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Anton Silayev Scouting Report: 2024 NHL Draft #5

Anton Silayev

Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2024 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr, and Frederik Frandson 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 “NHL Draft”! Today we bring you our Anton Silayev Scouting Report.

In recent years, the Russia-Ukraine war and its impact on bringing prospects to North America has been a factor in the NHL Draft. Obviously, with no resolution to the conflict in sight, this will be a factor again this year. That said, Russia continues to produce a number of highly talented hockey players and teams still have to find a way to evaluate these players. On one hand, it is unfair to punish these teenagers who have no responsibility for the decisions made by Vladimir Putin. On the other hand, there are realities in that it can be difficult in getting them out of the KHL and onto an NHL team.

One such top prospect with that talent to make NHL teams make hard decisions during the 2024 draft is Anton Silayev. Silayev has spent the majority of his season playing against men in the KHL. In 63 games for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod he put up three goals and eight assists for 11 points. He also added two points in five KHL playoff games. Now that Torpedo’s season is over, he is playing for their MHL team. Silayev has three assists in 10 MHL playoff games.

Anton Silayev 2024 NHL Draft Scouting Report

Left Defence — shoots Left
Born April 11th, 2006 — Sarov, Russia
Height 6’7″ — Weight 211 lbs [201 cm / 96 kg]

Skating

The first thing one notices about Anton Silayev is the fact that he comes in at six-foot-seven. There are a number of prospects his size who look awkward on the ice and need to improve their skating. This is not the case for Silayev as he combines his size with very good skating ability. His strides are long and powerful, leading to him having very good top-end speed in both directions. While his first step and acceleration are merely average, his long strides help him. He is already strong on his skates but this should improve as he continues to add muscle to his frame.

However, what really stands out for Silayev are his agility and edgework which are excellent for a player his size.  He is able to transition quickly from moving forwards to backwards with smooth pivots. This allows him to go from defence to offence quickly and effectively. Silayev’s lateral movement is also very good, which allows him to keep attackers in front of him and maintain excellent gap control.

Offensive Game

Silayev shows some offensive skills. However, his production has been somewhat limited to date. He concentrates on playing a disciplined defensive game and does not take a lot of chances or risks in the offensive game. This may have something to do with the fact that he is a 17-year-old playing big minutes in the KHL. That said, Torpedo has not been afraid to use him on the powerplay or to give him opportunities to play with talented forwards so there is some hope that his confidence will grow and lead to more production in the coming years.

That said he shows some offensive skill. Silayev handles the puck well under pressure and manages to move the puck up the ice and effectively clear his own end. He also makes a smart first pass to start the transition game. Silayev can head-man the puck with a quick pass through an open passing lane and hit his teammate in stride. He’s also shown the ability to make a long breakaway pass to a teammate.

At this point, Silayev prefers his wrist shot to his slap shot. He can let go a hard and accurate wrist shot from the point. He gets it off quickly with a good release. His ability to move laterally allows him to open up passing and shooting lanes. As Silayev continues to add muscle and grow into his frame, his shots should be even harder going forward. When he does use his slapshot, he understands how to keep it low and give his teammates the opportunity to set up screens, as well as get deflections and rebounds.

Defensive Game

The bread and butter of Silayev’s game is his excellent defence. He uses his size and skating ability to be an absolute menace on the back end. If an attacker comes down his side of the ice with his head down, Silayev can explode into a devastating hit. He is disciplined though and picks his spots, not getting out of position to make such a hit. His good skating allows him to maintain good gap control and force attackers to the outside, taking away the middle of the ice. He is also tough to beat in the cycle game and keeps plays away from the dangerous areas of the ice. His long stick is effective in cutting down passing and shooting lanes.

Projection and Comparison

One concern is that Silayev is signed in the KHL through the end of the 2025-26 season, so getting him into the NHL before that could be difficult. The good news though is that he will likely be playing big minutes in a men’s league. While his defensive game is very good, it should continue to develop with ice time in a high-level league. He will also get the opportunity to grow his offensive game. If that part of his game continues to develop, the sky is the limit for him. It would be hoped that in 2026-27 he comes to North America and is17-year-old immediately ready to play in the NHL. Silayev’s game is reminiscent of Victor Hedman. This is a stylistic comparison only though and not one based on skill or ability.

Highlights

The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of Anton Silayev that are available on YouTube and Twitter.

 

Check back later for our latest draft article.

Main Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

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