| Alexei Dontsov | Krasnaya Armiya Moskva | MHL | L | C | 5’9″ | 176 | Moscow, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: This was one of Dontsov’s best performances that I have seen in a while, but he still needs to add a lot to his game to be worth a selection. Dontsov’s footspeed and elite hands allow him many opportunities in transition. He pushes pace up ice with the puck on his stick and has the speed to drive wide past opponents. He has the skill and confidence to make the cut from the board towards the net but was unable to generate any good chances from his plays tonight. His best rush play came on a penalty kill in the second period. He delfected a pass at the top of the zone and powered his way through contact to break out and set himself up on a breakaway. He battled through a defender that was tight on his hip the whole way and settled for a solid wrist shot from the high slot. He was at the end of a long penalty kill shift and was unable to beat his man fully but showed a great compete level to make it that far. The problem with Donstov’s game is he is nearly invisible when he is not in transition. He rarely ever touches the puck and makes poor choices to quickly throw it away when he does. He mostly floats around the ice and does not show much effort until the puck is on his blade. Better game for Alexei than normal but still missing many important elements to his game.
| Matvei Shuravin | Krasnaya Armiya Moskva | International | L | D | 6’3″ | 195 | Moscow, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Shuravin is a mobile two-way defenseman that loves to get involved offensively. His skating and most of his movements look a bit choppy but he is able to generate solid speed up ice. He joins the rush often to become an option and constantly rushes from the defensive zone into the offensive zone by himself. He needs to learn to make his decisions to activate at more opportune times. Sometimes he jumps into the play when it is not necessary, and it leads to odd man rushes in the other direction, and he does not have the speed to get back in time. He moves the puck well with quick pass decisions and uses multiple scans to get a picture of the ice before making his choice. Defensively, he gaps up well in transition and times his step ups well to help shut down the rush. He needs to learn to use his stick more effectively in zone defense. There were a couple of plays today where he could have shut down a pass with a quick poke but instead played very reactionary and had to scramble to stop chances in front. He is also drawn out very wide in the defensive zone. He needs to learn to pick his spots rather than get sucked out and leave wide holes around the net. I have been up and down on Shuravin but this was a better performance than I have seen recently. I think he has potential to become a bottom 4 defenseman and will greatly improve his chances of becoming a consistent NHL player by improving his skating form and becoming more responsible with his aggressive plays on the rush.
| Ilya Pautov | Krasnaya Armiya Moskva | MHL | L | RW | 5’10” | 165 | Novosibirsk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Pautov is a skilled and speedy forward with the confidence to work his way to the net to generate some dangerous chances. He always keeps his feet moving and the puck finds his stick often. He drives play up ice with speed in transition and is able to pull off skilled moves at the line to enter the zone around the defense. He showed off an impressive delay game tonight, slowing up and scanning to find pass options when he realized that he could not push wide. He uses heel-to-heel skating to work his way around the offensive zone and uses his smaller frame to slip through tiny cracks in the defense and get open for chances around the cage. Pautov’s best play of the night came in the third period on a forecheck. He applied good pressure to a man in the corner of the offensive zone. With the help of a teammate, they forced a turnover, Ilya picked up the puck and made a hard cut to the front of the net and was able to get a dangerous shot off. Pautov’s motor is always running, and he battles hard to work his way to the cage. He is a bit undersized which will likely keep him from being drafted but Pautov is worth a look in one of the later rounds due to his workhorse mentality, skilled hands, and quick feet.
| Mikhail Sozinov | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | L | D | 6’3″ | 187 | Veliky Novgorod, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: C+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Sozinov is an incredibly agile defenseman who uses his footwork to his benefit in all situations. He is very shifty with the puck on his stick and able to change direction with quick edge changes, crossovers, and hard stops and starts. This allows him to escape from pressure with ease and move the puck up ice. He keeps his head up and fires crisp break out passes to push play towards the offensive end. Mikhail showed off skilled hands and executed a pretty toe drag move around a forechecker in his own end to start a rush up ice. He uses his edgework well to change the angle of his body and execute passes. He walks the line well. Sozinov also used his strong skating ability to stay in front of opponents in defensive transition and did not let anyone get past him on the rush. Sozinov’s skating is propping him up right now. He needs to learn better positioning in his own end and to forecast plays made by opponents rather than reacting late. He also needs to use his skill in the offensive zone to take more risks in order to generate offense. He is a fantastic skater and has great hands which make him worth a risk as a late round pick.
| Ivan Demidov | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | L | C | 5’11” | 181 | Sergiyev Posad, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: This was not Ivan’s best performance this season, but he still picked up 2 assists and showed some of the traits that will cause him to be selected very early in the first round of the 2024 Draft. He had great pace in tonight’s game and showed great effort on the forecheck. He jumped into battles and applied tight pressure which forced multiple turnovers. Ivan did not give up easily and continued to press even after passes were completed by opponents. Ivan is fantastic at staying in motion without the puck and has a great knack for slipping into open space at the perfect time to become a quality target for his teammates. He uses this ability to set himself up for one-time opportunities which he was able to pull off many times this game. He has a heavy slap shot and hits the net more often than not. One downside from tonight’s game was his decision making with the puck. He often overhandled it and attempted to execute complicated moves into large crowds which lead to turnovers. He was far too easy to shut down with a quick poke check due to his insistence on attempting highlight reel dekes rather than simplifying his game with a drive wide or quick pass. He was the main target for Krasnaya’s defense and was surrounded every time he was on the ice, but he needs to work on his ability to beat intense pressure and simplify his game. Despite many turnovers, he was still able to execute some pretty moves using his feet. He makes very quick cuts and was able to exploit small changes in defensive coverage to get just about wherever he wanted using his edgework. Another flaw which was exposed tonight was his inside edge heavy skating form. Typically, he is able to slip through entire teams using his edges, but Armiya was able to show that if you apply consistent tight pressure and some contact, it is very easy to knock Ivan off of his feet. He is going to need to work on strengthening his legs and allow himself to utilize other skating forms rather than settling into inside edge C-cuts. His first assist was a secondary that came off of a rebound from his shot from the slot. His second assist was on a nice effort play during a power play in the second period. A rebound for his shot popped out into the slot and Ivan jumped into the play to win the loose puck from the defender and tap it over a teammate in the center lane for a wrist shot finish. Ivan is a very skilled and speedy forward with top 6 potential in the NHL. He has been dominant since returning from injury a few weeks ago and has shown why most covet him as a potential top 3 pick in this year’s draft. Some of his flaws were exposed tonight but he consistently shows high level offensive skill and great effort without the puck which make him worth a high selection, and he will likely have a very successful career in the NHL.
| Yegor Graf | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | LW | 5’10” | 174 | Barnaul, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Graf seems to be steadily improving his play over the last few games. He has definitely seen a boost since starting to play with Demidov on the first line, but he has the skill and speed to help contribute to their offense. He picked up 2 more assists tonight and looked much more confident than normal. He remained calm under pressure and made deliberate passes to open teammates. His first assist came early in the game when he battled for a rebound in front of the net and worked the puck to his teammate, back door for a tap in finish. Good battle by Graf to keep the play alive and set up a goal. His second assist came on a power play in the second period. He possessed the puck behind the cage and slipped the puck to a teammate in the slot for a wrist shot finish. Two primary assists from Yegor tonight off of heads up, effort plays. He shows off quick feet and skilled edge work to move around the offensive zone. He makes quick give and go passes to keep play moving. Graf is definitely not the main offensive driver, but he is a helpful support player who uses his speed and skill to generate some offense. If he is able to continue playing with the patience that he showed tonight, he will earn himself a selection in June.
| Matvei Korotky | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | C | 5’11” | 170 | Krasnoyarsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Not a very impressive game by Korotky today. He has slowed down as the season has gone on and has been consistently outplayed by other draft eligible players on his team in my last few viewings. He showed off his high-end speed at times in this one but was much more low energy than normal. He shows good protection with his body. His hands looked a bit clunky today and he was unable to use them to create any extra space. He rushed his passes and caused multiple turnovers with bad choices. Korotky is very hard to keep up with when he is at the highest level of his game but did not bring it here tonight.
| Amir Nugmanov | SKA 1946 St. Petersburg | MHL | R | LW | 5’10” | 172 | Nizhnekamsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C+ 2022-2023: C |
Game Grade: A
Comments: Nugmanov has had a fantastic draft+1 season and I think he has earned consideration as an overage selection in this year’s draft. He is a speedy power forward with a big frame, quick hands, and the ability to crush opponents with huge hits in open ice and along the boards. He works hard on both ends and is always in motion to help support play. He powers up ice with speed on the rush and uses a combination of skilled dekes and body positioning to work his way to the net. He has a heavy wrist shot and lets it go often. He showed off the ability to blend toe drags into his release to change the angle of his shot around defenders. He finishes all of his checks hard and seems to finish every game with a season’s worth of checks. He scored a goal in the second period on the powerplay. He cut into the slot and received a pass from behind the net. He caught the pass on his backhand and made a skilled play to move the puck to his forehand around a defender and fired a quick release past the goalie. Nugmanov has shown the potential to become a top 6 power forward. He has dominated the MHL level this season and deserves some time at the VHL level to develop his game further. Definitely worth a look in one of the later rounds and would be a great addition to any team’s prospect pool.
Scout: Henry Lawrence