| Anton Silayev | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | R | D | 6’6″ | 202 | Sarov, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Silayev started this game very well. He looked much calmer with the puck and was executing some difficult passes under pressure to start the breakout. Early on, he also made a couple of nice reads in defensive transition and was able to shut down play on two occasions with well-timed step ups and an active stick. His skating has improved a ton this season. Earlier this year he was a bit clunky and stumbled over his feet, but his straight-line stride has become much more fluid, and he is much more agile than he was before. Unfortunately, as the night went on, he began to regress into the Silayev that I have seen for most of this season. He began rushing his passes and throwing the puck up ice without looking which resulted in multiple icings. Silayev has trouble adapting to changing situations when the puck is on his stick. He often makes an early decision for what he is going to do and even after seeing that the option has been taken away, he still decides to make that choice. There were far too many times in this game where he wound up to shoot, the lane was then taken away and he still had plenty of time to change angle or choice but chose to shoot the puck right into the opponent’s shins. Defensively, Silayev looked very jumpy tonight. He was constantly in motion but there was no method or intention behind his cuts, and it felt like he was just guessing most of the time. He was dragged out of position at times, but I felt that he was actually much better this game with staying in the right spots. He joined some battles behind the net but needs to go in stronger with both his body and stick. He often just hovered around the puck and attempted weak pokes that did not make much of an impact. Silayev’s worst play of the night wound up costing his team a goal. Play was controlled by Severstal in Silayev’s end and the puck was being moved around the outside of the zone. His partner made a play behind the net but was taken out of play when a pass was fired to the slot. Silayev should have stayed in the slot area to close off the shooting lane and block a potential shot but instead, Anton glued himself to a player at the far post which opened up a wide shooting lane which the opponent used and scored with. I think Silayev is a first round quality player, but I do not see the top 10 potential that many seem to rank him as right now. I feel that based on his subpar decision making and puck handling abilities that he would not be a highly touted prospect if he was not 6’7. I feel that his height is propping him up right now and should not be considered for a pick until the late first round. He has a very high ceiling of becoming number 1 defenseman, but his floor is very low and makes me feel that he is not worth the risk with a high draft pick.
| Nikita Artamonov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | RW | 5’11” | 183 | Nizhnekamsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Artamonov has brought the energy in every game I have watched this season. He has an incredibly high motor and battles hard every time he hops over the boards. He joins scrums along the boards and consistently digs pucks out. He has a powerful stride which he uses well to transport the puck up ice with speed. It takes him a couple steps to get going but he has an impressive top speed that is hard to keep up with. He is very responsible with the puck and makes smart pass choices to keep play moving if he runs out of space. He sees the ice well, uses the full width, and switches lanes with quick crossovers to work his way into the offensive zone. In the offensive zone he stays in motion and is constantly searching for better ice. He slips into open spaces and works to become an option to support his teammates. He has good vision and was able to execute a couple of perfect passes in the neutral zone and offensive zone. One in particular he stopped after a zone entry and fired a hard pass onto the tape of a cutting teammate across the zone to set up a scoring chance. Nikita scored 1 goal and 1 assist in tonight’s game. His assist came in the first period when he fired a heavy shot from the high slot which was buried on the rebound. His goal came on a high effort play in the crease where he carved out space in a battle with the defenseman and got his stick on a rebound for a quick tap in. He avoids pressure very well with tight turns and uses his big frame to shield the puck. He is very sturdy and hard to push off the puck. Artamonov projects as a mid to late first round pick and will likely become a very reliable middle six forward in the NHL. He has an incredibly high motor and works hard every shift to earn possession and then create opportunities for his team on the rush.
Player Evaluations: Henry Lawrence