LD Mikhail Gulyayev - Avangard Omsk, KHL (2023, 31st, COL)
- Thread starter Kshahdoo
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GermanSpitfire
EU Video Scout for McKeen’s | Rest Easy #13
Impressive kid for sure - I hadn’t gotten to view him until I saw him in the MHL against Magnitogorsk and I was really impressed and understood why he is as as acclaimed as he is.
AMScouting
Registered User
- May 23, 2021
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Significant plays from three games of Gulyayev. The first game is from the MHL. The last two games are from the VHL.
Caser
Moderator
He is my favourite D-man in this year's draft so far. I am almost ready to put him to top 5 discussion. At least easy top 10 for me. Really fan of his game. His only knock will be his size and some questionable decisions without puck but kid is wizard with the puck and magnificent skater who can burn you really easily.
Oh, and he is a Russian, but if you can ignore that fact, kid is really quite something to watch.
Oh, and he is a Russian, but if you can ignore that fact, kid is really quite something to watch.
Another 2 points.
12 points in 6 MHL games.
2PPG for D-man at 17
12 points in 6 MHL games.
2PPG for D-man at 17
Silkytentacles
Registered User
He plays like Adam Fox. He’s a definite top 10 player in this draft on the cusp of the top 5.
He plays in Russia, I think that's why it's hard for a lot of people to follow him. Scouts in Russia have long rated his talent quite close to Michkov. It seems that his talent is higher than that of Sergachev, Provorov and Mintyukov. At least, his impact on the game at junior and youth level is more impressive than the guys above.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
Excellent and easily KHL ready.
Silkytentacles
Registered User
I’ve seen people higher on other Russian players when I would say he’s the he best in this class
I don’t think it’s geopolitics as much as with young Russians tied to KHL contracts you know you are going to have to wait. Which existed well before other stuff happening in the real world.
Which ultimately is often for the best but when you tell an NHL team they can’t have direct contractual oversight over a top 5 or 10 pick (until spring 2025 in this case) - I think it does start to influence their decision making. It’s like telling a little kid they can open their present this Christmas but they can’t play (and possibly other ruin) their expensive shiny new toy for another 3 years.
Which ultimately is often for the best but when you tell an NHL team they can’t have direct contractual oversight over a top 5 or 10 pick (until spring 2025 in this case) - I think it does start to influence their decision making. It’s like telling a little kid they can open their present this Christmas but they can’t play (and possibly other ruin) their expensive shiny new toy for another 3 years.
barriers
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- Feb 10, 2020
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FLYguy3911
Sanheim Lover
- Oct 19, 2006
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And to think someone in this thread said he wasn't dynamic.
Kid is electric. Forward-like puck skills.
JadedRandom
Registered User
This guy is by far and away the best defenseman in this year's draft class. I may have only caught him on tape a couple times when he played in the MHL, but I came away so impressed that I had to post it.
As others have said in this thread, Gulyayev is astoundingly impressive with the puck on his stick, or when it comes to his intelligence on the ice.
His skating, while not elite by any stretch of the imagination, more than suffices for Gulyayev to get where he needs to go, while his playmaking abilities are truly top-tier. And Gulyayev shoots the puck well also, consistently finding shooting lanes even in tight coverage. His slap shot isn't anything to write home about, but I really like how deceptively good his wrist shot is, also how quickly he can shoot when under pressure.
Transition-wise, Gulyayev is also very efficient, and that has a lot to do with how deft his passing is, and the quality of his reads with/without the puck. More precisely, he is a very strong transition player because of his ability to find his teammates quickly all over the ice and give them the puck in comfortable spots for them, with good timing away from defenders' checking, and the right strength to get through sticks without being too hard to handle.
Then you start analyzing his defensive play, and you realize that Gulyayev is also very advanced for his age in that part of the game. Sure, his gap control needs some work, he can be a bit too passive engaging opponents at times, and Gulyayev also sometimes had trouble defending/ending the cycle in my viewings. But for the type of very offensive-minded defenseman that he is I find that those flaws of his are actually impressively small.
This is clearly no Marc-André Bergeron here.
Some might look at his listed height and weight, 5'10 and 170 pounds, and worry that Gulyayev might be too small to move bigger players from the front of the net and on the boards, which could severely limit his upside defensively.
There is some truth to that, and it could be an issue when playing against some of the bigger/more physical NHLers. But scratch a little bit of the veneer off of Gulyayev's skill-first game and it immediately becomes apparent how competitive he is, how pugnacious/full of vim and vinegar he can be when challenged physically. He might not win the physical battle against tougher/bigger opponents, but he won't shy away, which is exactly what you want to see in a young defenseman.
The main negative about Gulyayev's game (aside from a lack of ++ size/strength), and something that will need to improve if he wants to be a good NHLer, is that some of his offensive pinches/rushes can be a bit ill-advised/too ambitious. To add to that, he also tends to want to extend plays longer than necessary while also too often trying to be "cute" with the puck on zone entries/exits instead of simply clearing the puck and going for a change.
The last thing (alongside overall progression) that I think Gulyayev really needs to improve if he wants to have a good career in the NHL, is to learn to more "directly" attack the net with his choice of plays if he wants to find success as a pro in NA, to be a bit more "North-South" if you will.
So yeah, I know that 2023 has a reputation about being a bit weaker than usual for defensemen, but Gulyayev has legit top-pairing upside and should be a strong consideration for a top 10 draft spot, even with the plethora of strong forwards in this draft.
I rest my case, but, as an aside, people seriously need to pay more attention to Russia for this year's draft class. There's Michkov in his own tier, then Gulyayev, but there are also a couple really interesting guys after that.
Anyways, that's it from me. Cheers and have a good night.
As others have said in this thread, Gulyayev is astoundingly impressive with the puck on his stick, or when it comes to his intelligence on the ice.
His skating, while not elite by any stretch of the imagination, more than suffices for Gulyayev to get where he needs to go, while his playmaking abilities are truly top-tier. And Gulyayev shoots the puck well also, consistently finding shooting lanes even in tight coverage. His slap shot isn't anything to write home about, but I really like how deceptively good his wrist shot is, also how quickly he can shoot when under pressure.
Transition-wise, Gulyayev is also very efficient, and that has a lot to do with how deft his passing is, and the quality of his reads with/without the puck. More precisely, he is a very strong transition player because of his ability to find his teammates quickly all over the ice and give them the puck in comfortable spots for them, with good timing away from defenders' checking, and the right strength to get through sticks without being too hard to handle.
Then you start analyzing his defensive play, and you realize that Gulyayev is also very advanced for his age in that part of the game. Sure, his gap control needs some work, he can be a bit too passive engaging opponents at times, and Gulyayev also sometimes had trouble defending/ending the cycle in my viewings. But for the type of very offensive-minded defenseman that he is I find that those flaws of his are actually impressively small.
This is clearly no Marc-André Bergeron here.
Some might look at his listed height and weight, 5'10 and 170 pounds, and worry that Gulyayev might be too small to move bigger players from the front of the net and on the boards, which could severely limit his upside defensively.
There is some truth to that, and it could be an issue when playing against some of the bigger/more physical NHLers. But scratch a little bit of the veneer off of Gulyayev's skill-first game and it immediately becomes apparent how competitive he is, how pugnacious/full of vim and vinegar he can be when challenged physically. He might not win the physical battle against tougher/bigger opponents, but he won't shy away, which is exactly what you want to see in a young defenseman.
The main negative about Gulyayev's game (aside from a lack of ++ size/strength), and something that will need to improve if he wants to be a good NHLer, is that some of his offensive pinches/rushes can be a bit ill-advised/too ambitious. To add to that, he also tends to want to extend plays longer than necessary while also too often trying to be "cute" with the puck on zone entries/exits instead of simply clearing the puck and going for a change.
The last thing (alongside overall progression) that I think Gulyayev really needs to improve if he wants to have a good career in the NHL, is to learn to more "directly" attack the net with his choice of plays if he wants to find success as a pro in NA, to be a bit more "North-South" if you will.
So yeah, I know that 2023 has a reputation about being a bit weaker than usual for defensemen, but Gulyayev has legit top-pairing upside and should be a strong consideration for a top 10 draft spot, even with the plethora of strong forwards in this draft.
I rest my case, but, as an aside, people seriously need to pay more attention to Russia for this year's draft class. There's Michkov in his own tier, then Gulyayev, but there are also a couple really interesting guys after that.
Anyways, that's it from me. Cheers and have a good night.
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I for one don’t see any issues with his skating. His edgework is impeccable, just needs a bit more power in them legs which will come with time. Everything else looks elite. He looks like one of those guys that’s kind of “floating” above the ice. Effortless omnidirectional mobility, like a water bug in skates.
Deceptive moves and creativity on breakouts, confidence with the puck, and I love his desire to attack. Elite++ situational awareness too. Easy top-10 talent.
Deceptive moves and creativity on breakouts, confidence with the puck, and I love his desire to attack. Elite++ situational awareness too. Easy top-10 talent.
RayMartyniukTotems
Registered User
- Jul 8, 2022
- 7,286
- 2,896
And really there is nothing wrong with that. Most players drafted at 18 aren't ready to become full time NHLers until 21-22. And longer to make a game by game impact
Talented guys still aspire to NHL. For the best hockey players there is no alternative.
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