| Draft Type | Round | Pick | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Projection | 5 | 137 |
Small, but bright Russian centre with high skill level, great stick handling and playmaking abilities. Displays a quick stick. Is terrific at creating open space for himself, as he immediately cuts to open ice after passing the puck. Highly mobile and elusive, and opponents had a tough time getting a clean hit on him. An excellent playmaker who can attack his own, or open up space for his teammates by holding onto the puck and drawing in defenders, opening space for them. His passes are almost always accurate and tricky. He has improved the power and velocity of his wrist shot, which had been a problem last year. Hid weakness is his lack of physicality, his passive defensive play, and his wilting under pressure. The fact that he is high charactered individual, intelligent and confident has me thin king he can speed up his development and iron the deficits out of his game.
--Bill Płaczek--
