Caser
RUSProspects @ gmail. com
It is time for the annual draft-eligible Russian prospects write-up, this year is the 10th anniversary of those (as the whole thing started back in 2014) and very probably this is goodbye for me in some way, as unfortunately I’ve ran into some very unpleasant health issues that got my hearing noticeably impacted at least for now and currently I just can’t see myself getting it done next season. To be honest I’m not even sure I’m providing you with a proper quality content already this year, as sometimes it was crazy tough to watch and analyze hockey due to those issues, but I still think I did it the best way I could, so at least there’s that.
Let’s get down to business though, this year we have some great crop of an elite level talent, since as much as the top 7 guys on the list can be considered as first-rounders by many and I can really see why. I think the depth is not exactly there though, as if we look at it in general, the 2006 borns are not exactly as great as 2005 borns in terms of high-end talented players’ quantity, but with the teams passing on some solid guys in the previous years due to the Russian factor, the number of available overagers (or re-entries if someone prefers that word) compensates that in a pretty good way. So let’s see what do we have here…
1. LHD Anton Silayev
While everyone keeps mentioning how well Anton Silayev skates for a 6’7” guy, for me what stands out even more than that is how smart he is – in his debut season on the KHL level he has been almost flawless in terms of the positional game, for me that’s something pretty much unseen. Naturally for a big kid like him a lot of stuff should still be worked on, he will need quite some time for that too, but the only long-term concern I see in him is the rather mediocre puck skills, I doubt that it can be improved too much (which is also why I’m not a fan of the Victor Hedman comparison), therefore overall his attacking upside is doubtful, aside from the powerful shot, of course. With that being said if I’m an NHL GM, I wouldn’t be hesitating much to take him at 2nd this year, he looks that good to me.
2. W/C Ivan Demidov
I don’t think anyone can doubt Ivan Demidov’s skillset and I actually also like his skating (while I’ve seen some criticism, I think he got the right kind of smoothness in his stride and overall agility that will cause quite some headache to the defensemen in the future). However I think I’m a much less of a fan of him than almost anyone I see out there, as I have quite some question marks about him. One is not entirely his fault: for me it is unclear how well his playing style translates to the higher level, as he is so skilled he just dominated the MHL basically on his skillset alone — frequently his plays made me think “That’s fancy, but won’t work already on the VHL level”. Another concern is that he already has a reputation of being a finesse non-physical forward (which might be twice as important if he is serious about playing at C in the future) and that, combined with getting three different injuries during the season, makes me question his readiness to stand his ground when opponents will try to physically intimidate him. Finally a lot of improvements have to be done in terms of the 200ft game – looks like he is willing to do that, but so far I must admit I sometimes had doubts about his overall understanding of the game, even despite his amazing attacking creativity.
3. W/C Igor Chernyshov
The most valuable asset that Igor Chernyshov got is his projectability: just looking at his frame, athleticism, mobility, skillset – it all just screams that he will be a classic power forward on the NHL level, he seems just too naturally gifted to fail. He is also willing to play responsible two-way game, to be physical and go to the dirty areas, however one thing that bothers me is that when he had earned his place on the KHL level in the second half of this season, his attacking game looked sort of boring and not creative — is that just an adjustment thing (as he looked much better in the MHL in that way) or something that can impact his ceiling? That remains to be seen, but even just looking at the natural talents you can tell that with a very high probability there is at least a solid floor, so I think we’re talking about the first round here.
4. W Nikita Artamonov
Nikita Artamonov’s story this year might be the most interesting for me, as when I first saw him in the KHL games I was like “Hey, he is not ready to play here”, but it took him just a handful of games to make me seriously compare him to Kirill Kaprizov and while later he got injured and wasn’t as amazing on his return, that impression is still strong for me. So what’s the deal with him? He is clearly not the physical kind and in terms of both the skill and skating he is good, but nothing wow there, yet he is very good at making the right decisions at the right times both with and without the puck, surprisingly good for his age — that makes me think there might be something interesting in the end when all the polishing and strength gaining is done. To summarize all that, to me he would be a solid pick in the late first round, but I doubt that the NHL scouts look at it the same way.
5. LHD Matvei Shuravin
For whatever reason Matvei Shuravin isn’t getting enough of attention in different rankings, but if we look just at the tools he isn’t that different comparing to Silayev: yes, he is “just” 6’4” (but might be still growing, as his dad is 6’6”), but he moves extremely well and has superior puck skills. With that being said, while the high-end tools are there, the toolbox still needs to be constructed: for example, while I have praised Silayev for his positional game, Shuravin wasn’t too good at that – outside of the juniors he frequently looked like he got his internal GPS jammed. Yet looking at his talents again I totally wouldn’t be surprised to see his name in the first round this year.
6. C/W Yegor Surin
Already on the junior level Yegor Surin has earned the reputation of being a bit (just a bit though) of an “enfant terrible”: he can easily lose his temper, get some unnecessary penalties and overall he leaves an impression that he isn’t exactly the hardest worker in town. That’s where the bad part ends though, as his talents make it a joy to watch him: his hands are just magic, the shot is precise and with quite a release, he is mobile yet has got the size and likes to be physical, competent both at playmaking and goalscoring, responsible at his own end and extra competitive – all that makes me sometimes think that if his attitude would be slightly more mature he could be Demidov-like dominant in the MHL and would be considered in the same tier as him.
7. RW Matvei Gridin
Whenever I’ve seen Matvei Gridin in action (and I must admit that in his case as well as for other non-Russian based players viewings were more limited than how I would like it to be) he seemed to be a dynamic and consistent attacking threat. Dangerous with the puck, always aimed at the goal and if we look at him purely in terms of goalscoring I think he is in the elite tier of this draft. Would be good to add some two-way component there as well as becoming more physical (as you’d expect more there from someone, who is almost 6’2”), but even what he has to offer in the attack is good enough to consider him as a first-round candidate.
8. LW Andrei Krutov
When the puck in the attacking zone finds Andrei Krutov’s stick, you can just feel something good is going to happen (not too good for the opponents though), as he got that talent to create the offense almost out of nothing. Great puck skills and goalscoring abilities are there too, but on the other hand the size/skating combo is not exactly a big deal, so I don’t expect him to be selected with a high pick. Also to me he is a bit too attacking minded, needs to round up his game a bit.
9. LHD Timur Kol
A big strong D with a cannon of a shot, Timur Kol surely has a lot of potential, as he also moves well and has the right mentality to contribute to the attack too. Still he is rather raw though, as a lot of stuff needs to be improved, particularly the defensive game.
10. LHD Artyom Shchuchinov
What is immediately noticeable in case of Artyom Shchuchinov is his puck skills – he is extremely comfortable with having the puck and looks almost like an extra forward when receiving it in the attacking zone, can finish the plays too. No issues with mobility, as he is a solid skater, but on the other hand he is clearly undersized, so that shouldn’t be much surprising. Needs to become stronger as well as really step up in terms of the defensive awareness and reliability.
11. GK Mikhail Yegorov
Often when talking about the goalies we are talking not so much of the current state of things, but rather about the potential and I think Mikhail Yegorov is exactly that kind of case: a big (6’5”), lanky and mobile goalie with pretty good reflexes, but very raw and needing to make a solid amount of technical improvements.
12. LW Vladimir Mikhalyov
A first draft re-entry on the list and even just looking at Vladimir Mikhalyov can tell you why he wasn’t drafted before – he is a late-blooming kid, whose physical development is still something to be worked on for years to come as well as his all-around game. So why he is here on the list? He skates really well and got some crazy amount of skill multiplied by good smarts, which made that skill translatable to the KHL level too.
13. RW Matvei Babenko
There is a lot of stuff in Matvei Babenko that the NHL scouts always value: he is an athletic skater with quite some motor, can play physical and also has a strong and precise right-handed shot as the cherry on top of all that. However looking at his overall playing style and understanding of the game makes me being not too impressed, as I think it limits his overall upside, still there is more than enough place in the game for the high-energy bottom-six wingers in the NHL.
14. GK Ilya Nabokov
Ilya Nabokov is also a re-entry and is actually one of the oldest players eligible for the draft this year, yet this year has been just his debut year in the KHL, however it is not like he came out of nowhere, as he has been known as one of the best 2003 born goalies in Russia before that too, but the Metallurg organization just started to become youngster-friendly. Nabokov excels at mobility, as his movements are not just quick, but also pretty refined and effective, also he is an amazing puckhandler, always willing to help his skaters in that way. On the downside is the size: he is 6’1” and therefore still undersized, which will make it harder to make it to the NHL. Also I’d add that even though he has been amazing in the KHL playoffs winning the MVP award there, his season overall has had a solid amount of up-and-downs, which makes the question appear if he can get his development and performance curve going upwards consistently.
15. LHD Roman Shokhrin
Here we are talking about projections again: Roman Shokhrin got a great size (6’5”) and frame and also is a really good skater with some impressive puck skills too. Still his current performance is pretty inconsistent, he needs to become more reliable and a bit less chaotic in terms of decision making with the puck, also to continue to fill out that frame. To me he left an impression that he actually can make those improvements happen at least in some way, which is why he is ranked rather high here.
16. RW Ilya Pautov
In Ilya Pautov we have a skilled playmaking winger with some good wheels. He isn’t big, but I’d say he is still pretty athletic for his size. However my concern about him is that if we look at his overall playing style it is still very junior-like opportunistic one, needs to add more structure there for it to translate to the next level.
17. GK Kirill Zarubin
Kirill Zarubin had just an amazing MHL season: playing behind the horrible defensive lines he was the main reason that his MHL team was not only competitive, but also got into and through the play-ins, even despite consistently facing an enormous amount of shots against. Zarubin is a pretty raw goalie with solid size and great reflexes, still in need of some technical refinements, yet that type of consistent shot-stopping abilities likely means that something very right is going on in his head, a thing which can’t be overlooked.
18. W Maxim Velikov
No one has made me scratch my head more often this season than Maxim Velikov: when called up to the U20 Team Russia games he was really showcasing that he got pretty much full high-end attacking package and looked like a potential first round candidate in these games. Yet when returned to his MHL team he looked pretty bleak there and I’d say as a sort of a different player. Maybe a wishful thinking from my side, but it looked like he might have failed to find a common ground with the coaches there and changing environment (as he recently got traded) may fix that. If so, he could be a steal for a team, who might be willing to bet on him at the draft.
19. C/W Dmitry Katelevskiy
Those who have been reading me for some time, know that I’m a fan of Dmitry Katelevskiy, as for me he looks like some sort of an impersonation of the hard work. This season this hard work finally paid off, as despite getting in a rather unfavorable situation for him, he was able to have a real breakout year. At this point he is an all-around developed smart player, although he still is much more about the will than about the skill, but I think even if we project him just as a bottom-six type of guy it is still worth the pick, as with that kind of attitude it is still possible there would be something more.
20. LW Makar Khanin
When it comes purely to the offense I’d say I like pretty much everything about Makar Khanin: a precise right-handed shot, smooth and agile skating, effortless puck control and overall his attacking game seems to be surprisingly smart and well-structured even when playing on the VHL level. On the other hand a lot of work has to be invested into the two-way component, as I don’t see it at the proper level and also he really has to become much more stronger – all that makes him an intriguing, but still a longshot project.
21. RW Maxim Filimonov
I see some impressive assets in Maxim Filimonov: good motor and overall athleticism, a right-handed shot with good release, also smarts and competitiveness, even some decent defensive game, but I’m really not sure why he showcases all that just from time to time.
22. C Roman Luttsev
Roman Luttsev was kind of in the shade of Yegor Surin this season (and probably that’s why not ranked too high), however it is worth to note that on their line he was playing at center more often than Surin. Not overly naturally talented, as I’d say only his shot is notable, everything else is sort of in the ‘good-not-great’ territory, yet plays some mature and overall responsible game.
23. LHD Alexander Siryatskiy
We have yet another case of some raw talent in need of a lot of polishing in Alexander Siryatskiy, as he is tall, has got great hands and is pretty mobile. Still I don’t like how he looks in his own zone like at all, not to mention that he is quite lanky and nonphysical at least at this point.
24. W Vadim Dudorov
Extremely difficult to evaluate Vadim Dudorov’s abilities, as he was given a really limited opportunities on the stacked Loko team, but in those games when he was getting some he looked pretty interesting. Some good hands and finishing abilities there, as well as vision and understanding of the game, but the size and skating are quite mediocre I’d say.
25. W Fyodor Avramov
I can understand why the NHL scouts should like Fyodor Avramov, as he is strong and physical, moves his feet well and also has a pleasant bonus in a nice right-handed shot, but to me his decision making abilities seem to be somewhat suspect to say it mildly.
26. GK Dmitry Gamzin
Dmitry Gamzin is a goalie with size and has shown that he has good reflexes and mobility to make some supersaves from time to time. He has also showed progress in his overall technique and in that way can’t be called a raw goalie, but in the psychological plane he looks raw, as he has the unpleasant ability to let in a soft goal when he really shouldn’t.
27. RW Artemy Nizameyev
A huge amount of skill is something that is immediately noticeable in Artemy Nizameyev, but even on the USHL level he looked undersized and not being exactly fast enough to compensate that. Still maybe in the end there can be something good after some years of refinement in the NCAA, but I wouldn’t count on it happening too fast.
28. LW Yegor Solovyov
Very likable and hard-working kid with a hard and precise right-handed shot. Obviously there’s not only that, as Yegor Solovyov has also both the smarts and athleticism, but a rather mediocre skillset and slightly clumsy skating makes me think the upside might be questionable due to that.
29. C Ilya Ivantsov
Ilya Ivantsov’s point production in the KHL surely has been impressive, as he was an excellent fit for his team’s passing-based hockey, but it is a rather rare case when stylistically a player doesn’t really project to the modern NHL: Ivantsov is a highly skilled natural playmaking center and is really good at that, but he isn’t big, also not the greatest skater and if we look at his game style, he is more about liking to slow the game down and do some east-west hockey.
30. RHD Vitaly Pesterev
Vitaly Pesterev leaves an impression of a natural puck-moving right-handed D, he is big and very agile on the skates, also his puck control skills are pretty effortless, the shot is also there. However as usual you can’t have everything, so the defensive component needs a lot of improvements here as well as the willingness to play it physical.
31. C/W Artyom Kashtanov
Your stereotypical ‘big C with good hands’, Artyom Kashtanov has taken the ‘big’ part to the extreme at 6’7” and 220 lbs. Needs to be more mobile, also to improve his body usage by a lot, as physicality should become his natural advantage, still he has taken some steps in the right direction and was able to stick around in the KHL this season.
32. LHD Ivan Vydrenkov
It was extremely tough to evaluate Ivan Vydrenkov’s game, as he spent most of the season on the KHL team’s bench, but when the opportunity came in the MHL playoffs and in the Team Russia exhibition games he looked very confident and mature. Athleticism is definitely there and overall he left an impression that the puck skills and shot might be better than his stats suggest.
33. LW Timofei Zhulin
Timofei Zhulin has exactly the right kind of wheels that the NHL scouts are always looking for when scouting lightweighted forwards. However, even though I acknowledge that his skating alone can take him somewhere good (which maybe also should’ve gotten him higher on this list), I can’t get rid of the thought that his legs are much faster than his head.
34. C/RW Alexander Shen
A mobile, naturally athletic, skilled and versatile forward – that’s Alexander Shen. Yet it would be really great if he had showcased what he’s got on some consistent basis, not just occasionally, although it didn’t help that he was playing on a rather defensively-minded team.
35. C Yegor Graf
In Yegor Graf we have another case of a modest size/skating combination combined with preferring some east-west playing style – not exactly something the NHL scouts and managers are fans of. Still the right kind of skill and natural playmaking talents are there, looks decent on his own end too.
36. LHD Daniil Ivanov
I must admit Daniil Ivanov always mesmerized me with his size, as he is 6’5” and 220lbs and somehow looks even bigger than listed to me, yet he isn’t a pylon or something. With that being said before this season I had an impression of him as of an immature player, but this season he was suddenly given an opportunity pretty much right in the KHL playoffs and he looked totally ready to me.
37. RHD Yaroslav Tsulygin
A lot of interesting traits in Yaroslav Tsulygin, as he got good puck skills and really enjoys to play physical, also is right-handed, but playing on the KHL level full-time really exposed his rather mediocre foot speed. Skating technique doesn’t look too bad to me though, so maybe it is fixable as he naturally improves his strength and conditioning.
38. C Daniil Anatskiy
Big center with hands, also a pretty smart one, Daniil Anatskiy had a great season in the MHL, but as much as I like all that stuff I can’t close my eyes on the skating deficiencies that are clearly there.
39. GK Maxim Arefyev
I don’t know how Maxim Arefyev is still undrafted: he has got more than enough size, is a very consistent puckstopper and progresses year after year. The only issue I see with him is the lack of exposure on the KHL level, as he is buried in the deep pipeline of his KHL organization.
40. RHD Maxim Venskel
What clearly stands out when looking at Maxim Venskel is his frame and athleticism, also a hard right-handed shot. Looks to be rather reliable at his own end, yet I wouldn’t call him a great skater, also he needs to become stronger, as he is more about the frame than the muscles right now.
HMs
Some HM’s, as usually ranked pretty much for the geeky fun purposes (as it is a very approximate thing, so has to be taken with a solid grain of salt), still the guys that are listed there could be very interesting to keep an eye on for the future. And since it is might be a farewell thing for me, let's at least make it memorable and go for the Top 100 this year.
41. LHD Alexei Rodionov
42. W/C Ruslan Gazizov
43. RW Ivan Okunev
44. W Mikhail Kabat
45. C Alexander Filatyev
46. C/LW Ilya Rogovskiy
47. W/C Artur Faizov
48. LW Grigory Kuzmin
49. C Nikita Almazov
50. LW Ivan Kuzmin
51. RHD Arseny Varlakov
52. C Mikhail Grass
53. C/W Yegor Vinogradov
54. C Itay Yeshua Gurevich
55. C Nikita Prishchepov
56. RHD Arsen Taimazov
57. RW Makar Golikov
58. C Stepan Gorbunov
59. C Nikita Telegin
60. RHD Ivan Kornilov
61. C Alexei Dontsov
62. LW Ivan Kazakovtsev
63. C Matvei Korotkiy
64. RW Yegor Klimovich
65. RW Nikita Surayev
66. GK Alexei Noskov
67. C Ivan Yanchenko
68. LW Danila Sysoyev
69. C/W Andrei Kozlov
70. LHD Kirill Zhukov
71. LW Ignat Lutfullin
72. RHD Gennady Chalyi
73. W Alexander Plesovskikh
74. LHD Bogdan Lebedev
75. RHD Tikhon Shakalov
76. W/C Vasily Zelenov
77. W Nikita Nikora
78. LHD Artyom Kudashov
79. W Kuzma Voronin
80. W/C Oleg Trofimchuk
81. C/W Alexander Volkov
82. RHD Andrei Korzin
83. LHD Danila Istomin
84. LHD Yaroslav Busygin
85. C Daniil Davydov
86. LHD Ivan Patrikhayev
87. C Sergei Artemyev
88. W Maxim Muranov
89. LHD Ivan Remezovskiy
90. C Maxim Maltsev
91. W Semyon Sinyatkin
92. C Raul Yakupov
93. LHD Timofei Kryukov
94. RHD Magomed Sharakanov
95. C Yegor Varyushkin
96. LHD Semyon Fyodorov
97. C Vyacheslav Malov
98. W/C Ruslan Gimbatov
99. C Matvei Averochkin
100. C Roman Strochkin
A bit of a personal note:
Let’s get down to business though, this year we have some great crop of an elite level talent, since as much as the top 7 guys on the list can be considered as first-rounders by many and I can really see why. I think the depth is not exactly there though, as if we look at it in general, the 2006 borns are not exactly as great as 2005 borns in terms of high-end talented players’ quantity, but with the teams passing on some solid guys in the previous years due to the Russian factor, the number of available overagers (or re-entries if someone prefers that word) compensates that in a pretty good way. So let’s see what do we have here…
1. LHD Anton Silayev
While everyone keeps mentioning how well Anton Silayev skates for a 6’7” guy, for me what stands out even more than that is how smart he is – in his debut season on the KHL level he has been almost flawless in terms of the positional game, for me that’s something pretty much unseen. Naturally for a big kid like him a lot of stuff should still be worked on, he will need quite some time for that too, but the only long-term concern I see in him is the rather mediocre puck skills, I doubt that it can be improved too much (which is also why I’m not a fan of the Victor Hedman comparison), therefore overall his attacking upside is doubtful, aside from the powerful shot, of course. With that being said if I’m an NHL GM, I wouldn’t be hesitating much to take him at 2nd this year, he looks that good to me.
2. W/C Ivan Demidov
I don’t think anyone can doubt Ivan Demidov’s skillset and I actually also like his skating (while I’ve seen some criticism, I think he got the right kind of smoothness in his stride and overall agility that will cause quite some headache to the defensemen in the future). However I think I’m a much less of a fan of him than almost anyone I see out there, as I have quite some question marks about him. One is not entirely his fault: for me it is unclear how well his playing style translates to the higher level, as he is so skilled he just dominated the MHL basically on his skillset alone — frequently his plays made me think “That’s fancy, but won’t work already on the VHL level”. Another concern is that he already has a reputation of being a finesse non-physical forward (which might be twice as important if he is serious about playing at C in the future) and that, combined with getting three different injuries during the season, makes me question his readiness to stand his ground when opponents will try to physically intimidate him. Finally a lot of improvements have to be done in terms of the 200ft game – looks like he is willing to do that, but so far I must admit I sometimes had doubts about his overall understanding of the game, even despite his amazing attacking creativity.
3. W/C Igor Chernyshov
The most valuable asset that Igor Chernyshov got is his projectability: just looking at his frame, athleticism, mobility, skillset – it all just screams that he will be a classic power forward on the NHL level, he seems just too naturally gifted to fail. He is also willing to play responsible two-way game, to be physical and go to the dirty areas, however one thing that bothers me is that when he had earned his place on the KHL level in the second half of this season, his attacking game looked sort of boring and not creative — is that just an adjustment thing (as he looked much better in the MHL in that way) or something that can impact his ceiling? That remains to be seen, but even just looking at the natural talents you can tell that with a very high probability there is at least a solid floor, so I think we’re talking about the first round here.
4. W Nikita Artamonov
Nikita Artamonov’s story this year might be the most interesting for me, as when I first saw him in the KHL games I was like “Hey, he is not ready to play here”, but it took him just a handful of games to make me seriously compare him to Kirill Kaprizov and while later he got injured and wasn’t as amazing on his return, that impression is still strong for me. So what’s the deal with him? He is clearly not the physical kind and in terms of both the skill and skating he is good, but nothing wow there, yet he is very good at making the right decisions at the right times both with and without the puck, surprisingly good for his age — that makes me think there might be something interesting in the end when all the polishing and strength gaining is done. To summarize all that, to me he would be a solid pick in the late first round, but I doubt that the NHL scouts look at it the same way.
5. LHD Matvei Shuravin
For whatever reason Matvei Shuravin isn’t getting enough of attention in different rankings, but if we look just at the tools he isn’t that different comparing to Silayev: yes, he is “just” 6’4” (but might be still growing, as his dad is 6’6”), but he moves extremely well and has superior puck skills. With that being said, while the high-end tools are there, the toolbox still needs to be constructed: for example, while I have praised Silayev for his positional game, Shuravin wasn’t too good at that – outside of the juniors he frequently looked like he got his internal GPS jammed. Yet looking at his talents again I totally wouldn’t be surprised to see his name in the first round this year.
6. C/W Yegor Surin
Already on the junior level Yegor Surin has earned the reputation of being a bit (just a bit though) of an “enfant terrible”: he can easily lose his temper, get some unnecessary penalties and overall he leaves an impression that he isn’t exactly the hardest worker in town. That’s where the bad part ends though, as his talents make it a joy to watch him: his hands are just magic, the shot is precise and with quite a release, he is mobile yet has got the size and likes to be physical, competent both at playmaking and goalscoring, responsible at his own end and extra competitive – all that makes me sometimes think that if his attitude would be slightly more mature he could be Demidov-like dominant in the MHL and would be considered in the same tier as him.
7. RW Matvei Gridin
Whenever I’ve seen Matvei Gridin in action (and I must admit that in his case as well as for other non-Russian based players viewings were more limited than how I would like it to be) he seemed to be a dynamic and consistent attacking threat. Dangerous with the puck, always aimed at the goal and if we look at him purely in terms of goalscoring I think he is in the elite tier of this draft. Would be good to add some two-way component there as well as becoming more physical (as you’d expect more there from someone, who is almost 6’2”), but even what he has to offer in the attack is good enough to consider him as a first-round candidate.
8. LW Andrei Krutov
When the puck in the attacking zone finds Andrei Krutov’s stick, you can just feel something good is going to happen (not too good for the opponents though), as he got that talent to create the offense almost out of nothing. Great puck skills and goalscoring abilities are there too, but on the other hand the size/skating combo is not exactly a big deal, so I don’t expect him to be selected with a high pick. Also to me he is a bit too attacking minded, needs to round up his game a bit.
9. LHD Timur Kol
A big strong D with a cannon of a shot, Timur Kol surely has a lot of potential, as he also moves well and has the right mentality to contribute to the attack too. Still he is rather raw though, as a lot of stuff needs to be improved, particularly the defensive game.
10. LHD Artyom Shchuchinov
What is immediately noticeable in case of Artyom Shchuchinov is his puck skills – he is extremely comfortable with having the puck and looks almost like an extra forward when receiving it in the attacking zone, can finish the plays too. No issues with mobility, as he is a solid skater, but on the other hand he is clearly undersized, so that shouldn’t be much surprising. Needs to become stronger as well as really step up in terms of the defensive awareness and reliability.
11. GK Mikhail Yegorov
Often when talking about the goalies we are talking not so much of the current state of things, but rather about the potential and I think Mikhail Yegorov is exactly that kind of case: a big (6’5”), lanky and mobile goalie with pretty good reflexes, but very raw and needing to make a solid amount of technical improvements.
12. LW Vladimir Mikhalyov
A first draft re-entry on the list and even just looking at Vladimir Mikhalyov can tell you why he wasn’t drafted before – he is a late-blooming kid, whose physical development is still something to be worked on for years to come as well as his all-around game. So why he is here on the list? He skates really well and got some crazy amount of skill multiplied by good smarts, which made that skill translatable to the KHL level too.
13. RW Matvei Babenko
There is a lot of stuff in Matvei Babenko that the NHL scouts always value: he is an athletic skater with quite some motor, can play physical and also has a strong and precise right-handed shot as the cherry on top of all that. However looking at his overall playing style and understanding of the game makes me being not too impressed, as I think it limits his overall upside, still there is more than enough place in the game for the high-energy bottom-six wingers in the NHL.
14. GK Ilya Nabokov
Ilya Nabokov is also a re-entry and is actually one of the oldest players eligible for the draft this year, yet this year has been just his debut year in the KHL, however it is not like he came out of nowhere, as he has been known as one of the best 2003 born goalies in Russia before that too, but the Metallurg organization just started to become youngster-friendly. Nabokov excels at mobility, as his movements are not just quick, but also pretty refined and effective, also he is an amazing puckhandler, always willing to help his skaters in that way. On the downside is the size: he is 6’1” and therefore still undersized, which will make it harder to make it to the NHL. Also I’d add that even though he has been amazing in the KHL playoffs winning the MVP award there, his season overall has had a solid amount of up-and-downs, which makes the question appear if he can get his development and performance curve going upwards consistently.
15. LHD Roman Shokhrin
Here we are talking about projections again: Roman Shokhrin got a great size (6’5”) and frame and also is a really good skater with some impressive puck skills too. Still his current performance is pretty inconsistent, he needs to become more reliable and a bit less chaotic in terms of decision making with the puck, also to continue to fill out that frame. To me he left an impression that he actually can make those improvements happen at least in some way, which is why he is ranked rather high here.
16. RW Ilya Pautov
In Ilya Pautov we have a skilled playmaking winger with some good wheels. He isn’t big, but I’d say he is still pretty athletic for his size. However my concern about him is that if we look at his overall playing style it is still very junior-like opportunistic one, needs to add more structure there for it to translate to the next level.
17. GK Kirill Zarubin
Kirill Zarubin had just an amazing MHL season: playing behind the horrible defensive lines he was the main reason that his MHL team was not only competitive, but also got into and through the play-ins, even despite consistently facing an enormous amount of shots against. Zarubin is a pretty raw goalie with solid size and great reflexes, still in need of some technical refinements, yet that type of consistent shot-stopping abilities likely means that something very right is going on in his head, a thing which can’t be overlooked.
18. W Maxim Velikov
No one has made me scratch my head more often this season than Maxim Velikov: when called up to the U20 Team Russia games he was really showcasing that he got pretty much full high-end attacking package and looked like a potential first round candidate in these games. Yet when returned to his MHL team he looked pretty bleak there and I’d say as a sort of a different player. Maybe a wishful thinking from my side, but it looked like he might have failed to find a common ground with the coaches there and changing environment (as he recently got traded) may fix that. If so, he could be a steal for a team, who might be willing to bet on him at the draft.
19. C/W Dmitry Katelevskiy
Those who have been reading me for some time, know that I’m a fan of Dmitry Katelevskiy, as for me he looks like some sort of an impersonation of the hard work. This season this hard work finally paid off, as despite getting in a rather unfavorable situation for him, he was able to have a real breakout year. At this point he is an all-around developed smart player, although he still is much more about the will than about the skill, but I think even if we project him just as a bottom-six type of guy it is still worth the pick, as with that kind of attitude it is still possible there would be something more.
20. LW Makar Khanin
When it comes purely to the offense I’d say I like pretty much everything about Makar Khanin: a precise right-handed shot, smooth and agile skating, effortless puck control and overall his attacking game seems to be surprisingly smart and well-structured even when playing on the VHL level. On the other hand a lot of work has to be invested into the two-way component, as I don’t see it at the proper level and also he really has to become much more stronger – all that makes him an intriguing, but still a longshot project.
21. RW Maxim Filimonov
I see some impressive assets in Maxim Filimonov: good motor and overall athleticism, a right-handed shot with good release, also smarts and competitiveness, even some decent defensive game, but I’m really not sure why he showcases all that just from time to time.
22. C Roman Luttsev
Roman Luttsev was kind of in the shade of Yegor Surin this season (and probably that’s why not ranked too high), however it is worth to note that on their line he was playing at center more often than Surin. Not overly naturally talented, as I’d say only his shot is notable, everything else is sort of in the ‘good-not-great’ territory, yet plays some mature and overall responsible game.
23. LHD Alexander Siryatskiy
We have yet another case of some raw talent in need of a lot of polishing in Alexander Siryatskiy, as he is tall, has got great hands and is pretty mobile. Still I don’t like how he looks in his own zone like at all, not to mention that he is quite lanky and nonphysical at least at this point.
24. W Vadim Dudorov
Extremely difficult to evaluate Vadim Dudorov’s abilities, as he was given a really limited opportunities on the stacked Loko team, but in those games when he was getting some he looked pretty interesting. Some good hands and finishing abilities there, as well as vision and understanding of the game, but the size and skating are quite mediocre I’d say.
25. W Fyodor Avramov
I can understand why the NHL scouts should like Fyodor Avramov, as he is strong and physical, moves his feet well and also has a pleasant bonus in a nice right-handed shot, but to me his decision making abilities seem to be somewhat suspect to say it mildly.
26. GK Dmitry Gamzin
Dmitry Gamzin is a goalie with size and has shown that he has good reflexes and mobility to make some supersaves from time to time. He has also showed progress in his overall technique and in that way can’t be called a raw goalie, but in the psychological plane he looks raw, as he has the unpleasant ability to let in a soft goal when he really shouldn’t.
27. RW Artemy Nizameyev
A huge amount of skill is something that is immediately noticeable in Artemy Nizameyev, but even on the USHL level he looked undersized and not being exactly fast enough to compensate that. Still maybe in the end there can be something good after some years of refinement in the NCAA, but I wouldn’t count on it happening too fast.
28. LW Yegor Solovyov
Very likable and hard-working kid with a hard and precise right-handed shot. Obviously there’s not only that, as Yegor Solovyov has also both the smarts and athleticism, but a rather mediocre skillset and slightly clumsy skating makes me think the upside might be questionable due to that.
29. C Ilya Ivantsov
Ilya Ivantsov’s point production in the KHL surely has been impressive, as he was an excellent fit for his team’s passing-based hockey, but it is a rather rare case when stylistically a player doesn’t really project to the modern NHL: Ivantsov is a highly skilled natural playmaking center and is really good at that, but he isn’t big, also not the greatest skater and if we look at his game style, he is more about liking to slow the game down and do some east-west hockey.
30. RHD Vitaly Pesterev
Vitaly Pesterev leaves an impression of a natural puck-moving right-handed D, he is big and very agile on the skates, also his puck control skills are pretty effortless, the shot is also there. However as usual you can’t have everything, so the defensive component needs a lot of improvements here as well as the willingness to play it physical.
31. C/W Artyom Kashtanov
Your stereotypical ‘big C with good hands’, Artyom Kashtanov has taken the ‘big’ part to the extreme at 6’7” and 220 lbs. Needs to be more mobile, also to improve his body usage by a lot, as physicality should become his natural advantage, still he has taken some steps in the right direction and was able to stick around in the KHL this season.
32. LHD Ivan Vydrenkov
It was extremely tough to evaluate Ivan Vydrenkov’s game, as he spent most of the season on the KHL team’s bench, but when the opportunity came in the MHL playoffs and in the Team Russia exhibition games he looked very confident and mature. Athleticism is definitely there and overall he left an impression that the puck skills and shot might be better than his stats suggest.
33. LW Timofei Zhulin
Timofei Zhulin has exactly the right kind of wheels that the NHL scouts are always looking for when scouting lightweighted forwards. However, even though I acknowledge that his skating alone can take him somewhere good (which maybe also should’ve gotten him higher on this list), I can’t get rid of the thought that his legs are much faster than his head.
34. C/RW Alexander Shen
A mobile, naturally athletic, skilled and versatile forward – that’s Alexander Shen. Yet it would be really great if he had showcased what he’s got on some consistent basis, not just occasionally, although it didn’t help that he was playing on a rather defensively-minded team.
35. C Yegor Graf
In Yegor Graf we have another case of a modest size/skating combination combined with preferring some east-west playing style – not exactly something the NHL scouts and managers are fans of. Still the right kind of skill and natural playmaking talents are there, looks decent on his own end too.
36. LHD Daniil Ivanov
I must admit Daniil Ivanov always mesmerized me with his size, as he is 6’5” and 220lbs and somehow looks even bigger than listed to me, yet he isn’t a pylon or something. With that being said before this season I had an impression of him as of an immature player, but this season he was suddenly given an opportunity pretty much right in the KHL playoffs and he looked totally ready to me.
37. RHD Yaroslav Tsulygin
A lot of interesting traits in Yaroslav Tsulygin, as he got good puck skills and really enjoys to play physical, also is right-handed, but playing on the KHL level full-time really exposed his rather mediocre foot speed. Skating technique doesn’t look too bad to me though, so maybe it is fixable as he naturally improves his strength and conditioning.
38. C Daniil Anatskiy
Big center with hands, also a pretty smart one, Daniil Anatskiy had a great season in the MHL, but as much as I like all that stuff I can’t close my eyes on the skating deficiencies that are clearly there.
39. GK Maxim Arefyev
I don’t know how Maxim Arefyev is still undrafted: he has got more than enough size, is a very consistent puckstopper and progresses year after year. The only issue I see with him is the lack of exposure on the KHL level, as he is buried in the deep pipeline of his KHL organization.
40. RHD Maxim Venskel
What clearly stands out when looking at Maxim Venskel is his frame and athleticism, also a hard right-handed shot. Looks to be rather reliable at his own end, yet I wouldn’t call him a great skater, also he needs to become stronger, as he is more about the frame than the muscles right now.
HMs
Some HM’s, as usually ranked pretty much for the geeky fun purposes (as it is a very approximate thing, so has to be taken with a solid grain of salt), still the guys that are listed there could be very interesting to keep an eye on for the future. And since it is might be a farewell thing for me, let's at least make it memorable and go for the Top 100 this year.
41. LHD Alexei Rodionov
42. W/C Ruslan Gazizov
43. RW Ivan Okunev
44. W Mikhail Kabat
45. C Alexander Filatyev
46. C/LW Ilya Rogovskiy
47. W/C Artur Faizov
48. LW Grigory Kuzmin
49. C Nikita Almazov
50. LW Ivan Kuzmin
51. RHD Arseny Varlakov
52. C Mikhail Grass
53. C/W Yegor Vinogradov
54. C Itay Yeshua Gurevich
55. C Nikita Prishchepov
56. RHD Arsen Taimazov
57. RW Makar Golikov
58. C Stepan Gorbunov
59. C Nikita Telegin
60. RHD Ivan Kornilov
61. C Alexei Dontsov
62. LW Ivan Kazakovtsev
63. C Matvei Korotkiy
64. RW Yegor Klimovich
65. RW Nikita Surayev
66. GK Alexei Noskov
67. C Ivan Yanchenko
68. LW Danila Sysoyev
69. C/W Andrei Kozlov
70. LHD Kirill Zhukov
71. LW Ignat Lutfullin
72. RHD Gennady Chalyi
73. W Alexander Plesovskikh
74. LHD Bogdan Lebedev
75. RHD Tikhon Shakalov
76. W/C Vasily Zelenov
77. W Nikita Nikora
78. LHD Artyom Kudashov
79. W Kuzma Voronin
80. W/C Oleg Trofimchuk
81. C/W Alexander Volkov
82. RHD Andrei Korzin
83. LHD Danila Istomin
84. LHD Yaroslav Busygin
85. C Daniil Davydov
86. LHD Ivan Patrikhayev
87. C Sergei Artemyev
88. W Maxim Muranov
89. LHD Ivan Remezovskiy
90. C Maxim Maltsev
91. W Semyon Sinyatkin
92. C Raul Yakupov
93. LHD Timofei Kryukov
94. RHD Magomed Sharakanov
95. C Yegor Varyushkin
96. LHD Semyon Fyodorov
97. C Vyacheslav Malov
98. W/C Ruslan Gimbatov
99. C Matvei Averochkin
100. C Roman Strochkin
A bit of a personal note:
The treatment for my health condition requires quite some spending and I already got into debts a bit and still will need to undergo at least one surgery, so if someone feels he can and is willing to support me in that way, I’d be very grateful for that, as every bit can be helpful (obviously only do that if you feel you’re comfortable to). My Paypal account can be used for that, it’s email address can be found in my profile info (spaces need to be removed from there), if you want to use some other way or need some additional info please feel free to DM me. Thank You!
P.S.: For the sake of good laugh, here are the links for the previous years’ writeups:
2014: Russian prospects at 2014 NHL draft
2015: 2015 NHL Draft - Russian Draft Class
2016: 2016 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2017: 2017 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2018: 2018 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2019: 2019 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2020: 2020 NHL Draft: Top 70 Russian Prospects (pre-draft update added)
2021: 2021 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2022: 2022 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2023: 2023 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
Sincerely yours,
Caser aka Viktor Fomich aka the guy behind the RUSProspects twitter account.
2014: Russian prospects at 2014 NHL draft
2015: 2015 NHL Draft - Russian Draft Class
2016: 2016 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2017: 2017 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2018: 2018 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2019: 2019 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2020: 2020 NHL Draft: Top 70 Russian Prospects (pre-draft update added)
2021: 2021 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2022: 2022 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
2023: 2023 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects
Sincerely yours,
Caser aka Viktor Fomich aka the guy behind the RUSProspects twitter account.
