2023 NHL Draft - Russian Rankings

A somewhat deep dive into the land of under-the-radar prospects.

Another year without international tournaments has seen plenty of talented Russian and Belarusian players miss out on heaps of exposure. The obvious overarching situation going on in Russia has also played a real part in players in the country losing value to both the public and private eye. There’s real talent coming out of the region, though, and plenty of players that your team could probably snag with the last pick in the draft. Here’s a look into my list for the 2023 NHL Draft.

Note: This list is players who *play* in Russia!

1. Matvei Michkov

Right Wing
SKA St. Petersburg
5’10” / 148
Range: Top-4

Matvei Michkov has been the most talked about prospect this year barring Connor Bedard. He missed the first stretch of the year through injury before landing a roster spot on SKA-Neva in the VHL where a divide grew between the eye test and the stats. He racked up points fast, but there was a real lack of structured hockey going on and it was becoming more and more difficult to get a read on the player. I don’t watch much NHL action, but I don’t think there’s a single player who sits at the offensive blue line while play is going on in his own zone. The cherrypicking, decision making, and lack of, frankly, real hockey was a confusing sight and he slipped down my list as a result.

Things changed very quickly when he was moved to HK Sochi on loan. Similarly to SKA-Neva, Sochi stinks and I feared that this was just going to be the same thing — Matvei Michkov just going out there and doing whatever he wants because the team needs goals and he can score them. What really happened was that a hockey player was born. The playmaking has always been one of my favorite parts of his game and he finally began to use his vision and passing skill to connect plays through transition. He refined just about every aspect of his game to become a real, dominant player at the KHL level and the flip switched basically overnight. He got stronger, started making brilliant plays, and even began chipping in on the backcheck.

Michkov has about every offensive tool you could want, there’s some hiccups putting everything together, but there’s serious potential with this player.

2. Dmitri Simashev

Defenseman
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
6’4” / 201
Range: Top-10

Dmitri Simashev began his DY campaign with a very impressive preseason, earning him a spot on a very strong Lokomotiv side in the KHL. His role was simple and limiting, basically just ‘get the puck and get it out of the zone as fast as possible’. He took that role and showed that he can already be a reliable defender at that level despite being just 17-years-old.

There’s plenty to love with this defenseman. He’s big, rangy, skilled, and, arguably, the best skater in the whole draft class. His defensive game is superb — matching footwork, closing the gap, and attacking the puck with his reach advantage. He’s not a big hitter by nature, but he has certainly shown the ability to send guys flying when he feels the urge. He’s evasive with the puck on his stick, a crisp passer, and walks the blueline like a figure skater. It’s easy to forget the guy is 6’4” sometimes.

There may not be a better defenseman in this class. The tools are phenomenal and his game is only going to continue to develop and adapt as he plays more professional hockey.

3. Daniil But

Left Winger
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
6’5” / 203
Range: Top-15

I’ll just say it outright, Daniil But was a pretty bad hockey player at the start of the 2022/23 season. The size and shot were there all year, but he just could not put things together and I wasn’t even sure if this was a top-two round guy. Obviously given his ranking, things changed since then.

But is a huge man, but it’s the little things in his game that rocket him up my list. He has great hands in tight spaces, using his frame to shield the puck and making effective moves to get away and open up ice for himself. The aforementioned shot is great, as well, making him a dangerous dual-threat winger when he gets going. His skating is limiting, but he’s learned how to play into his weaknesses and make them less of an issue. With his skating, he stopped trying to beat so many guys 1-on-1 and he began cutting back towards the blueline and distributing from there. The growth he’s had over the course of the year has been tremendous to watch, similar to Gleb Trikozov last year.

The winger has huge potential if he can continue to take steps forward, put on some strength, and get some more playing experience at the professional level sooner rather than later.

4. Mikhail Gulyayev

Defenseman
Avangard Omsk
5’10” / 170
Range: Top-15

One of the more divisive players in the 2023 Draft, Mikhail Gulyayev brings a lot to the table. Like Simashev, he earned KHL minutes pretty early on into his season, but the results were less positive and he ended up spending more time between the MHL and VHL.

Gulyayev is a weapon in transition. He has explosive speed, great agility, and the hands to boot. You give him an inch and he takes a mile. He’s proven to be very difficult to stop when he finds his rhythm, transferring that energy into offense to be the best offensive defenseman this year has to offer. His defensive game gets a lot of criticism, but there’s actually plenty of promise in that area. He’s small, sure, but he’s a speed demon and quickly jumps into plays to break them up. Even when you think he’s out of a play, he can take one glide and be right where he needs to be.

He’s a pretty raw talent with plenty of games that left me feeling underwhelmed, but the upside is big with this player and he is someone who would’ve really benefited from getting time on the international stage.

5. Timur Mukhanov

Right Winger
Severstal Cherepovets
5’8” / 170
Range: Top-20

It wouldn’t be a proper NHL Draft without a small Russian forward to latch onto and Timur Mukhanov immediately fit that bill with a very promising preseason with Omskie Yastreby. He quickly became a regular for Omskie Krylya at the VHL level and never really looked like he was challenged by facing men despite his size.

Mukhanov is one of the better two-way forwards this year. He reads situations quickly and then uses his high motor and quickness to sneak into plays and come out with the puck. Even against men, he engages in battles along the boards and challenges in loose puck races, once again using that speed to gain the advantage of being able to get himself braced for contact before his opponent arrives. Offensively, Mukhanov loves utilizing his teammates, which is great, but also terrible because Omskie Krylya is full of players who do not enjoy passing or playing hockey as a team sport in general. He’s a gifted playmaker with good puck skill and creativity, but his finishing ability has left plenty to be desired.

He’s going to be available way later than he should be and he was just traded to Severstal Cherepovets, where KHL ice time is much more likely for the young winger. If you get this kid in the fourth round, you can laugh to the bank.

6. Alexander Rykov

Left Winger
Chelmet Chelyabinsk
5’11” / 170
Range: Mid-Second Round

I took keen interest in Rykov watching him as a DY-1 in the MHL with a game reminiscent of Fyodor Svechkov. It’s pretty rare to see a player so young take up as much defensive responsibility and it wasn’t much of a shock to see him land a roster spot with Chelmet in the VHL.

Rykov is a strong playmaking presence with a pretty solid shot, too. The hands aren’t standout, but his puckhandling in tight is a major plus, again reminding me of Svechkov. He’s a player you can stick in anywhere in the line-up and he’ll get the job done. What keeps him down is the lack of any real aspects that truly stick out above the rest. He’s sort of a jack of all trades, master of none player, but there’s still certainly NHL upside with the qualities of a middle-six plug that’ll do what he needs to do.

7. Roman Kantserov

Right Winger
Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
5’6” / 176
Range: Late-Second/Early-Third Round

I still struggle with projecting Roman Kantserov, but there’s no denying he’s a very good junior hockey player.

The main things that stick out with him are his handling and speed, using both in cohesion to blast through transitions and break off the walls and cut to the middle of the ice. Where he struggles is putting things together and finding proper balance to play a professional style. He gets away with a ton at the MHL level and hasn’t shown a ton of growth this year while being pretty old for this crop, which is certainly worrying. What keeps him in this range for me are the very strong flashes he’s had throughout the year. When he’s at the top of his game, he can look like a legit top-64 candidate and the hands are going to take him far in the Russian circuit, but I’m weary about if it’ll ever translate.

8. Ignat Lutfullin

Left Winger
SKA-Varyagi St. Petersburg
6’0” / 163
Range: Third/Fourth Round

Ignat Lutfullin is a fun player who will need patience as he grows. He’s an average at best skater, but he’s very intelligent to make up for it. He’s a problem-solver through his hands and vision, gets into high-value areas offensively, and is a pretty solid player on the defensive side of things. He has a tendency to over-handle and try things that he probably shouldn’t, but talented players playing on bad teams tend to have that issue.

The issues with skating and physicality are going to hold him back from playing at the next tiers of Russian hockey soon, yet the tools remain promising enough to be worth a pick this year.

9. Yegor Klimovich

Left Winger
Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk
5’9” / 159
Range: Third/Fourth Round

I really liked Klimovich at the start of the year before falling off the train and subsequently liking him again at the end of it. He’s small, lacks physicals, doesn’t have much of a shot, and his skating is just okay, but the hands are just awesome and there’s a ton of creativity in his game. He’s not as quick as you would want a player of his skill-set, but he’s crafty to evade danger and give himself space to create through his playmaking. Will he ever play in the NHL? I would lean towards no, but he’s the kind of player you draft in the seventh round and just see what he can do in Russia and check up on him every three or so years.

10. Mikhail Ilyin

Left Winger
Severstal Cherepovets
6’0” / 181
Range: Fifth Round

Another player who broke into the KHL early due to a strong preseason, Mikhail Ilyin has the skillset to become a rock solid player at that level moving forward. He’s very smart and tactical, reading the space around him very well to be a reliable distributor with the puck and a responsible defender without it. He has a good physical and mental baseline to work off of, but the tools he has are underwhelming and really limit his projection. Already getting KHL minutes is a big thing for him and he’s looked good in his time with Severstal, the NHL translation is questionable.

11. Vyacheslav Malov (D+1)

Right Winger
Omskie Yastreby
5’8” / 176

Improved a ton over his draft year where I didn’t even have him on my list. Great hands and creativity, but the size and skating hold him back.

12. Anton Maryshev

Defenseman
MHK Spartak Moskva
6’0” / 163

Maryshev is pretty solid all-around, but he stands out most through transition with his smooth skating and flashes of skill. Nothing quite high end and there’s questions about his ability to read and process plays around him.

13. Alexander Suvorov (D+2)

Right Winger
Dinamo Minsk
5’9” / 159

I’ve liked Suvorov since his DY and he continues to improve as he gets used to the KHL. Great shot and his speed has gone from a weakness to a strength. NHL upside is questionable, so maybe more of a guy you keep an eye on to sign as a UFA later.

14. Nikita Baklashev

Defenseman
MHK Dynamo Moskva
6’2” / 183

Strong defensive defenseman with good reach and skating, but his game is just too simple at times. Looks like a pure shutdown defender moving forward.

15. Radel Zamaltdinov

Left Winger
Irbis Kazan
5’10” / 168

Bit of a wildcard here, small and missed the first half of the year, but the high motor and flashes of creative playmaking and defensive plays are intriguing.

16. Dmitri Vlasenko

Right Winger
Omskie Yastreby
5’9” / 159

Speedy winger with good hands who plays well through transitions, but struggles to find consistency.

17. Nikolai Khvorov (D+1)

Center
Omskie Yastreby
6’1” / 168

Really solid playmaker who adapted quickly to VHL hockey in his time there. Projects more so as a winger due to his perimeter play and whelming defense.

18. German Tochilkin (D+1)

Center
Spartak Moskva
6’3” / 179

Took advantage of his loan with Kunlun Red Star with some decent KHL outings. Tools are all pretty average, but the type of player who can slot into a line-up and perform in most roles.

19. Vadim Moroz (D+1)

Left Winger
Dinamo Minsk
6’2” / 185

Another player that you can just let cook in Russia and hope he maybe turns the corner and starts showing more NHL potential. Skilled, physically strong, and looked the part of a KHLer in his rookie season.

1G. Yegor Zavragin

Goalie
Mamonty Yugry
6’2” / 183

Zavragin is the best goalie in this crop, not sure where he lands on the list with the skaters, so I’ll just throw him in here at the end.