Wonder if you guys have found a truly hidden gem. Almost no one on Twitter or HFBoards has really hyped him up, which is odd

I think the war and subsequent lack of Russian presence at international tournaments means only the flashiest Russians are getting noticed much at the moment. Throw in playing on a fairly unfashionable team and him being a sudden explosion and it's easy to see why he goes under the radar. There's no flashy skills that you can project growth on either, just smart determined hockey on a strong team.

I would add that when I ask prospect watchers about him, they mix caution and optimism. Hard not to be excited by the numbers, hard to be really excited until he does it again and shows continued growth.