CoyotesHFNHL
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- May 30, 2010
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The HFNHL Coyotes took a different approach to the draft than their normal path and ultimately wind up with seven Russians through 11 selections. With the amount of NHL ready prospect depth in the Coyotes organization, the focus becomes taking the best prospect available regardless of their situation and if their path may take a little longer. This resulted in us passing on some good prospects in some situations with more limited upside in favour of more risky but higher skilled prospects. In total 7 prospects from Russia, 3 from the OHL and 1 from Czechia were selected from two goaltenders, four defensemen and five forwards. All 11 selections this year for the Coyotes are drafted by NHL teams, which is a first in a long time.
Daniil But – LW – Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) 6’05” 203
HFNHL: 1st Round – 24th Overall
NHL: 1st Round – 12th Overall by the Arizona Coyotes
Analysis: We were pretty sold on But early on watching him play. The combination of 6’05” and speed along with high end goal scoring ability makes us believe if he was a Canadian player playing in the CHL, Daniil doesn’t make it out of the Top 10. He has high end upside in the NHL as a goal scoring winger.
Jakub Dvorak – LD – Bili Tygri Liberec (CZE) 6’05” 210
HFNHL: 2nd Round – 51st Overall
NHL: 2nd Round – 54th Overall by the Los Angeles Kings
Analysis: Jakub is a defender we really coveted and watched a lot of video on leading up to the draft. He is a mobile, strong skating 6’05” defenseman who proved himself capable of handing pro players as a 17 year old this season which is incredibly hard to do. We don’t expect him to be a big offensive defenseman, but his puck moving at the pro level is already solid and consistent. We see Jakub as a future second pairing defenseman who sees a lot of ice in defensive situations.
Alexander Rykov – RW – Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) 6’00” 176
HFNHL: 3rd Round – 73rd Overall
NHL: 4th Round – 100th Overall by the Carolina Hurricanes
Analysis: Rykov is a well rounded forward that posted very good numbers despite only playing 28 games this season due to injury. His skating ability is high end and he plays a very balanced game between strong playmaking abilities and a hard working 200 foot game. Rykov projects as a middle six winger who has the upside to play in the top six, but could thrive in a third line role if his skill alone can’t get him into a consistent top six role at the NHL level.
Quinton Burns – RD – Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) 6’01” 185
HFNHL: 3rd Round – 74th Overall
NHL: 3rd Round – 74th Overall by the St. Louis Blues
Analysis: Quinton projects as a #4-5 shutdown defenseman at the NHL level with decent size, good skating and a mean streak to his game. Despite projecting in a shutdown role, he lead the Frontenacs for scoring among defensemen and we see a good amount of untapped offensive upside to his game. The mix of his mean, physical play with his ability to handle high skilled forwards and to make plays with the puck is a rare combination and we think one that will result in him being a solid NHL defenseman for a long time.
Dominic DiVincentiis – G – North Bay Battalion (OHL) 6’02” 184
HFNHL: 4th Round – 98th Overall
NHL: 7th Round – 207th Ovearll by the Winnipeg Jets in 2022
Analysis: We really liked Dominic last year but we ran out of picks before we were able to select him. He really elevated his game to a new level this year winning the OHL Goaltender of the Year award, with still two years of junior eligibility remaining, which is a pretty rare accomplishment. His size is acceptable and we expect him to have a chance to play for Team Canada next season.
Ilya Safonov – LW – AK Bars Kazan (KHL) 6’04” 205
HFNHL: 4th Round – 105th Overall
NHL: 6th Round –172nd Overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021
Analysis: Safonov is a bit of a poor man’s Daniil But. He posted huge numbers in the KHL this season. He is huge, he can skate and he has skill with the puck and goal scoring ability. His NHL rights are held by Chicago, so while he’s a bit of a risk to come over, if he does choose to, there is some elite young talent in the organization for him to play on the wings with.
Vyacheslav Buteyets – G – Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL) 6’04” 185
HFNHL: 5th Round – 135th Overall
NHL: 6th Round – 178th Overall by the Anaheim Ducks
Analysis: Vyacheslav is a goaltender we’ve been tracking and while. He had decent numbers in the VHL last year, but he really took over as the starter and had excellent numbers this season. He has great size and the last Russian goaltender the Coyotes drafted (Ilya Sorokin) has turned out pretty good himself. With our NHL level goaltending talent Buteyets is a goalie we’re comfortable waiting on.
Nolan Collins – RD – Sudbury Wolves (OHL) 6’03” 194
HFNHL: 5th Round—158th Overall
NHL: 6th Round – 167th Overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022
Analysis: Nolan had a really strong second half last year which lead to him being selected in the NHL by Pittsburgh. This season he was an all situations leader for the Wolves playing well on the power play, penalty kill and even strength. He has a good two-way game with a good level of offensive ability, but projects more as a defensive defenseman at the NHL level. Nolan will likely take on a huge role with the Wolves expected to contend next season.
Nikita Susuyev – RW – Spartak Moskva (KHL) 6’00” 172
HFNHL: 6th Round—174th Overall
NHL: 7th Round - 202nd Overall by the St. Louis Blues
Analysis: Nikita is an average sized, skilled forward who put up balanced offensive numbers in the MHL and was the leader among all first year draft eligibles for points per game in the KHL, which includes first rounder Daniil But. Bit of a home run pick, but with the offensive potential to become a top six scoring forward.
Stanislav Yarovoi – RW – Vityaz Moscow (KHL) 5’11” 190
HFNHL: 7th Round—198th Overall
NHL: 4th Round – 126th Overall by the Carolina Hurricanes
Yarovoi is a third time re-entry player who exploded offensively this season. His statistical output in the KHL is identical to that of NHLers Evgeni Dadonov and Egor Afanaseyev at the same age. This makes Yarovoi a valuable home run risk in the 7th round as a potential offensive weapon at the NHL level if he can simply maintain his development path after playing catch up over the last two seasons. He has a great shot and scored an impressive 9 goals in the KHL after being recalled after posting 2.4 points per game in the MHL.
Nikita Yevseyev – LD – AK Bars Kazan (KHL) 6’01” 187
HFNHL: 7th Round—201st Overall
NHL: 6th Round – 190th Overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2022
Analysis: Nikita is a strong skating two-way defenseman with decent size. He played a good range of roles for AK Bars Kazan showing his ability to contribute offensively, but also play a solid defensive game. He moves really well around the ice, and has a good first pass. With the instabilities of the NHL Oilers blueline, Nikita could play a solid role on a bottom pairing in the future and was absolutely worth the value at this point of the draft.
Daniil But – LW – Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL) 6’05” 203
HFNHL: 1st Round – 24th Overall
NHL: 1st Round – 12th Overall by the Arizona Coyotes
Analysis: We were pretty sold on But early on watching him play. The combination of 6’05” and speed along with high end goal scoring ability makes us believe if he was a Canadian player playing in the CHL, Daniil doesn’t make it out of the Top 10. He has high end upside in the NHL as a goal scoring winger.
Jakub Dvorak – LD – Bili Tygri Liberec (CZE) 6’05” 210
HFNHL: 2nd Round – 51st Overall
NHL: 2nd Round – 54th Overall by the Los Angeles Kings
Analysis: Jakub is a defender we really coveted and watched a lot of video on leading up to the draft. He is a mobile, strong skating 6’05” defenseman who proved himself capable of handing pro players as a 17 year old this season which is incredibly hard to do. We don’t expect him to be a big offensive defenseman, but his puck moving at the pro level is already solid and consistent. We see Jakub as a future second pairing defenseman who sees a lot of ice in defensive situations.
Alexander Rykov – RW – Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) 6’00” 176
HFNHL: 3rd Round – 73rd Overall
NHL: 4th Round – 100th Overall by the Carolina Hurricanes
Analysis: Rykov is a well rounded forward that posted very good numbers despite only playing 28 games this season due to injury. His skating ability is high end and he plays a very balanced game between strong playmaking abilities and a hard working 200 foot game. Rykov projects as a middle six winger who has the upside to play in the top six, but could thrive in a third line role if his skill alone can’t get him into a consistent top six role at the NHL level.
Quinton Burns – RD – Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) 6’01” 185
HFNHL: 3rd Round – 74th Overall
NHL: 3rd Round – 74th Overall by the St. Louis Blues
Analysis: Quinton projects as a #4-5 shutdown defenseman at the NHL level with decent size, good skating and a mean streak to his game. Despite projecting in a shutdown role, he lead the Frontenacs for scoring among defensemen and we see a good amount of untapped offensive upside to his game. The mix of his mean, physical play with his ability to handle high skilled forwards and to make plays with the puck is a rare combination and we think one that will result in him being a solid NHL defenseman for a long time.
Dominic DiVincentiis – G – North Bay Battalion (OHL) 6’02” 184
HFNHL: 4th Round – 98th Overall
NHL: 7th Round – 207th Ovearll by the Winnipeg Jets in 2022
Analysis: We really liked Dominic last year but we ran out of picks before we were able to select him. He really elevated his game to a new level this year winning the OHL Goaltender of the Year award, with still two years of junior eligibility remaining, which is a pretty rare accomplishment. His size is acceptable and we expect him to have a chance to play for Team Canada next season.
Ilya Safonov – LW – AK Bars Kazan (KHL) 6’04” 205
HFNHL: 4th Round – 105th Overall
NHL: 6th Round –172nd Overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2021
Analysis: Safonov is a bit of a poor man’s Daniil But. He posted huge numbers in the KHL this season. He is huge, he can skate and he has skill with the puck and goal scoring ability. His NHL rights are held by Chicago, so while he’s a bit of a risk to come over, if he does choose to, there is some elite young talent in the organization for him to play on the wings with.
Vyacheslav Buteyets – G – Chelmet Chelyabinsk (VHL) 6’04” 185
HFNHL: 5th Round – 135th Overall
NHL: 6th Round – 178th Overall by the Anaheim Ducks
Analysis: Vyacheslav is a goaltender we’ve been tracking and while. He had decent numbers in the VHL last year, but he really took over as the starter and had excellent numbers this season. He has great size and the last Russian goaltender the Coyotes drafted (Ilya Sorokin) has turned out pretty good himself. With our NHL level goaltending talent Buteyets is a goalie we’re comfortable waiting on.
Nolan Collins – RD – Sudbury Wolves (OHL) 6’03” 194
HFNHL: 5th Round—158th Overall
NHL: 6th Round – 167th Overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022
Analysis: Nolan had a really strong second half last year which lead to him being selected in the NHL by Pittsburgh. This season he was an all situations leader for the Wolves playing well on the power play, penalty kill and even strength. He has a good two-way game with a good level of offensive ability, but projects more as a defensive defenseman at the NHL level. Nolan will likely take on a huge role with the Wolves expected to contend next season.
Nikita Susuyev – RW – Spartak Moskva (KHL) 6’00” 172
HFNHL: 6th Round—174th Overall
NHL: 7th Round - 202nd Overall by the St. Louis Blues
Analysis: Nikita is an average sized, skilled forward who put up balanced offensive numbers in the MHL and was the leader among all first year draft eligibles for points per game in the KHL, which includes first rounder Daniil But. Bit of a home run pick, but with the offensive potential to become a top six scoring forward.
Stanislav Yarovoi – RW – Vityaz Moscow (KHL) 5’11” 190
HFNHL: 7th Round—198th Overall
NHL: 4th Round – 126th Overall by the Carolina Hurricanes
Yarovoi is a third time re-entry player who exploded offensively this season. His statistical output in the KHL is identical to that of NHLers Evgeni Dadonov and Egor Afanaseyev at the same age. This makes Yarovoi a valuable home run risk in the 7th round as a potential offensive weapon at the NHL level if he can simply maintain his development path after playing catch up over the last two seasons. He has a great shot and scored an impressive 9 goals in the KHL after being recalled after posting 2.4 points per game in the MHL.
Nikita Yevseyev – LD – AK Bars Kazan (KHL) 6’01” 187
HFNHL: 7th Round—201st Overall
NHL: 6th Round – 190th Overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2022
Analysis: Nikita is a strong skating two-way defenseman with decent size. He played a good range of roles for AK Bars Kazan showing his ability to contribute offensively, but also play a solid defensive game. He moves really well around the ice, and has a good first pass. With the instabilities of the NHL Oilers blueline, Nikita could play a solid role on a bottom pairing in the future and was absolutely worth the value at this point of the draft.
