2020 round 3 #76 overall by San Jose Sharks
| Danil Gushchin | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | L | F | 5’9″ | 166 | Niagara Ice Dogs | 2020 | Yekaterinburg, RUS | 2002 | 2019-2020: B |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, March 2021: Offensively I love the poise Danil shows away from the puck. He reads offensive opportunities early understanding puck possession and where / when his teammates will have the best opportunity to find him in the scoring area. To me it looks like he watches National League scorers and emulates their patterns and timing. I don’t think it’s easy. I think it’s something that he studies and works on in practice.
USHL: Muskegon Lumberjacks vs. Youngstown Phantoms, March 26,2021: Gushchin is a highly skilled, dynamic playmaker who signed with Niagara (OHL) this off-season but has returned to Muskegon after their season was delayed by COVID. Gushchin had a strong game here both assisted on the game winner which was a beautifully placed saucer pass on a wide drive to the streaking forward down the middle for a catch and shoot goal with 59 seconds remaining. His goal put the Lumberjacks up one walking out from the wall and roofing it top corner on a bullet release from the faceoff dot. The goal showed his impressive quick release and accuracy in his shot and ability to read the goalie, see he was down and find the net where there was almost no room. He is electric with the puck, he can make opponents miss, he changes speed and knows who to create space for himself and is highly skilled and can find his teammates all over the ice. He started a lot of zone entries for his team with clever passes through the neutral zone and was smart off the puck getting open and was ready to shoot or pass once we got it. He’s improved his strength and looks to be more willing to get to the net front and attack as a shooter instead of relying on his skills on the perimeter. By NHL standards he’ll need to improve his defensive game both in effort and positioning to become a more complete player but he was the most talented player on the ice tonight. OHL: Niagara Grade: A
USHL: Dubuque vs Muskegon, January 2, 2021: Gushchin is a talented forward with high end skill and is extremely creative with the puck on his stick. Gushchin has fantastic edges and hands, which help him separate himself from defenders and make plays with the puck. He is very deceptive and does a great job of using his eyes to make it difficult to anticipate what he will do with the puck. Gushchin created a number of good scoring chances for his teammates in this game, but the Lumberjacks weren’t able to finish with the efficiency they did in the previous night. Gushchin himself had some great opportunities to score, one coming on a breakaway in which he tried shooting the puck between his legs. Unfortunately for Gushchin the goalie didn’t bite and the chance went by the wayside, like many of the other opportunities he created. TheNiagara Ice Dog who is on loan did his best work through the neutral zone and entering the offensive zone, adjusting his speed and threatening on the rush. Overall, Gushchin showed his ability to create with the puck but much of his effort didn’t result in tangible results for his team. Grade: B+
USHL: NTDP U18 vs Muskegon Lumberjacks, December 19, 2020: Gushchin is an elite offensive player that has high end instincts and created a number of quality scoring chances in this game. Gushchin was dangerous coming down off the rush and also when the Lumberjacks were able to establish offensive zone time. On the rush, Guschin is extremely difficult to deal with. He is effective carrying the puck through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone, pushing defenders back and taking advantage of any extra space. When he enters the zone Gushchin will try defenders one on one, but also likes to delay and make plays high in the zone. He has smooth hands and edges that he uses to throw fakes and create more separation. When an opportunity presents itself Gushchin is also more than willing to take the puck hard to the net, demonstrating this early in the game when he was able to put the puck in the net, but got called on a goaltender interference penalty on the play. In the offensive zone Gushchin has a nose for the net, redirecting a few shots from the point and creating small two on ones from offensive movement. Throughout the game Gushchin set his teammates up for a number of high quality scoring chances, often creating odd man opportunities. Overall, Gushchin is an elite offensive player that set up numerous scoring chances for his teammates, many of whom failed to capitalize. Grade: A-
USHL: Dubuque vs Muskegon, November 9, 2020: Gushchin was the most individually skilled player on the ice in this game. He showed great vision on numerous occasions, finding his teammates through seams and cross ice regularly. Two of these passes led directly to goals, the first coming on a powerplay where he faked the shot and fired a pass through a seam to his teammate for a perfect one timer. Gushchin also put in a goal of his own, following up his own shot for a nice rebound finish. Overall, Gushchin was making plays and setting his teammates up for success throughout the night and clearly demonstrated the elite skill he possesses. Grade: A
World Junior A Challenge Update: The smaller Gushchin made a big impact for the Gold Medal winning Russians. After scoring in the team’s opening game against Canada East, he was held off the score sheet until the Semi-finals, where he scored two important goals–including the game opener early on–against the Czech Republic to help send Team Russia on to the Gold Medal match. Gushchin is a skilled, speedy player–his quickness and stick handling stuck out in each game. He was particularly impressive on the penalty kill, where being down a man did not discourage him from trying to score and make plays offensively. His skating with the puck is top-notch, gaining entry into the offensive zone with speed. His 3 goals put him tied for 6th overall in the tournament, winning a Gold Medal for his efforts. Grade: A-
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, July 2020: (1) Brain – Danil is very creative offensively. He sees plays developing early and has the ability to get to the open areas on time. He does not rush the play, yet still plays with pace. He understands how to manipulate defenders gaps and naturally changes speeds on a line rush. In the offensive zone he creates his own picks and uses the net to his advantage. (2) Vision & Poise – A gifted offensive winger. We feel that he can create plays on his own, but will be best suited playing with a play making center. By this we do not mean that Danil can not beat defenders 1 on 1 because he can. We do mean that his strengths are creating something out of nothing in quick give and go situations. (3) Feet – Excellent agility and is very strong on the puck. His low center of gravity allows him to accelerate out of turns and escape quickly from tight areas. Can get to top speed in two quick steps. (4) Compete & Effort – There is zero doubt that when Danil wants it he is the best player on the ice. He wins hand battles for pucks, can use his body to protect the puck for extended periods of time and he loves to be the center of attention. This is a compliment. (5) Contact or Physicality – Danil plays through contact and does not get intimidated. He will battle for his ice against much larger opponents and will not back down. (6) Release – NHL release (7) One Timer Ability – We believe Danil has the potential to be a consistent scorer in the NHL and his ability to one time pucks while fighting through contact is a major reason why. (8) Body Language – Only Note Extremes (9) Special Teams Potential – Danil is a power play guy in professional hockey. At the World Junior A Challenge he was particularly impressive on the penalty kill, where being down a man did not discourage him from trying to score and make plays offensively. We are not sure if this will translate into his professional game, but it shows the confidence he has in himself when trying to make plays. (10) Intangibles – He has always put up points playing Internationally against the best players in his age group. We expect this to continue in the professional hockey and he has the natural instincts to be a top line player in the NHL. Danil is going to get paid to play hockey. His consistency will determine how much.
USHL: Muskegon vs NTDP U17, October 2018: The young Russian was pretty dazzling. Crafty, excellent patience, good separation speed. Great on edges which he used to cut back and create space away from pressure. Takes what is given in space never forcing plays and always trying to keep possession. Scored a pretty goal late, created separation for a 2 on 1, looked at the passer but wired a shot short side over the goalies glove to put the game out of reach. Grade: A-