Typically, we’re used to the undersized winger that is putting up boatloads of points getting heralded as a player that is underrated in their draft year. Now that some NHL teams have caught on to that, it appears that some scouting hobbyists have taken to looking at players outside the typical development leagues and have focused on more of a toolsy approach.
This is where Dmitri Simashev comes in for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
He is beloved by some and unranked by others, but it seems like those that want to go into more details about players and specialize in prospects and projectability, cannot get enough of the dude.
Pre-Draft Rankings
No. 10 by EliteProspects
No. 19 (European skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 35 by Bob McKenzie
No. 35 by Scott Wheeler/The Athletic
Statistics
Simashev clearly won’t let his stat sheet persuade any NHL team into taking him too early than the consensus. There might be other reasons scouting staffs clammer for their employer to take the large Russian blueliner but putting up just 10 points in 29 games in the overseas junior league, going pointless in 18 KHL games, and never putting up any impressive amount of points except when he scored 16 in 11 games during his Under-16 season; will certainly not earn it.
There isn’t too much going on statistically with Simashev, so there is no real point sticking around here.
What’s to like?
Regardless of the lack of offensive output, Simashev is slowly building a case among some scouting circles to be a player taken in the first 20 or so selections of the upcoming draft. It really just depends on who you talk to when it comes to where he is projected or ranked among his peers.
Some online outlets have him as high as eighth or ninth overall, while the larger mainstream rankings like TSN, have him out of the first round entirely. But why is that? Our honest guess is that the online scouts simply have more time to pick into the player and have gravitated towards liking him a fair bit.
The first thing all of those ranking blurbs and scouting profiles and reports talk about, is how the 6-foot-4 blueliner is able to move like he does on the ice, despite being his height and size.
Our eyes feel so used to large defensemen like Simashev being meandering hulks unable to successfully carry the puck or be as agile as the young Russian blueliner is. Tyler Myers, Brandon Carlo, Brayden Coburn, and even Philippe Myers, are all height-gifted blueliners but never could skirt around the ice like Simashev has shown overseas.
Because he has this agility, he is able to successfully cover just about any skater coming his way and maneuver around them to either strip the puck entirely or at least provide a defensive barrier that prevents some scoring chances.
There is a defensive foundation laid in Simashev’s game that makes him so projectable to be a very good professional defenseman in North America. If a scouting staff looks for tools over production, then they would certainly be valuing Simashev this June.
What’s not to like?
I mean, it’s kind of written right there but maybe people do just want to see more production from the player to really feel good about this player. He is in the Russian junior league after all, a couple levels below where other European and North American defenseman draft prospects played last season. David Reinbacher produced at the top level in Czechia, Axel Sandin-Pellikka was in the top Swedish division, and then the CHL should still be considered above where Simashev was playing.
But, you can also get distracted by all the numbers and if you just look at Simashev skating and playing in all three zones, you know there is a really good player in there.
How would he fit in the Flyers system?
While it would be another player you would have to wait a couple years to get over here, I think Simashev would fit in like a glove for the Philadelphia Flyers. With Cam York and Emil Andrae also on the left side of the blue line, some might prefer that Simashev isn’t a Flyers prospect, but he is just the type of player that almost every hockey fan can agree is good.
He has the size that some prefer, the skating ability that is instantaneously praised, and the defensive ability for him to stick around on very good hockey teams. This isn’t the most exciting player to have in the system, but someone that every championship team needs.
Can the Flyers actually get him?
It won’t be at seventh overall, but don’t be surprised if Simashev’s name is called at 22. Especially if the Flyers want to play it safe with their first pick – drafting a more known commodity like Dalibor Dvorsky or Ryan Leonard – then Simashev could totally be an option with their second first-rounder. If not, then they won’t be able to get him unless they trade for an early second-round pick, because he certainly will not be lasting past pick No. 40.
What scouts are saying
Every team wants long defencemen who can really skate and Simashev checks both of those boxes. He’s a rangy, smooth-skating defenceman who played 18 KHL games this year, was great in the MHL playoffs, will likely be picked higher than this, and may even be taken considerably higher than this. It’s hard not to like the way he way he can play in transition, whether defending the rush with his feet and reach or skating through neutral ice or out of the defensive zone in possession. But I don’t see a ton of skill/smarts in control, where his game can simplify. Add in a just-OK statistical and the talent in this draft and I couldn’t quite get to where some others did. I think he’s got a good chance to become a two-way No. 3-5 defenceman and look like a first-rounder when it’s all said and done, and I wouldn’t balk at a team taking him in the 20s, but the front half of the first round would come with some risk for me. – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“It’s really not a contest. Dimitri Simashev wins,” Elite Prospects lead scout David St-Louis wrote in an article comparing all of the top defensive prospects out of Europe’s physical tools. “All of his main abilities, his skating, handling, and physicality project as high-end in the NHL. And as he’s 6-foot-4. He probably has one of the largest wingspans in the whole draft, too…Strictly in terms of tools, Simashev is an NHL team’s dream.” – Elite Prospect’s 2023 Draft Guide
A large, smooth-skating, two-way defenseman with intriguing upside. Strong skating, puckhandling, and puck distribution skills make him very effective in transition. Similarly, his anticipation of opposing neutral zone plays combined with his long reach and strong positioning makes him very effective in denying zone entries, particularly controlled entries. His defensive impact on the cycle is admittedly less impressive, but he is still strong in his own zone, and he is particularly good at finding ways to get the puck out with control. He is arguably the best defender in the draft. His offense relies too much on perimeter plays and he has shown hesitance in shooting the puck that could limit his offensive upside, but he has also shown enough in terms of puck distribution skills and off-puck positioning that one could see a world where he regularly produces points at the NHL level. – Dobber Prospects
Ritchie is off the poll now so we have to add someone else! Welcome to the poll, Bradley Nadeau!
Nadeau is the type of player who is a scoring threat every time he touches the puck. He just has such a well-rounded, well-balanced collection of abilities that he blends together, or can pick and chose from at will. He is a fast, sleek skater who has a great top gear and can shift all the way upwards in a hurry. His hands are dangerous, and he is self-assured about using them to try complicated things. He can play the roles of playmaker and shooter equally well and displays a very good understanding on which one is best to choose in any given situation. If you had to pick just one trait that stands above the rest, though, it would probably have to be his shot, especially his missile of a one-timer. He can really get that thing unloaded cleanly and with the exactitude of placing it in the top corner. – McKeen’s 2023 Draft Guide
Who should be No. 25 on the 2023 Community Draft Board?