The New Jersey Devils chose 6-foot-7 defenseman Anton Silayev with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Anton Silayev
Silayev impressed in his first season at Russia's highest level this past campaign. The imposing blue-liner blocked 74 shots and led his team with 98 hits. Silayev rose from second on Central Scouting's midterm rankings for international skaters to the top spot in the final edition.
His 11 points may not seem like much (offense isn't his biggest strength), but he collected them as a 17-year-old against men in a professional league. That total is the most by an under-18 player in KHL history. Silayev, who turned 18 on April 11, broke the record previously set by Vladimir Tarasenko, who collected 10 points in 38 games for Novosibirsk in 2008-09.
Silayev, under contract in the KHL through 2025-26, also captained Russia's Under-20 squad to punctuate his draft year. He's displayed an impressive level of physicality for such a young player, even considering his hulking stature.
What they're saying
"It's not often you find a 6-foot-7, 211-pound defenseman capable of moving like him with his smooth and active skating stride," NHL director of European scouting Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen told NHL.com's Mike G. Morreale in April.
"He seems to always be alert and able to quickly get pucks to his forwards in transition," Vuorinen added. "He can carry the puck and has a great release. His personal skills are still a bit raw, but his ceiling is high. He's looked so composed in the KHL. He seems to be ready to play in the NHL almost immediately."
"He is a unique type of prospect who's easy to dream on," The Athletic's Corey Pronman wrote in late May. "He can play all situations and play on his off wing. Silayev ... skates very well for his size. He has excellent footwork and a smooth stride, with strong four-way mobility. He closes gaps quickly on his check, plays a very physical brand of hockey, and thus projects to be a premier shutdown type of defenseman in the NHL."
Pronman compared Silayev to Zdeno Chara and added that Silayev has the potential to be a No. 1 rearguard one day.
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