Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the daily column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day I will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2021 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “2021 NHL Draft”! We have a complete listing of our draft articles here. Today we bring you our Fyodor Svechkov Scouting Report.
Playing in the Lada Togliatti system forward Fyodor Svechkov split his draft season between the VHL and MHL. Playing against men in the VHL, he put up five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 38 games played. In the Russian junior league, Svechkov was dominant. He scored four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 15 games. Svechkov was chosen to play on the Russian team at the IIHF Under-18 World Championships. He scored four goals and six assists for 10 points in seven games. Svechkov helped the Russian team bring home the silver medal. Svechkov will be moving up to the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg next season. He has signed a contract through the 2022-23 season.
In 2019-20 Svechkov put up just two goals and six points in 24 MHL games. He added one goal and three points in two games in the Under-18 league. He was dominant in the U-18 playoffs with eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in nine games. Svechkov also scored six goals and two assists for eight points in six tournament games. He won a gold medal and was named to the tournament all-star team.
Fyodor Svechkov Scouting Report
Left Wing/Centre — shoots Left
Born April 5th, 2003 — Togliatti, Russia
Height 6’0″ — Weight 179 [183 cm/81 kg]
Skating
Svechkov’s skating is very hit and miss. He has a very good first step and a nice long stride. This gives him very good acceleration as well as top-end speed. Svechkov can beat a defender wide and drop his shoulder while cutting to the net. His speed also helps him to be effective in the transition game, creating odd-man rushes and effective zone entries. While Svechkov is a very good straight-line skater, he could still use some work on his edges and agility. His turns are wide and he doesn’t use his crossovers as effectively as he could, causing him to lose speed when changing directions. His stance is wide though, which gives him a low centre of gravity. This makes him strong on the puck. He wins battles in the corners and in front of the net.
Offensive Game
Svechkov marries his skating with good stickhandling. This allows him to get the puck out of the defensive zone and carry it through the neutral zone. Svechkov creates effective zone entries, allowing his team to set up in the offensive end. He is also good on the rush, creating scoring chances in transition. He makes good decisions with the puck in transition. His passing skills are also good in the offensive zone. He keeps possession through short passes in the cycle game and protects the puck well in the cycle game. Svechkov is also good on the forecheck, forcing opposing defenders to move the puck quicker than they want to. This can create mistakes and turnovers.
Svechkov could use a bit more patience in the offensive end though. He will shoot the puck from anywhere, often taking shots from distance and bad angles. His wrist shot is decent but could use some more power. It is difficult for him to beat goaltenders from outside the home plate area. He also could use some work on his one-timer. There were a number of times he missed the puck completely. He needs to work on his footwork and re-adjusting his feet if the pass is not quite perfect.
Defensive Game
Svechkov is one of the best defensive forwards in this draft. His game is incredibly advanced for a teenager. He is a very smart player, who reads the play, anticipates the movements of opponents and cuts plays down. Svechkov also pursues the puck effectively with backpressure against the rush. He also does a great job of supporting the defence down low, forcing attackers to the outside and to take shots from bad areas. When he creates a turnover, he moves the puck up the ice quickly, creating offence in the transition game. Svechkov is also good in the faceoff circle. His positioning is excellent, keeping himself between his man and the front of the net. Svechkov uses his active stick to cut down passing lanes and is not afraid to use his body to block shots.
Projection and Comparison
Svechkov is a relatively safe pick, but his upside is questionable. His defensive ability and hockey IQ mean that he’s highly likely to make the NHL. He could play on the penalty kill and against top lines. However, there are questions about Svechkov’s offensive game. He needs work on his shot. He also needs to be more patient in the offensive zone. If Svechkov can improve these aspects of his game, he can become a middle-six centre in the NHL. Heading to SKA, it remains to be seen how much ice time he will get on one of the KHL’s perennial contenders. He could be loaned out to a VHL club. In any event, he needs a couple of years before he is ready to play his style in the NHL. Svechkov’s game is reminiscent of Phillip Danault, but this is a stylistic comparison only.
Highlights
The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of Fyodor Svechkov that are available on youtube.
Check back tomorrow for our latest NHL Draft Article.
Fyodor Svechkov Scouting Report Main Photo:
FRISCO, TEXAS – MAY 06: Danila Yurov #25 of Russia and Fyodor Svechkov #9 of Russia react after losing 3-5 to Canada in the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Gold Medal Game at Comerica Center on May 06, 2021, in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
