| Aydar Suniev | Penticton Vees | BCHL | L | F | 6’2″ | 205 | UMass Amherst | 2023 | Moskva, RUS | 2004 | 2022-2023: C+ |
BCHL: BCHL All Star Game, February 11, 2023: Aydar is a skilled heavy left-shot forward. The late 2004 has a strong lower half and is tough to knock off the puck. He scored a goal by creating a turnover driving hard to the net and finishing a one-timer from the low slot. He has smooth hands and makes quick high percentage decisions. He uses his reach well to protect the puck and buy extra time and space. Keeps his feet moving to get to space. He doesn’t panic under pressure and will draw opponents to him before sliding a pass to the open man. Worked hard in all three zones and competed for pucks. Grade: B+
BCHL: Penticton vs Vernon, January 1, 2023: Suniev totaled 17:14 in ice time including 17:14 while on the power play. He did not play while shorthanded. He finished the game +1 with 1 power play goal, a beautiful primary assist on a 2on1 where he sold shot to get the the defender to go down before sliding it over for a tap in, 3 shots, 1 PP shot, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 1 hit, received 1 hard hit, had 1 shot blocked, 5 giveaways, 2 takeaways and he won 45% of his 11 puck battles. Throughout the game Suniev was always a threat with the puck in the offensive zone, having that unique ability to control the play and not panic with the puck while being pressured. Holds onto it and has his head up and hands in a shooting position to dictate what he wants to do with the puck. Scored the first goal of the game by receiving a pass on the half-wall pump faking his opponent (who went to block it) walking to the middle and ripping a bullet through traffic bar-down. Owns a smooth skating stride but is also strong on his skates. When skating with speed despite being hacked or whacked he remains balanced and motivated to move forward. This allows him to attack the net and not be a perimeter player. Having longer legs and a longer reach allows him to be explosive and elusive. Was able to poke pucks by his opponents move onto them with speed and create offense with his linemates. Grade: A-
BCHL: Penticton vs Cranbrook, December 10, 2022: Suniev totaled 16:33 in ice time including 2:00 while on the power play. He did not play while shorthanded. He missed the game on 12/9/22 versus Wenatchee and maybe he was playing through an injury, but in our opinion was a bit lackadaisical in this one. During 5on5 play he was circling and turning his back on the play far too often for a player who has such high offensive instincts and demands the puck. While on the power play he showed the ability to fire hard one-touch passes as well as the puck poise to just cradle the puck while a penalty killer was in his face. Suniev also threw a beautiful 25′ royal road sauce pass that cleared multiple sticks before landing softly for a one-timer opportunity. He finished the game -1 on a goal he had very little to do with, with 0 points, 0 shots, 0 hits, 7 giveaways, 1 takeaway and he won 40% of his 5 puck battles.
BCHL Playoffs: Penticton vs Trail, April 5, 2022: An exceptionally skilled forward with a lot of offensively gifted abilities. Does everything at full speed which makes him hard to defend against. Challenges defenders in 1 on 1 situations and has the speed and hands to beat them. Creates opportunities for himself as he has that unique ability to get to the net no matter what’s in his way. Can stick handle in a phone booth and isn’t afraid to make the extra move. Effective on the PP as it displays his skill and ability to make those elite plays around the net. Likes to catch and shoot opposed to one-timing the puck, but its effective as it can beat the goaltender, but also create second chance opportunities. Ironically enough – the 5th goal of the game in Game 2 was scored by a bullet of a one-timer on the half-wall. B
2004s: World Selects Invite, July 10, 2019: Suniev is a high compete, high IQ forward who plays a complete game. He lacks size but has a balanced stride, bounces off body contact, and can maintain possession in small, contested areas. He has skill but doesn’t overexpose the puck a ton and he plays a more subtle, savvy game instead of relying on tricks and slick moves. He can read a play and find the open ice, he has a powerful release that he gets off quick in stride and was highly productive offensively finishing the tournament with four goals and six assists in 8 games. Grade: B+
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images