Left Wing/Center
Quebec Remparts (QMJHL)/Swiss Men’s Junior National Team (U-20)
Size: 6’0 (182 cm) and 192 lbs (87 kg)
Hey, pay attention to this kid. He’s getting my stamp of approval for this draft as a certified stud in the late 1st/early 2nd round. The son of Soviet player turned Swiss coach Konstantin Kurashev has been turning heads this season and I’ll gladly admit to being a part of that. He’s a great skater with top end speed and edges. He’s an absolute playmaker with elite vision and passing skills. He runs an exciting power play, contributes with his heavy shot, and he’s all sorts of dynamic in the offensive zone. There’s room for improvement, as with any prospect, but the tools he has under his belt give me reason to put my faith in him. I mean really, take a look at his zone entries alone and tell me, right now, he’s not miles ahead of his contemporaries.
Of course, like I said, he has some things to work on. He doesn’t shoot enough, despite having incredible hands. He could stand to forecheck harder. He’s not as physical despite having a well developed frame at 18 years old. When he does use his strength and physicality, he’s absolutely dominant. When he’s on defense and he’s engaged, he does really well. Yes being in the Q hurts because of the lower competition, but there’s too much that says he’ll perform at the next level to ignore. My biggest concern is that he tries to be too fancy sometimes and causes turnovers with carelessness. If that’s the biggest concern I can find in him, I want him in my team’s sweater as soon as possible. He could be an elite winger in the NHL or a top 6 center, assuming he gets better in the faceoff dot.
Likely draft position: 28-36
Best fits in the NHL: Detroit, New York Rangers, Chicago, Buffalo
Player comparison(s): Both Sedins, Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin
The Motor City Sports 