Welcome to the third installment of looking at who the Anaheim Ducks may select at third overall this coming draft. In previous articles, we have looked at forward Ivan Demidov and defenceman Artyom Levshunov. For today's prospect preview, the player reviewed will be Anton Silayev, a huge 6’ 7” Russian defender who is one of the most intriguing prospects in the whole draft. A couple of prominent prospect writers, like Corey Pronman and Adam Kimelman suggest that Silayev will be the Ducks’ pick. So with that in mind let's look at this prospect.
Anton Silayev spent this last season playing in the KHL. As a seventeen-year-old playing against men, he averaged just under fifteen minutes of ice time per game. For a defenceman in their draft year, earning big playing minutes is a rarity. Silayev had a lot of buzz around his name at the start of the year because he began the season with 6 points in his first 6 games. Although his production significantly died down, Silayev’s 11 points in 63 games (3 goals + 8 assists) were the most all-time by a U18 player in the KHL.
Anton Silayev's impressive point total is something to note, but the intrigue around the player is not so much his offensive upside but his huge frame and ability to skate well with that size. Silayev is not without his rough edges, so let's look at his strengths, weaknesses, and fit with the Ducks.
Anton Silayev Strengths
Anton Silayev has a rare combination of size and skill making him a coveted prospect for any team. His defensive ability and skating are the biggest strengths of his game. He has some untapped offensive talent, but that is more of a question mark and not necessarily a strength yet.
The Russian prospect is a towering 6’ 7” and weighs in at just over 200lbs. His size is specifically valuable to his defensive game. His long reach allows him to force players outside and disrupt plays that others can not. He can also step into players with big hits and cause turnovers. Ben Kerr from LastWordOnSports highlights that the defensive side of the game is Silayev’s strongest.
This is not surprising as no coach in the KHL would let a 17-year-old play fifteen minutes a night unless they could be trusted. He is already used to defending against men which is a good indicator that his skills can translate to the NHL.
Silayev’s skating has also caught the eye of many scouts. His ability to move, transition from forward to backward, and generate speed is all excellent. Elite Prospects tags Silayev as one of the best skaters in the draft. Because Silayev is very young he is only going to grow more and improve more on his skating. This makes him a very exciting player to watch develop. He does not need to rely purely on his long reach or passing to make plays, but he can use his feet to skate the puck and join in on rushes.
As you can imagine the suggestions for Silayev’s NHL comparables include every tall defenceman in the league. A loose comparison I specifically see is Dougie Hamilton. His ability to skate well and play solid defence is in the ballpark of the player Silayev could be at the NHL level. Here's what Jason Bukala of Sportsnet had to say about him:
"His length assists with killing plays defensively. Silayev projects as a match-up/shut-down defenceman at the NHL level. He’s capable moving pucks, but he won’t provide much offence."Jason Bukala (Sportsnet)
Anton Silayev Weaknesses
You may have noticed that there was not much mentioned about puck skills with Silayev’s strengths. That is because it is an area that needs some attention. Silayev is not incompetent with the puck on his stick and has shown that he can make good decisions and help the team offensively. However, the consistency and reliability of these things are in question.
Will Scoutch from Scouching points out that a major factor in these inconsistencies is his size. Because Silayev is so tall it will take time to have strong coordination with your hands. When he is picking up pucks tighter to his body it is more difficult. Additionally, it is a challenge to score as a 17-year-old playing against men. Had he been playing in a junior league there would be a better idea of how he compares to his fellow draft-eligible defencemen. He has an offensive side that the team who drafts will have to unlock and coach. It is not a guarantee that Silayev will be able to produce. He could bottom out as a defensive defenceman who does not produce much. As important as those players are on a team, using a high draft pick for that kind of player is not necessarily the best.
Another small weakness to drafting Silayev is his KHL contract. He is locked up for the next two years meaning that he would not be able to transition to the NHL until the 2026-27 season. If a team does not want to wait or would prefer to have more access to the prospect in development it could be enough of a problem for a team to pass on him.
Anton Silayev Fit With the Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks’ prospect pool is full of young defencemen with lots of offence looking to come from the back end in the future. However, the one thing missing in the defence of the Ducks is size. For their opening night roster, the tallest players on the back end for the Ducks is Jackson LaCombe and Cam Fowler who are both 6’ 2’’.
If the Ducks want to become a more difficult team to play against adding some size to the back end could be smart. It should be noted that the Ducks do have 6’ 5’’ Noah Warren in the system, but his skating ability is not near the skill of Silayev. The defensive reliability of Silayev would also be a good addition for the team. Someone who is annoying to play against and is also able to chip in a bit offensively. Although the Ducks do have many left-shot defensive prospects already, the unique profile of Silayev is something the Ducks do not have.
My hesitancy in drafting Silayev is the fact that his upside is a huge question mark. Because of that, I am uncertain he will be the best player available to draft. At third overall the Ducks have access to so much talent to draft. Silayev is a bit more of a gamble. If he unlocks a skilled offensive side to his game, he could be one of the best players of the draft.
However, there are some big steps to take in that area. While Silayev is more than just a defensive defenceman, that is the main facet of his game a team can be confident they will get. Silayev very likely will be a good player in the NHL just based on his size and skating, but other players could be better for the Ducks to draft. Some top-end forwards could have more of an effect for the Ducks in the long run, and they can pick up size fro their defence through free agents.
As most prospect evaluations go, there are pros and cons to drafting every player. If the Ducks take Silayev fans can get excited as we are getting a player with one of the highest potentials in the draft. As the years progress it will be interesting to see if Silayev can live up to his potential or if he should have been passed on by more teams.