[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (I.P. Nightly Edition):

Left-handed RW Ilya Pautov is second in scoring for Krasniya Armiya Moskva of the MHL, with 15 goals and 45 points in 46 games, on a team that features draft-eligibles such as Alexei Dontsov, Nikita Frolov, and Maxim Velikov. The 5'10",165lb winger is a prime offensive creator, with a well-rounded game, and leans heavily towards playmaking as his forte'.

Though he's a pass-first player, Pautov carries a hard, heavy shot and beats goalies with ultra-quick hands and high-end 1-on-1 moves for goals of the highlight-reel variety. He's adept at finding open pockets of ice to operate, sneaking in and out of high-danger areas, and cutting to the middle to unleash- he can score from bad angles as well. Pautov is smart and creative with a skilled passing game, and the ability to make quick decisions. He can dish in full flight, and from his forehand or backhand. He possesses high IQ and vision, as well as the ability to slow the game down, or to push pace. His hands are quick, and he's a smooth stickhandler with some beautiful manouvers to make opponents look foolish- he exhibits tight puck control, and moves through traffic with the puck on a string. To enhance his elusiveness, he uses superb deception to beat defenders 1-on-1 in the form of feints, look-offs, and fakes to manipulate them into going in the wrong direction, and completes the magic trick with a toe-drag or deke to blow past his victims. Despite his size, he is strong on the forecheck and highly disruptive, winning possession for his team by causing turnovers. Pautov is an excellent skater with a sharp change of pace and direction, and quick acceleration, although his top speed is perhaps not elite, and could use some work. He still has the ability to win footraces to loose pucks, but lacks a true separation gear, though he will only get faster as he gets stronger. He's very shifty and hard to pin down, with smooth edges that help his evasiveness.

Off the puck, Pautov is smart and always makes himself playable, while supporting the play in all three zones, and skating the right routes. He's a dangerous player with his speed and skill, which makes him the ideal candidate to carry the puck through transition, with a high amount of success in making clean entries with control. Defensively, he's a puck-hound who flies in the face of puck-carriers to disrupt, and smother them of time and space to cause turnovers. He reads the play well, and can intercept passes to turn the play in the opposite direction. All of the above is great, but he performs these feats with almost a complete lack of physicality, and even backs away from puck battles. By the same token, he can be totally thrown off his game in more physical matches where the opposing team plays the body, and it's not hard to push him around, or knock him off the puck. His effort can wane shift-to-shift, and he loses patience sometimes, seeming rushed in his stickhandling which leads to turnovers, and missed opportunities. The same scenario comes to fruition when he holds on to the puck for too long, and runs out of real estate. Pautov will most likely need time to develop and mature, with a need to get stronger and a bit faster. His future may depend on his offensive game, but the good news is that he kind of reminds me of Kirill Kaprizov. Look for him in the late rounds.