The 2023 NHL Draft class features a strong class of Russian players, naturally highlighted by phenom Matvei Michkov. But if we go solely by talent, there is a clear case for a handful of Russian players to be selected before the end of Round 1.
One of them, and one of the few top-quality defencemen available for the taking, is Siberian puck-mover Mikhail Gulyayev.
Birthplace: Novosibirsk, Russia
Date of birth: April 26, 2005
Shoots: Left
Position: Defenceman
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170 lbs.
Team: Omskie Yastreby (MHL)
Don’t we just love offensive defencemen? And by we, I mean the National Hockey League. In a league where offence is the new defence and skill trumps old-school physicality, you can never have enough creative players in your lineup.
If a defenceman has visible issues in his own zone, it matters a whole lot less if he can simultaneously put up 60-100 points in a season. Sweden has been expertly exporting those guys for years now. And does so this year as well, with Axel Sandin-Pellikka competing for being the first defenceman taken in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. One of his main competitors for that spot is also a toolsy, creative player who gets better the further forward on the ice he comes.
I may have undersold Gulyayev from the start here. He’s absolutely not a bad defenceman. He positions himself well, mostly by reading and understanding the game superior to his opponents. He uses his mobility to intercept passes and read the minds of opposing attackers, while also being able to play a more physical game than his size would suggest.
Still, you don’t draft Gulyayev for his ability to keep opponents away from your net. You draft him for his impressive transition ability and his ways to create scoring chances from the neutral zone onward.
Preliminary Rankings
Dobber Prospects: #19
Elite Prospects: #25
FCHockey: #15
Hockey Prospect: #42
Hadi Kalakeche: #16
McKeen’s: #18
Bob McKenzie (TSN): #24
NHL Central Scouting: #8 (European skaters)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic): #25
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic): #16
Young Mikhail has been on a tear while playing Junior hockey this season. He averaged just over an assist per game in the regular season and has helped lead his Omskie Yastreby to the MHL playoff finals.
During the year, he also featured 25 times in Russia’s two senior leagues, 13 of which were in the KHL with Nail Yakupov’s Avangard Omsk. Gulyayev did not look out of place as a KHL defenceman. Then again, neither did Chris Wideman.
The Novosibirsk native is a smooth skater with equally smooth hands. His IQ stands out and he is a terrific passer of the puck. If he ends up not reaching the heights of his potential, he should at least provide future value for an NHL team as a power-play quarterback.
Last year, Montreal took a chance on an undersized left-handed defenceman with outstanding transition ability right before the end of the second round and so far Lane Hutson looks like one of the steals of that entire draft.
It is still early in the draft process, but my guess is that Gulyayev won’t have as many doubters in terms of size. You can work with a defenceman who is 5’10 and weighs around 170 lbs at age 18. Safe to say, I don’t think young Mikhail will have his endocrinologist on speed dial as we’re approaching the end of June.
When I asked our own prospect analyst Hadi Kalakeche if I was in the right area code comparing Gulyayev to Hutson, his verdict was that while the Russian is less skillful, he compensates by being a better overall skater. “He reminds me a bit of Samuel Girard at times.”
Going back to check what people said about Girard pre-draft, I found our own scouting report from 2016, written by none other than Eyes on the Prize oracle Matt Drake.
The descriptions of Girard are indeed similar to those you can find of Gulyayev; an excellent skater and puck-mover who can quarterback a power play with deception and accuracy. Both are described as defencemen who prefer being well positioned to using brute force when disarming opposing attackers.
While not a perfectly created defenceman by any means, Girard has managed to craft himself a more than decent career in the NHL. He currently sits at just over 200 points in approximately 450 games, while posting a Corsi above 50% every season since entering the league.
If Gulyayev can become a player similar to a Girard, a middle-pairing defenceman with power-play qualities, how early would you draft him?
Being signed for an additional two years to the Omsk organization, the player can at the very earliest come over to North America during the spring/summer 2025. That doesn’t necessarily pose a problem. Then again, these days it’s difficult to know what/where Russia will be as a country in two years time. The same naturally goes for their inhabitants, including their talented athletes.
If a team is sorely lacking creative solutions on the man advantage, Mikhail Gulyayev can look like an intriguing option once we reach the teen selections of the draft.
Jared Book
