[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Stinky Edition):

LHD Daniil Ustinkov may be one of the younger players in this Draft, with an Aug.26th birthday, he plays with poise and maturity beyond his years. Most of his hockey this year is being played against men in Switzerland's top-2 leagues- the Swiss League (or SL), Switzerland's 2nd-tier men's league, and the National League (or NL), which is the top league in the country. In the SL, he's the 3rd highest-scoring U-20 player, with 8 points in 18 games, and gets much more ice-time than he does in the NL, where he has put up 1 point in 18 games. He helped lead the Swiss to their best-ever Hlinka Gretzky performance, with 3 points in 4 games, and had an equally impressive U-18 tournament, with 4 points in 5 games. The World Juniors were more difficult for him, and he only put up 2 points in 5 games. As one can tell by his name, he was born in Russia, but raised in Switzerland.

Ustinkov is a reliable two-way workhorse with pro-style habits, a quality puck-mover, and a steadying presence from the backend. Skating-wise, he has above-average speed, with even better edges- he can pivot on a dime, and turn quickly, or shift laterally to elude checks. His mechanics are smooth, and he will no doubt get faster in time, as he gets stronger. Ustinkov thinks the game well, and owns plus-passing skills, as he moves the puck with precision, and a high percentage of his passes are completed crisply and accurately. He avoids throwing the puck away, or forcing the pass, and instead will play keep-away until the right play becomes available. He's adept at drawing defenders to him, then taking advantage of the open space. He mans the line with smoothness and confidence, quarterbacking the play and delivering dangerous passes to the slot. Ustinkov will pinch into the play with smart, well-timed pinches if he has support, as he won't sacrifice his defensive coverage for offense- most of his pinches are to keep the puck in. Deception helps facilitate his playmaking, with feints in his footwork and stick, and head fakes to manipulate opponents, with delays to give him the extra second to make his intended move. He has a wicked shot with a potent release, that he doesn't use enough. He handles well, and exhibits good puck control- it's hard to take the puck from him, and conversely- he always seems to come out of puck-battles with possession.

Defensively, he is highly efficient, with strong awareness. He denies entries with his tight gap control, and strips opponents of the puck after closing on them, by angling them out to the boards, and away from high-danger. He attacks forecheckers at the blueline with a smart, well-timed stick, and will throw a hit to separate man from puck- he plays a rugged, physical game. He protects the inside well, and uses poke-checks, and stick-lifts to gain possession. He makes stop after stop, and also keeps attackers boxed out from the net. Ustinkov stays calm and composed under pressure on retrievals, and when making outlets, and excels in transition with both his feet, and his hands.

I think that Ustinkov's defensive game may be his ticket to the NHL, along with his puck-movement skills, as I don't know how much his offense will translate. At this time, he's too conservative, and doesn't get involved in the offense enough, although he puts up numbers at lower levels when he's counted on to produce. At times in the WJC, he looked a bit overmatched, and was beaten by some of the better players. Ustinkov was selected by London, 46th overall, in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, but I think he'll be selected in the 3rd round of the NHL Entry Draft. I think, at worst, he might be a bit like a Brett Kulak, if he makes it.