You think he could be a game breaker? How do you explain that he is not one at the MHL level right now? Does he have a single tool that screams even top pair?
Lets go even more simple, what does Gulyayev do better than Reinbacher, or even ASP for that matter.
(I am always looking for the next great russian prospect, I always overrate them, Gulyayev was my golden ticket, but to me he doesnt even look like a player Id spend a second on.)
I absolutely think he could be one, though once again it will require the proper coaching to help reel in his deficiencies defensively. There's also a gambling streak that has to be ironed out.
Having said such, I still think his skating is great, not the greatest top end speed but his ability to gain separation on his first couple of strides is more important to me. I think he could be a top notch transition player and possibly even a great offensive threat, particularly on the powerplay, with his combination of skating and puck skills (only Sandin-Pelikka and Cagnoni are in the same vein). Whether that translates into a top-pairing D-man or a second-pairing guy who mans the first PP or a straight up bust, that I am not sure of just yet, but I'm putting my chips on the former for the time being.
I'll have to schedule a viewing in the next little while to see if my opinion holds up. Truth be told, I will have less time than expected to keep up my prospect watching, at least compared to the fall semester, so it'll probably be limited to one for Gulyayev at this point as I try to catch up on other prospects who haven't been watched yet.
I double checked my list and I have Sandin-Pelikka at 11, it's tight. The latter is very similar to Gulyayev to me, just right handed and more toned down (less dynamic but also less prone to positioning errors). I find both players have these weird moments in the defensive end where they are a little to casual, if that makes any sense, and they are suddenly overwhelmed for not engaging earlier in the play.
With Reinbacher, my limited sample had me seeing his size and how he moves well within his frame. My viewings of his suggest he is more advanced (from a pro game lens) at this stage compared to the other defensemen in this class, outside of MAYBE Simashev but I'd still lean Reinbacher. I'm not convinced he is the next Moritz Seider or David Jiricek yet, my league play viewing of his (i.e., not the WJC which was an unfair situation) gives me the impression of a minute-munching defender who drives decent results both ways and can occasionally break out of his shell and move the puck up ice instead of handing it off to the next guy constantly. I don't think he is in the same league as the other two with the puck, and I don't know if I see top tier upside so much as a second-pairing guy who eats minutes, which is great but not my preference when drafting this high.
On the flipside, Reinbacher is a newer prospect to me as I never caught any matches of his pre-WJC, so I have him pegged for least two more in-season viewings to assemble a more complete picture on my thots and feelings.
