| Arsen Taymazov Taimazov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | R | D | 6’4″ | 192 | Vladikavkaz, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: A-
Comments: Taimazov is a strong, 6’4, stay at home defenseman with smooth skating ability. He is not the fastest skater in the world, but his mobility is very impressive for a player of his size, and he uses it to his advantage in all situations. Taimazov is one of the most poised and responsible defensemen in this draft. No matter the situation, Arsen remains calm and consistently makes the right decisions to benefit his team. He is great in defensive transition. He uses his feet to stay in front of opponents and pushes them towards the outside with his strength; typically choosing to end each play with a quick crosscheck to scare opponents from trying him again. He is a very physical player who finishes his checks hard and uses his strength to beat opponents in board battles. He is aware in his own end and jumps on developing plays to keep them from turning into chances. He has an active stick and does a great job of timing his pokes to shut down the rush and force turnovers. With the puck on his stick, Arsen remains fully calm and is able to execute difficult passes under tight pressure. He is not the most skilled player but has more than enough control to change his angles and complete passes. He is great on the breakout, scanning for options before hitting the right choice with a crisp pass in stride. He moves the puck around well in the offensive zone and has a heavy shot from the point that he needs to use more often. A good comparison for Taimazov is Nikita Zadorov. He does not have the same height as Zadorov but plays a similar style of play. Both play a physical defensive game and have the ability to transition the puck with well-timed passes. Taimazov is already a better passer and defender than Zadorov and as he continues to develop, he will likely become a steady bottom 4 pairing defenseman.
Ivan Ryabkin | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 170 | Balakovo, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: A |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Ryabkin had a very impressive game tonight. He is a 2025 eligible forward who has become one of the top scorers in the entire MHL while only 16 years old. He is incredibly confident with the puck on his stick and is not fazed by pressure. He works hard to win pucks behind the net and quickly spins to fire passes towards the slot. He has great vision and was able to set up multiple chances by funneling pucks towards the net. He picked up a secondary assist on the powerplay when he fired a perfectly placed seam pass to hit a cutting teammate on the far side, in stride. The rest of his power play time was just as impressive; he moved well and was able to quickly distribute the puck from the half wall to generate quality looks. He has quick hands and shows the ability to escape pressure with well-timed fakes and quick cuts using agile edgework. Ryabkin is well over a point per game in his draft -1 season. We would not be surprised if he gets steady KHL minutes next season as he seems to have graduated early from the MHL. Definitely a guy to keep track of next year.
| Artyom Bondar | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 172 | Smolensk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Bondar is a draft eligible forward with decent hands and confidence with the puck on his stick. He is active in board battles and hunts for loose pucks to earn possession for his team. He attempted to hit cutting teammates with passes to dangerous areas. His lack of high-end speed holds him back from creating much of an offensive impact. He was also given some time on the power play as a net front, screen option. He has had a decent season but has not produced consistently enough for us to consider him worth a draft selection.
| Kurban Limatov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | D | 6’4″ | 187 | Moscow, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Limatov is a 2007 defenseman with great size and a mobile style of play. He stands 6’4 190 lb and moves with a very smooth stride. He has very agile edgework in his arsenal, and he is able to change direction very quickly with quick pivots and crossovers. He moves the puck around quickly and was able to spring a couple of plays up ice. He needs to calm his game down a bit as he looked visibly anxious when pressure was applied and threw pucks away. He has the skill and footwork to be able to escape high pressure situations but often rushes his choices. Defensively he had a couple of nice plays. He took sticks away in front of the net, joined battles, and finished his checks along the boards. He also maintained a good gap and was able to use his footwork to stay in front of opponents in transition. He is a bit jumpy in his own end and needs to relax in this aspect of his game as well. He seems to chase pucks around a bit too much and over commit to opponents with the puck. Limatov has some rush potential as well. On more than one occasion he was able to generate some good speed and push possession into the offensive zone. Limatov has a lot to work on, mostly settling into this level to play a calmer style of play. He will likely be one of the top defensemen in the 2025 draft class and a name to watch next season for Dynamo.
| Yegor Sidorov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 157 | Moscow, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Draft eligible Sidorov may have had one of the best grinding performances we have seen all year. He is still very young in his MHL career and was given 4th line minutes but every time he was given the chance, he made the most of his opportunity. His motor was unmatched tonight. No matter what zone or situation, he wanted to be the first one to the puck and did a great job of shutting down plays. He was constantly the first one to dumped pucks, entered every battle possible, and had a couple of ridiculous back check plays. One in particular he was stuck behind the play but got on his horse and flew back down ice before taking away an opponent’s stick and breaking up play. What makes this sequence even more impressive was the fact that he immediately turned back up ice and was the first one to a loose puck in the corner seconds later. Sidorov is only 8 games into his MHL career but has made a great impression early. If he can keep this energy up consistently, he will be a no-brainer as an overage selection in next year’s draft.
| Sergei Savinov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 5’10” | 146 | Moscow, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Savinov was not given much ice time tonight but was very productive with what he was given. He was able to score 1 goal and 1 assist. He has quick feet and moves well. His hands are reasonably skilled, but he has a bit of trouble controlling the puck under pressure. He applied good pressure on the forecheck and was able to force turnovers. When he gets the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, he immediately looks to move pucks toward the net. His assist came at the end of the first period where he picked up a loose puck along the boards and fired a quick pass to the crease, taking advantage of an empty net due to the goalie falling. His goal came late in the game when he found a loose rebound in the crease, got his stick on the puck first and buried it. He is not the most skilled player but was very productive tonight. He has not been able to produce consistently enough this season to be considered worth a pick.
| Yegor Andriyanov | Loko Yaroslavl | International | L | D | 6’0″ | 168 | Yaroslavl, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Andriyanov is a mobile two-way defenseman with a smooth, agile stride and some decent playmaking ability. He uses his footwork well on both sides of the puck. In his own end he is able to stay with opponents with quick feet and an impressive ability to change direction in a quick fluid motion. With the puck on his stick, he evades pressure with quick cuts into space. His ability to move the puck up ice in transition was impressive tonight. He kept his head up and found teammates up ice with crisp passes in stride to allow for easy zone entries. He will need to add a ton of strength. He is a light player at only 170 lbs and was easily knocked off the puck throughout the game. Andriyanov was given time on both special teams and was able to distribute the puck well on the powerplay. Nothing too impressive about his game but he has potential to become an offensive leaning two-way defenseman with a KHL future.
Kirill Yemelyanov | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 161 | Irkutsk, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Yemelyanov is a 2025 eligible forward that brings consistent two-way effort to every game he plays in. He brings good energy on the forecheck and makes life difficult for opponents attempting to break out of their own end. His play with the puck needs work. He rushed his decisions, especially under pressure and gave up a couple of unforced turnovers tonight. He showed off some agile footwork tonight as well as some quick feet when pushing up ice. Lots to work on for Yemelyanov but he has plenty of time to improve his puck play next season.
| Vadim Dudorov | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | C | 5’11” | 185 | Sarov, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Dudurov was a bit quieter tonight than usual. He still brought good energy and was able to make an impact on the forecheck as well as in the defensive zone. He plays a responsible two-way game and is able to force mistakes due to the tight pressure he applies. Offensively he was able to make a couple of nice passing plays. He uses his smooth hands to attack defenders and draw them toward him, then slides passes over to teammates who have cut into the space he just created. He was given time on the power play where he moved the puck around well. He wasn’t able to create anything of substance but had a solid game away from the puck tonight.
| Ilyas Magomedsultanov | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 171 | Yaroslavl, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Magomedsultanov is a 2025 eligible, smooth skating defenseman. He was nearly invisible tonight and had a lot of trouble handling the puck. He rushed passes under pressure and had far too many turnovers. Defensively he was undisciplined and chased the puck around a bit. He also lacks the size/strength to cause an impact in battles. Not the best showing of Ilyas today.
| Yegor Surin | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 176 | Voronezh, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Grade: A
Comments: Another great game from Surin. He was great in transition tonight, rushing coast to coast on multiple occasions and flying past opponents with his deep, powerful stride. He was completely unphased by pressure and powered through contact to make his way towards the net. He used his skilled hands to avoid pokes and was able to enter the zone with possession and set up on every rush attempt he made. Surin has a very heavy wrist shot which he let go a ridiculous number of times tonight. He made hard cuts towards the middle of the ice and when given a lane, he let off quick release wrist and snapshots towards the net. He was able to score twice tonight. His first came on a great effort play where he read his opponents options, jumped a passing lane resulting in a steal and fired a heavy wrister under the goalie’s glove. His second came shorthanded in the third period when his teammate forced a turnover and hit him while cutting towards the net on the weak side. Surin fired a one timer, top shelf giving his team a 3-goal lead. Surin showed good effort away from the puck as well. He forechecked with intention and finished his checks, hard into the boards. Surin is a player that has impressed us all season with his high energy two-way play. He deserves consideration as a late first/early second round pick and will slot in as a very effective middle six forward in the NHL.
| Alexei Elblaus | Loko Yaroslavl | International | L | RW | 6’1″ | 168 | Seversk, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Elblaus is a draft eligible forward who scored a goal on the power play tonight. He set up in the slot, found a bouncing rebound first, then fired a quick one timer past a stunned goalie. He was not given much time on ice and played on the 4th line. He is not the most skilled and has some control issues especially under pressure. He has confidence but seems to be drawn towards traffic and typically settles for poor shots from distance. Elblaus has had some trouble generating points this season and is unlikely to be drafted.
Scout: Henry Lawrence