This is a FanPost written by T. McGee.
DBTBers –
Hello, my fellow DBTB’ers! With the Sabres out of it yet again, our thoughts reluctantly turn to the eternal wellspring of optimism, the NHL Draft. Here’s my Top 100 Big Board at the moment for your reading enjoyment.
Like last time, we don’t have any major international tournaments to draw from. The U-18s are scheduled to get underway later this week, which should shed some light on things, but otherwise we have the respective playoffs across the hockey playing world. The CHL, the Frozen Four, the USHL, and all the European leagues are either deep into their playoffs or finished entirely.
At the CHL level, there’s high drama in all 3 leagues. In the Quebec league, they are down to their Final 4. Among the top draft-eligible performers are undersized scoring machine Justin Poirier (14P in 8 games); over-ager Matyas Melovsky (13P in 8 games); and lightning quick centerman Thomas Desriusseaux (9P in 8 games) for Chicoutimi all have made a splash with over-age defender Niks Fenenko leading the way on the back-end over Sabre prospect Vsevolod Komarov of Drummondville and Alexis Bernier of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (gotta love the team names in the Q!). Over in Ontario, the OHL is almost to its Final 4, with one more match-up still to be decided. There, McGee favorite Beckett Senecke is the top draft eligible with 15P in 10 games for Oshawa, while on the blue-line, high-flying defender Zayne Parekh has put up 8P in 8 games for Saginaw. In the pipes, over-age goalie Jacob Oster is dazzling with a 1.91 GAA and .933 SV% in 10 games. And not to be outdone, in the WHL, Tij Iginla is doing his dad proud, putting up 15P in 11 games for the now-dispatched Kelowna Rockets. Not far behind, Terik Paraschak continues his amazing season with 12P in 9 games, and Clarke Caswell adds 9P in 7 games for Swift Current. Among the defenders over-ager Hudson Thornton has been dominant with 10P in 9 games, while underrated prospect Tarin Smith impressed for the Silvertips in Everett with 5P in 8 games. As more teams are eliminated, the pool of Canadian players heading off to the U18 tournament gets deeper.
Meanwhile, the NCAA Frozen Four tournament wrapped up with a shocking win from Denver over the favorites, Boston College, a week or so ago. The best defender in the Draft IMO, Zeev Buium from U of Denver, was a treat to watch while helping lead his team from the back-end. So efficient, so smooth, can do it all on both ends. Artyom Levshunov, another exciting young defender from surprising Michigan State, chipped in a couple points before Sparty lost to their in-state rivals U of Michigan. On the other side of the bracket, the consensus #1 overall, Boston University centerman Macklin Celebrini, sparkled during the first couple of rounds with 5 points in 2 games. But against the eventual champion Denver, he was shut down and BU got dumped.
Across the Atlantic, Sweden has wrapped up their league playoffs. Some notable items from Sweden – uber-grinder Michael Braddsegg-Nygard was the highest scoring draft-eligible in the Allsvenskan, the Swedish version of the AHL. At the U-20 level, they are already smack in the middle of their playoff season. And some of the usual suspects are leading the way at that level. Oskar Vuollet, the dynamic, playmaking wing, has put up 21P in 9 games while Melvin Fernstrom managed to notch 10P in 8 games at the U-20 after getting 25PIM in 2 games in the Allsvenskan. Among the top defenders at the U-20 level have been Arvid Bergstrom, a speedy over-ager, with 4P in 6 games while dynamic Alfons Freji has 3P in 5 games. In net, super-young tendy Herman Liv has shone with 2.09 GAA and .928 SV% in 8 games despite being only 6’0.
Russia has nearly completed their own U-20 playoffs with a final showcasing everyone’s favorites, Loko Yarslavl versus SKA St. Petersburg. The showdown within a showdown has SKA’s Ivan Demidov, a Top 5 choice, vaulting ahead with 28P in 16 games of McGee favorite Yegor Surin, who has 23P in 17 games for Loko. Unfortunately, it looks like Demidov suffered a leg injury and may not be able to finish out the Finals. Behind them by a good margin is nifty centerman Roman Luttsev who contributed 13P in 17 games playing second fiddle to Surin on Loko. Another potential Top 5 choice, Anton Silyayev, managed 3P in 10 games for Novgorod before being summoned back up to the KHL.
Just to the West, in Finland, their U-20 league is also well into the playoffs. While not as high-profile as the battle between two first round candidates, that league has its standouts as well. Over-ager Benjamin Rautiainen has dominated with 18P in 8 games for Tappara, while hard-shooting Emil Hemming chased him with 10P in 11 games. Highly-rated Veeti Vaisanen put up a modest 4P in 8 games from the back end. But perhaps most impressively, draft-eligible forward Konsta Helenius has managed to score 6P in 6 games in Liiga, Finland’s senior men’s league. He’s been a star all year and a likely Top 10 (or higher) selection.
Now, we have the U18s staring us in the face, and the USA typically prevails in this tournament as Canada sends its B-Team as many of their top players are still involved in the CHL playoffs. Last season, in fact, the US beat Sweden 3-2 after coming back late in the 3rd. Like last season, the Russians will not be participating, as the IIHF has banned them from competition until the Ukraine conflict comes to an end. This year, some of the names to watch out for aren’t necessarily the big guns, but rather some names that could use this tournament to springboard into the Draft. A few you want to look out for are: Marek Vanacker on Team Canada, Lucas Van Vliet and EJ Emery for the Americans, Melvin Fernstrom playing for Team Sweden, the Finns’ Kasper Pikkarainen, Martin Haronik in the pipes for the Slovaks. A few of these names will make a name for themselves in this tournament, and not only for national pride but there is room to climb on the Draft Board. Looking forward to that.
Just a reminder about my personal rankings…these are my rankings as things stand right now. It is not really a Mock Draft or any kind of prediction in terms of where players will get drafted. It is basically my Board in the event someone ever made the horrible mistake of hiring me to handle their Draft. Likely somewhat different than most of the Boards and rankings you’ll see, and in some places very similar (like Celebrini being #1!), I’ll certainly make some changes before the actual Draft arrives and will publish my Top 125 (or Top 150?) before they start calling kids’ names. So no need to panic. This is an evolving list that we’re still months away from finalizing.
As for the Sabres, they are going to have the luxury of drafting true BPA…they’re pretty deep at every position. So you can’t go wrong with a scorer, a passer, or a defender. Hope you enjoy reading!
Let’s go Sabres!
TOP 100 BIG BOARD:
#1: Macklin Celebrini, 5’11 C, NCAA
#2: Ivan Demidov, 5’11 RW, RUS
#3: Zeev Buium, 6’1 LHD, NCAA
#4: Berkly Catton, 5’11 C/LW, WHL
#5: Carter Yakemchuk, 6’2 RHD, WHL
#6: Anton Silyayev, 6’7 LHD, RUS
#7: Cayden Lindstrom, 6’5 C, WHL
#8: Artyom Levshunov, 6’2 RHD, NCAA
#9: Konsta Helenius, 5’11 RW, FIN
#10: Tij Iginla, 6’0 LW, WHL
#11: Cole Eiserman, 6’0 RW, US NTDP
#12: Sam Dickinson, 6’3 LHD, OHL
#13: Sasha Boisvert, 6’2 C, USHL
#14: Trevor Connolly, 6’1 LW, USHL
#15: Michael Braddsegg-Nygard, 6’1 RW, SWE
#16: Beckett Sennecke, 6’3 RW, OHL
#17: Igor Chernyshov, 6’2 LW, RUS
#18: Jett Luchanko, 5’11 C, OHL
#19: Liam Greentree, 6’2 RW, OHL
#20: Matvei Grindin, 6’1 C, USHL
#21: Yegor Surin, 5’11 C/W, RUS
#22: Stian Solberg, 6’2 LHD, NWY
#23: Michael Hage, 6’1 C, USHL
#24: Andrew Basha, 6’0 LW, WHL
#25: Charlie Elick, 6’4 RHD, WHL
#26: Nikita Artamonov, 5’11 RW, RUS
#27: Raoul Boillard, 6’2 C, QMJHL
#28: John Mustard, 6’1 C, USHL
#29: Terik Paraschak, 5’11 RW, WHL
#30: Zayne Parekh, 6’0 RHD, OHL
#31: Alfons Freji, 6’1 LHD, SWE
#32: Dominik Badinka, 6’2 RHD, FIN
#33: Matvei Shuravin, 6’3 LHD, RUS
#34: Maxim Masse, 6’1 LW, QMJHL
#35: Cole Beaudoin, 6’2 C, OHL
#36: Aron Kiviharju, 5’10 LHD, FIN
#37: Simon Zether, 6’3 C, SWE
#38: Emil Hemming, 6’2 LW, FIN
#39: Lukas Fischer, 6’4 LHD, OHL
#40: Melvin Fernstrom, 6’1 C/RW, SWE
#41: EJ Emery, 6’5 LHD, US NTDP
#42: Adam Jecho, 6’3 RW, FIN
#43: Marek Vanacker, 6’0 LW, OHL
#44: Cole Hutson, 5’9 LHD, US NTDP
#45: Tanner Howe, 5’10 RW, WHL
#46: Luke Misa, 5’10 C, OHL
#47: Colton Roberts, 6’4 RHD, WHL
#48: Will Skahan, 6’4 LHD, US NTDP
#49: Adam Jiricek, 6’1 RHD, CZE
#50: Spencer Gill, 6’3 RHD, QMJHL
#51: Leo Sahlin-Wallenius, 6’0 LHD, SWE
#51: Henry Mews, 6’0 RHD, OHL
#52: Ryder Ritchie, 6’0 LW, WHL
#53: Karl Sterner, 6’3 RW, SWE
#54: Dean Letourneau, 6’6 C, OJHL
#55: Jakub Fibigr, 6’1 LHD, OHL
#56: Carson Wetsch, 6’3 RW, WHL
#57: Harrison Brunicke, 6’2 RHD, WHL
#58: Oskar Vuollet, 5’10 C/W, SWE
#59: Ondrej Kos, 6’1 LW, FIN
#60: Danill Ustinkov, 6’1 LHD, SWISS
#61: Miguel Marques, 6’0 W, WHL
#62: Jamiro Reber, 5’10 C, SWISS
#63: Lucas Pettersson, 5’11 C, SWE
#64: David Svozil, 6’1 LHD, FIN
#65: Leon Muggli, 6’0 LHD, SWISS
#66: Jack Berglund, 6’2 RW, SWE
#67: Veeti Vasainien, 6’0 LHD, FIN
#68: Kamil Bednarek, 6’0 C, US NTDP
#69: Justin Poirier, 5’8 RW, QMJHL
#70: Tomas Lavoie, 6’3 RHD, QMJHL
#71: Felix Lacerte, 5’10 C, QMJHL
#72: Ryerson Leenders, 6’2 G, OHL
#73: Sam O’Reilly, 6’1 RW, OHL
#74: Max Curran, 6’3 C, WHL
#75: Tarin Smith, 6’1 LHD, WHL
#76: Colin Ralph, 6’4 LHD, US HS
#77: Hagen Burrows, 6’2 W, US HS
#78: Teddy Stiga, 5’10 RW, US
#79: Tomas Galvas, 5’10 LHD, CZE
#80: Luca Marelli, 6’2 RHD, OHL
#81: Aatos Koivu, 6’0 C, FIN
#82: Will Zellers, 5’11 C, US HS
#83: Markus Gidlof, 6’4 G, SWE
#84: Sebastian Sioni, 6’1 LHD, FIN
#85: Nathan Villeneuve, 6’0 C, OHL
#86: Gabrial Frasca, 6’0 C, OHL
#87: Markus Kearsey, 5’11 LHD, QMJHL
#88: Tory Pitner, 6’1 RHD, USHL
#89: Timur Kol, 6’3 RHD, RUS
#90: Adam Kleber, 6’5 RHD, USHL
#91: Axel Nyman, 6’5 G, SWE
#92: Lucas Van Vliet, 6’1 C, US NTDP
#93: Mikhail Yegorov, 6’4 G, USHL
#94: Kasper Pikkarainen, 6’3 RW, FIN
#95: Hiroki Gojsic, 6’3 RW, BCHL
#96: Tuomas Suoniemi, 5’10 C, FIN
#97: Roman Luttsev, 6’0 C, RUS
#98: Will McIssac, 6’4 RHD, WHL
#99: Darels Uljanskis, 6’1 LHD, SWE
#100: Linus Eriksson, 6’0 C, SWE
Sabres Haul:
1#11: Michael Braddsegg-Nygard, 6’1 W, SWE: A grinding, two-way power winger who can do a little bit of everything, MBN is the kind of prospect the Sabres don’t have a lot of in their pool. He’s not going to wow you with speed like Savoie, or skill like Rosen, or score in bunches like Kulich. What the big Norwegian (6’1 200#) will do is work his tail off and do whatever it takes to win the game. He plays at a super-high tempo all over the ice, in all situations. His compete level is off the charts. MBN is, first and foremost, a puck hunter. Motor never stops. A physical force even against men – he plays in Sweden’s #2 Men’s League, the Allsvenskan – this kid fearlessly throws his body around but always with purpose. Not a blazing fast skater, he could actually use some more explosiveness when it comes to his linear speed, but his feet are very light and he’s got great small-area quickness and agility. Combined with his physical strength and size, he’s a real terror fighting for pucks on the walls. He’s nimble in the corners and around the puck and has the 4-way skating ability to find open spaces and remain there. A very clever player. Excellent spatial awareness. When he commits to puck pursuit, he does so with complete abandon. But he doesn’t chase pucks. Smart enough to know when to drop and take the pass away or disrupt a breakout or go in full-tilt to the corner to finish a check and separate a defender from the puck. I love his play recognition. In that regard, he reminds me of a much bigger Zach Benson. Knows when to attack the puck, when to drop off; when to go to the net, when to slide into open space to receive a pass; when to carry the puck and when to give it to a teammate in a better position. Slippery player on the wall. And this kid can shoot it. Hair-trigger release, MBN will rip that puck coming down his off-wing in stride, he’ll set up for a dangerous one-timer, or cut to the middle of the ice and snap off a rocket. Can score from the tops of the circles in. Has that mature ability to drift around the O-Zone, find open ice, and set up for a pass. Not easy for a kid his size. Never really stops moving, keeps his stick free, but isn’t exerting a lot of effort, just remaining open, waiting…and then bang! Gets a pass and the pucks in the back of the net. Still, he’s not limited to just being a shooter. He can get to the net front and is really tough to dislodge once he establishes position. Not great at deflections or tips, he can still make things very difficult for a tendy just by setting up shop on top of the crease and putting up a screen. Will take a few cross-checks just to obscure the goalie’s view. Where he really excels is without the puck. MBN plays a very savvy game. Flies around at a high-tempo, but rarely if ever gets caught out of position. Loves to lay the body on a defender. Gets into the chest of an opponent and neutralizes their ability to handle and move the puck. Like a dog on a bone, he chases pucks around and hits everything that moves…if the situation calls for it. Still, he almost always finds himself in the right spot. A relentless on-puck defender, he also defends off the puck extremely well for a young player and can defend in space. Great stick work, active stick always trying to eliminate shot and passing lanes. Again, he’s not the fastest but his smarts tend to put him in places that allow him to succeed. A ferocious backchecker. Does it all. One area in which he isn’t great is his creativity and playmaking. Makes a lot of simple, obvious passes and then crashes the net. Plays a very North-South game, linear, attacking style. Not much of a puck handler, nor does he try to dangle his way past defenders. Would rather go through them. If the Sabres were to select him early, it would be the highest a Norwegian has ever been selected. MBN set the record for most playoff points by a draft eligible in Allsvenskan history this year (10P in 12 games); he totaled a very strong 18P in 41 games during the regular season. Also shined at the World Juniors, leading an outmatched Norway with 5P in 5 games. This may seem like an out-there comparison, but I can see MBN resemble Scottie Hartnell in terms of play style and career. And that’s not a bad thing for a Sabres organization loaded with skilled forwards.
2#11: Raoul Boilard, 6’2 C, QMJHL: I think he may wind up going higher, but this kid is a real riser for me and someone I’d love to see them snap up in Round 2 if he’s still on the Board. A kid who’s playing on a team stacked with talent (probably 3-4 NHL 2024 draftees alone on that club), so he’s played a lot of 3C but still put up impressive numbers. Grown 2.5 inches and rounded his game into shape as the season has worn on. A big-time sleeper, I’ve got him as a 1st rounder. Boilard is a power-center gifted with buttery soft hands. With good size (6’2 190#), Boilard plays a very sophisticated two-way game. Extremely responsible defensively, his offensive game often goes underrated simply due to the guys ahead of him on the depth chart. But there’s lots to like. First, he plays a straight-ahead linear game. His skating doesn’t wow you, it’s fine but nothing that would get you out of your seat. His straight-ahead speed is good once he gets going, and his lateral movement shows flashes of being excellent. But he lacks explosion right now, and his pivots could be sharper, but his balance is his best attribute. He rarely overextends, has a crazy good handle, so despite his height is really hard to take the puck from or knock off the puck. You can play him anywhere. He could be a top-line center, or a fourth-line center, could play wing and impress in any role. That versatility shows itself in other aspects of his game. Can score or pass equally well and can play a defensive game if that’s what you need. When he does play center, which is most of the time, he’s a beast in the face-off circle. About 60% winning percentage in Baie-Comeau as a rookie in the Q. Boilard is a nifty playmaker from the middle of the ice. A high-end passer, he uses his balance to maintain possession while scanning the ice. Blessed with a sixth sense for where his teammates will be, connects on a lot of blind passes and puts pucks into space where his wings can go get them. Short-area passing is deadly. Around the net, cross-crease, or give-and-go plays in tight always seem to wind up on the blade of his teammate for the easy chance. Very confident in his ability to distribute. Tries passes others won’t even think of, especially within the slot area. He’s a bear with the puck. A possession monster with a ton of pure strength. And incredibly patient. Will take a couple hits, hang on to the puck, and wait until a lane opens up and then he goes with hesitation. Dangerous in transition. His dual-threat ability makes him tough to defend, and his hands are so good, he leaves defenders in no-man’s land. They can gap up on him and he’ll make the right pass, or they can play off him to take away the pass and he’ll wire a puck top shelf. His shot is heavy and hard. A nasty release when he elects to use it. Snapshot reminds me a little of that Alex Tuch windmill from the high slot. But scores a lot of goals in tight and around the net, where his hands shine. He can get the puck up and over a goalie even from the blue paint. Always seems to wind up either in the crease or a stick-length away from it when play stops. Defensively, he’s surprisingly steady. Tremendous at supporting the puck. He consistently fills in behind the net, helping his D-men outnumber the forecheck. Routinely replaces pinching defenders on the walls, has great recognition when the structure is on the verge of breaking down. Always covering for his teammates. That balance allows him to stay upright in board battles, stick work and hands help him find and recover pucks. Tough on-puck defender whose anticipation keeps him a half-step ahead of the puck handler and allows him to strip pucks or knock them away. Not afraid to plaster an opponent into the boards or use his body to gain position or leverage, but he doesn’t do it consistently. Just has a great feel for the game in all three zones. Put up 62P in 68 games as a rookie in the Q and getting very little PP time. Is coming to play in the playoffs as well, with 5P in 8 games including 2 OT winners. Also won Player of the Game at the CHL Top Prospects game in January. I’m excited to see what this kid might become as soon as next season. A potential steal.
3#11: Tomas Lavoie, 6’4 RHD, QMJHL: Another player from Quebec? What is this, are the Sabres the new Nordiques? Not quite. Lavoie is a big-bodied, classic shutdown defender who just so happens to be a precision passer when exiting his end of the ice. At 6’4 225#, Lavoie is already man-sized. When I say shutdown defender, certain qualities come to mind. First off, Lavoie’s ability to gap up and be a frustratingly good on-puck defender is matched by his awareness in space, off the puck. With his length and his superb stickwork, Lavoie is a real challenge to get around. Understands leverage, gets inside position around the net and always seems to find himself on the right side of the puck. I wouldn’t call him a big hitter, but he can and will rock someone with a big check but always with a purpose. That purpose is usually to separate a puck carrier from the puck, and he does it effectively and efficiently. Doesn’t chase hits. Can be a bear around the top of his crease, routinely clearing that area or leaning that big body on smaller forwards to eliminate them from the play. Uses a longer stick, which makes him even more difficult to challenge with the puck as his stick is constantly in motion, sweeping away pucks and deflecting passes and shots. He’s smart in his positioning and seems to understand where everyone is on the ice most of the time. A stalwart on the PK. Rarely makes an ugly turnover. One area he can struggle with on the defensive side of the puck is against speed. He can get beat to the outside by much quicker forwards, and that goes to his skating. It’s fine, but it doesn’t jump out to me as being high-level…yet. His pivots and changes of direction can be clunky, and sometimes too slow to keep up with oncoming forwards, who can beat him to the net. But his feet are not heavy, and I think with some work he can really improve. Straight-line skating in either direction is good, and his strides eat up a ton of ice, but he’ll need to improve his agility if he’s going to be a strong defender in the NHL. And the Sabres can take their time with him and coach up his skating inadequacies. When his team has the puck, Lavoie’s game changes. He’s got a remarkable first pass. Head is always up, and as soon as the puck hits his blade, he’s looking for open passing lanes. That pass is delivered on time and accurately. Makes a hard, quick pass and transition starts up through the Neutral Zone. Once he gets going, he can carry the puck up using those big strides and his length to maintain possession, but as he advances in level, those advantages won’t be quite as helpful. But Lavoie’s got the head for it. Has a rocket from the point when running the PP. Heavy, hard and comes at you fast. And he can get the puck through traffic by changing the shooting angle. It can be such a weapon that he regularly gets set up for one-timers high in the zone, rather than a forward. Although he can bomb it, Lavoie isn’t an offensive weapon other than his shot. Not a versatile offensive weapon at this point. Doesn’t have high-end puck skills, so stickhandling to beat opponents is rarely effective, and he’s not a great touch passer in the offensive end. Can struggle to receive poor or bouncing passes. He’s still a bit raw, honestly, but given how big and how much weight he’s put on in just a couple years, it might be a function of still growing into his body. But the tools are all there. He’s chipped in 25P in 64 games for Cape Breton playing on their 2nd pair, and another 2P in 9 playoff games. I can see Lavoie being another Komarov for the Sabres, where he develops his defensive game first, and his offense comes later (and there’s a lot of it!). Really like this player if you can be patient with him.
4#11: Caleb Heil, 6’3 G, USHL: The Sabres continue to add depth to their goaltending pool, and Heil is a kid who can percolate in the NCAA for a few years before going pro. Heil is a highly regarded goalie whose game is more on the athletic side of things that positional. Think more Devon Levi, than UPL. And he’s aggressive in attacking the puck, rather than remaining deeper in his net to give him more time to react. Extraordinarily quick in his crease, impressive reflexes and the ability to get from post-to-post in a blink. Will make some spectacular saves in nearly every game. But at times it seems Heil relies on that last second ability to save a goal too much. Positionally, he’s a bit of a mixed bag. Particular with traffic on top of his crease, Heil can tend to lose the puck and once that happens, he’s swimming. It’s a bit of a recurring theme and one of the keys to him becoming a legitimate pro player will be learning to handle traffic and locate pucks through traffic. When he can see the shooter, he’s very good, especially in odd-man rush situations where that athleticism really shines. Has a lot of tools, just has to learn to use them simultaneously to reach that next level. Quick, with a ton of flexibility, he gets tight to the post and can drop those pads to lock down the lower half of the net. Smart as well. Has a tremendous sense of feel for what shooters are going to do and anticipates it a moment ahead of time to get in position and make difficult saves appear easy. One area where he excels over his peers is his ability to handle the puck. Just really strong reads allow him to come out of his net, handle the puck cleanly and move it to the right spot – whether it’s a on the PK or at even strength. Heil has spent most of the year with Sioux Falls, where his numbers hardly blow you away: 4.32 GAA and an .850 SV%. You might wonder why someone with these kinds of statistics gets drafted at all. But Sioux Falls wasn’t particularly good this year, and their best goalie – they used 4 – had an .892 SV% and a 3.82 GAA. So some of the ugliness of those numbers can be traced back to the team defending in front of him. That said, he looked really good at times at the Hlinka last Spring (3-1 with a 3.62 GAA) and sparkled at the World Junior A tournament in a brief appearance. The US NTDP recently elevated him to backstop their team for a few games. Heil will be off to North Dakota in another year, where he’ll try to help them recapture the glory of a decade ago rather than 3 straight losses in the first round of the Frozen Four. A kid to be patient with and hopefully in a few years he starts making noise at the pro level.
4#12: Timur Kol, 6’3 RHD, RUS: Big, mobile defender with a growing offensive game. A monster at 6’3 200#, Kol is surprisingly skilled at that size. All while being one of the younger draft eligibles with a late August birthday, missing the cut-off for next year’s Draft by about 3 weeks. Kol is still growing into his game, which is versatile enough that he can comfortably play both sides. He’s able to use his big frame to be a shutdown defender, but he’s also a facilitator on offense, flashing the ability to be a potent contributor both on special teams and at 5v5. At the top of the list with him are his smarts. In all three zones, Kol reads the play well, gets to his spots on-time, and knows what he’s going to do before he gets the puck. Gifted with some deception in his game, with reverse direction and try to lure opponents into making a mistake so he can clear the puck or trigger transition. Excellent awareness and constantly shoulder checking to see who’s behind him. He can get caught chasing sometimes, but usually plays a smart, safe game around his net. His skating helps considerably. A really good skater, not blazing fast or explosive, but smooth and has excellent 4-way mobility. Jumps on loose pucks. Good lower body strength helps him play heavy on his skates. Willing and able to join the rush and not afraid to get in deep given his recovery speed and stickwork are so solid. Can change directions well and has good feet. Defensively, he’s got a very active stick. While he isn’t particularly physical despite his size, he does use his stick well and although he can get caught above the puck a little too often for my liking, his ability to see the play developing and to move the puck quickly out of trouble is a great asset. The puck doesn’t stay on his blade for very long. The lower body strength lets him pin opposing forwards without really using his upper body, allowing him to not only keep an opponent on the wall, but free the puck with his stick and move it out. Really persistent on-puck defender. Once he’s locked onto you, it’s a chore to escape. Offensively, his best tool is his processing. He sees plays develop ahead of time and moves pucks instantly. This triggers a lot of really clean zone exits, and occasionally, some excellent transition chances. Has a little bit of Dahlin in him when it comes to that. Has a heavy, hard shot even when he gets off quick snappers; he’s dangerous from the point, with a sort of half-slapper that he keeps low and on target, but will drop as far as the lower slot if the situation allows for it. Not a creative passer as of yet, especially in the offensive end. But judging by his ability to move the puck in other parts of the ice, I think there’s more there. Kol notched 8P in 14 games in the MHL (Russia’s major juniors), was promoted to the VHL (their 2nd tier Men’s League) where he put up 8P in 23 games, then received another promotion to the KHL, where he got a couple of games as a 17 year old. Also showed well in the MHL playoffs, where he put up 5P in 8 games. I think you can leave him in Russia for a few years, let him get stronger and more confident, then see what you’ve got. Not unlike Novikov.