Columbus Blue Jackets draft candidate at fourth overall, Anton Silayev is hard to miss
Though he's raw and needs refinement, towering defenseman Anton Silayev has the kind of upside that teams salivate over. He will be a contender for the Blue Jackets with their 4th overall pick.
When the Blue Jackets step up to make their first pick of the draft later this month, a lot of things will be out of their control. Picking fourth overall means they will likely not get to draft the player they most covet - they'll have to see what falls into their laps.
That is, unless, the player they most covet is 6'7" Torpedo (KHL) defenseman Anton Silayev. Which, I have a hunch, may very well be the case.
If the Jackets were picking first overall, it would be absurd to say that they would pick anyone other than NCAA standout Macklin Celebrini. But that won't be happening, so I'll step out onto a limb and say that Anton Silayev may be appealing enough to be the second player on their list.
I could be entirely wrong, but there's something about Silayev that keeps screaming "Blue Jackets" to me. Maybe it's the fact that they're in great shape in every other archetype of prospect?
They have their future #1 center in Adam Fantilli. They could use a strong second line candidate, but all of the centers who will be available at this point in the draft come with big question marks (health, or size, or upside)...
They also have some really good quality defensemen both in the lineup and in the system. Zach Werenski will soon be joined by super prospects David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk; and they have some depth options coming as well.
There aren't any goaltenders rated this high in the draft, which isn't uncommon. That's about the only thing they don't have their hands on right now - an obvious future starting goalie.
For these reasons, I keep circling back to Silayev, who could be the obvious piece missing from this puzzle. Even with all of the quality defense prospects the Blue Jackets have, there isn't one player that stands out as a future high end shutdown guy. That's what they could be getting here.
At 6'7" and over 200 pounds, Silayev would be one of the largest players in the entire NHL. And he's only recently turned 18 years old.
He played an entire season in the KHL this year, much of it as a 17 year old; which is a rare and impressive feat. Even more impressive, he did it without looking completely lost.
His offensive numbers don't jump off the page, but he's a near lock to be a top-10 (dare I say top-5?) pick later this month. Why is that? Let's break his game down on the next page.
When looking at young prospects, sometimes you have to look well beyond their offensive numbers to get the full story. In the case of Anton Silayev, he blows the eye test away.
I've been watching and writing about hockey prospects for close to 20 years, and in that time I can only remember two comparables for Silayev: Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman, and Vancouver's Tyler Myers.
Sure, there have been other big guys to come along. But, not many of them are very good skaters, which usually hampers their overall game. Silayev is more then just a good skater. In fact, he's at a level we don't see very often at all. Don't just take my word for it:
Anton Silayev thoughts after 8 full game viewings:
— Félix Sicard (@Felix_Sicard) June 1, 2024
Outstanding defender. Maybe the best backwards skater I've ever seen.
But, the rest. Misses a lot of passes. Blindly throws the puck on net in the o-zone. Big project in that regard.
Not someone ANA should target at 3.
For a player this size, Silayev is on a whole new level. He turns and pivots better than almost any other player I've ever seen. He floats around the ice in a way you wouldn't expect, quickly closing gaps and taking away time and space from the opposition.
In that regard, he's almost like a cheat code on defense. A guy who can reach 15' in any direction at any time, and skate like he does; makes it really hard for the opposing team to generate much down low.
Now, he's far from a perfect prospect. His offense is pretty limited, which, I believe, is going to prevent him from becoming that "Victor Hedman" type of defenseman. And, I wonder about his overall hockey IQ; though that could just be stemming from him being a 17 year old in one of the best leagues in the world.
Even with the occasional glaring mistake, Silayev is able to quickly make up for them with his skating and athleticism. He uses his stick well and understands the importance of body positioning. In all, I don't think he'll be an elite #1 defenseman - but, more likely, a safe bet to play somewhere in the top-4, eating up heavy defensive zone minutes.
Of course, that could all change if his offensive game swings around. Playing under the great Igor Larionov could definitely help him there. Silayev will continue to develop in Russia for at least two more seasons. By the time he comes over, he could be a polished NHL ready defender.
This isn't the big upside pick that we could see with someone like Ivan Demidov, Berkly Catton or Zayne Parekh. This would be a safe, conservative type of pick that could help the Jackets in a much different way. Anton Silayev is a really rare type of player, and I defintely don't think I would be disappointed to see him picked fourth overall.
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