[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Russian Edition, Vol. 15):

LD Daniil Skvortsov (6'4",214lbs)
Guelph (OHL): 54gp/ 5g/ 13a/ 18pts, -18, 10 PIM

Yet another behemoth Russian defender, Daniil Skvortsov (ranked # 79 NA Skaters) has worn the "C" for Russia's U16, and U17 National Teams the last two seasons, before being taken 27th-overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft by the Guelph Storm- who are second-last in the 20-team OHL, and are 13th in goals-for. He has a tantalizing toolkit with several NHL-translatable traits, but is still quite raw, and has yet to put it all together on a consistent basis. His profile is that of a two-way puck-mover with a dependable shutdown game. Like many of his Russian peers, he puts forth excellent mobility for a player of his size, with a fluid stride, and solid agility with good balance on his edges to pivot quickly, and transition seamlessly. Though he moves shockingly well in all directions, he could use better explosiveness.

Skvortsov exercises tight gap control and mimics his opponent's footwork, angling them to the boards and closing them out physically. He possesses enormous range to cut off large areas of the ice, and wields his stick (as well as his size and strength) extremely well. There are still improvements needed in his details and habits, but there's massive potential in his shutdown game. While he's active and aggressive to jump into lanes, he still waits for the play to come to him too often, and he needs more precise reads in order to act more proactively- although he displays some proficiency in setting picks. He blocks shots with his stick and body, intercepts passes, and keeps attackers in check at the net-front. While he's effective against both the rush and the cycle, he can struggle against speed, and sometimes gives aggressors too much room to move through the neutral zone. Skvortsov shows a ton of potential in the other end of the rink as well, and though he keeps things mostly safe and simple right now, he joins the rush frequently, and will activate deep off of the blueline to attack the net. He has some high-end ideas, and it's good that he has the confidence to try them out, but he has difficulty executing at times, and some of his plays die on his teammates' sticks. He owns a hard and heavy shot from the point, uses screens well, and gets it through to the net consistently.

One of the pillars of his game is his solid puck-movement, and he holds good value in his contributions to his team's transition; he distributes intelligently, protects the puck well, and displays solid puck-management skills, but he could stand to upgrade his stickhandling. Through the neutral zone, he connects with short passes and give-and-go sequences, but he can also streak right through the middle with the puck, if the mood strikes. In retrievals, he is prone to making mistakes when pressured as he doesn't pre-scan well enough at times, but his puck-protection comes in handy, and he can make some high-end breakout passes- his puck-movement out of the d-zone is usually solid. Skvortsov flashes first-round ability and physical traits, but just about every part of his game is inconsistent, and he will most likely be a bit of a project. The tools and potential are hard to pass up though. For the next level, he needs to put on more muscle, keep upgrading his skating, and work on his panic threshold, as he commits errors when under pressure. Look for him in the 3rd, or 4th-round.