| Kirill Kutuzov | Irbis Kazan | MHL | L | RW | 6’0″ | 163 | Kostroma, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: B
Comments: 2025 eligible Kutuzov had a solid performance tonight. He played a solid two-way game and earned a goal on the powerplay. He battled for position in front of the cage and was able to get his blade on a shot from the point to tip it past the goalie. He showed off good effort on the forecheck and joined battles along the boards. He used his body to help create separation and earn possession of the puck. He made a great play on the backcheck to disrupt a dangerous chance in the slot with an active stick. I would like to see Kutuzov pick up his pace of play. His footspeed is too slow right now to provide support on the rush. He cannot beat opponents with his feet which allows him to be easily shut down and force poor passes under pressure. He hasn’t been able to find the scoring touch he started the year with but will likely be a top line contributor for Irbis next season in his draft year.
| Yaroslav Antonov, | Irbis Kazan | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 190 | Novopolotsk, BLR | 12/30/2007 |
Game Grade: C
Comments: 2026 draft eligible Antonov has the potential to become an effective two way forward as he gets more experience in the MHL. He was responsible defensively and applied good pressure without the puck. He was trusted on the first penalty kill unit tonight and did a good job of staying in front of opponents to shut down opportunities. His skating form is very poor. He has little mobility, skates with a wide stance, and has very short strides which generate no power. He is far too slow at the current moment to keep up with play. Yarolslav is only 15 years old and will have plenty of time to improve his all-around game before his draft year.
| Andrei Krutov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | RW | 5’10” | 174 | Togliatti. RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Draft eligible Krutov had a poor showing tonight. He was very low energy and did not make much of an impact. He mostly coasted around and gave up on plays much earlier than he would normally. He did not bring the same motor to his forecheck game either. He usually jumps into every battle and makes it difficult to maintain possession for opponents but was pretty invisible tonight. He was able to show off his skilled puck handling and protection abilities with agile turns away from pressure but did not touch the puck often. Rough night for Krutov. Hopefully he can bounce back next game to continue an impressive draft season.
| Lev Salnikov | Chaika Nizhny Novgorod | MHL | L | C | 6’6″ | 214 | Nizhny Novgorod, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Another good defensive performance for Salnikov. He is trusted on the top penalty kill unit and does good work to shut down chances. He uses his size and reach well to shut down lanes and keeps his feet moving to stay ahead of the play. He showed a very physical style of play tonight. He finished his checks hard and got involved in multiple post whistle scrums. He can hold his own in a fight and does not back down from challengers. Offensively, Lev needs a lot of work. His skating is poor, and he cannot generate enough speed to keep up with play. He was unable to handle the puck well tonight and the rare times when it was on his stick, he fumbled it quickly. As Lev adds more weight, he will become a very solid defensively focused forward. He needs to improve his offensive game and skating to make it higher than the MHL level.
Scout: Henry Lawrence