With most draft-eligible prospects, it’s easy to get in the weeds of the highlight reel greenery to determine if this player’s ability that he put on clear display all year long, can actually translate into a full season of professional hockey. Maybe it’s someone lighting up the CHL or just riding along the coattails of some older prospect who clears the space on the ice for them to dipsy-doodle their way around defenders who will rarely pick up a stick in a couple years.
With winger Danila Yurov, these concerns or hypothetical hesitations are thrown out the window. Yurov has been rocketing up the draft rankings all season long and it is due to his innate projectability as a full-time professional and someone that can be relied upon in all three zones. This isn’t just a flash-in-the-pan prospect that will get all the hot praise on the draft floor, for them to just burnout or sizzle overseas — Yurov is a true talent that might not dazzle at the highest level, but isn’t someone to scoff at.
BSH 2022 Community Draft Board, No. 14: Danila Yurov
2021-22 Season
Team: Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk (MHL) / Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Statistics: 13 G, 23 A in 23 GP (MHL), 0 G, 0 A, in 21 GP (KHL)
Pre-Draft Rankings
No. 7 (EU skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 8 by McKenzie/TSN (midseason)
No. 13 by Dobber Prospects (April)
No. 12 by Wheeler/The Athletic
What’s there to like?
Yurov is a hard and fast winger that can drive play and score some dang goals. Maybe not the top-end of that skill, but he will surely win over some fans that salivate at just how much energy he exudes on the ice. While some other teenagers are guilty of not really trying all that hard to win over possession and gets their young fame for making tape for Twitter, Yurov, somewhat ironically, is scout nerd’s best friend in terms of putting his entire game into some clips and not missing a beat when it comes to pressuring the opposition to create scoring chances for his own team.
Danila Yurov wins possession on the forecheck and moves the puck into the slot to help Magnitogorsk score their 6th goal vs. Chelyabinsk. Not credited with an assist here, though, so he’s still looking for his first KHL point. #2022NHLDraft | 🎥 #KHL pic.twitter.com/ZYh3GGp1hn
— Dylan Griffing (@GriffingDylan) April 9, 2022
But it’s not just your grinding plays that you expect from someone selected later than the first round, this teen can launch the damn puck.
Check out the in-flight release by Danila Yurov this morning.
That’s not bad. pic.twitter.com/gisRSPsDYU
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) February 17, 2022
While some forwards that will be taken higher are just able to control play while putting on a show, Yurov can quietly work into being an ultra effective winger that teams rely upon for depth in the modern NHL.
What’s not to like?
One of the major concerns with Yurov — and we might be cheating a little bit here — is just not seeing him play enough in the KHL. Putting up zero points in 21 games looks horrendous, but in the classic Russian fashion, his coach rarely played the prospect and opted to give the minutes to the older veterans. In the MHL — the Russian junior league — he shone and was able to not miss a beat whenever he returned after the fruitless trip up a division. So, we suppose, the one thing to dislike is not seeing him play against stronger competition to determine if his grinding-hardchecking style of play could continue against those better players.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
The Philadelphia Flyers have plenty of wingers in their prospect pool, but all are fairly one-dimensional. Whether it is the snipers like Samu Tuomaala and Tyson Foerster, or the brutish grinders like Zayde Wisdom; they all fit into a nice little package. That is what they are right now, but they can certainly grow into being those complete talents. For Yurov, the dude is already there and would project to be that well-rounded player with not a whole lot of holes, that the Flyers need in their pool.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Sitting with the fifth overall pick, taking Yurov that high would be a shock. But, if they decide they want to bolster the system with quantity and attempt to trade down, nabbing the Russian winger with a hypothetical top-15 pick would be some savvy business for opting out of getting a center like Matthew Savoie or a defenseman like David Jiricek.
Can we see this actually happening? No.
We’ll make a new addition to the poll:
Marco Kasper — C, Rögle BK (SHL) — 7 G, 11 P in 46 GP
I love his patience with the puck. He doesn’t shy away from trying to beat or out-wait guys (whether through changes of directions out of stop-ups or curls) and he’s got a really low panic threshold. He’s also a good skater who never lacks in effort and always stops on pucks. He’s an advanced 200-foot forward (it’s worth pointing out that while he’s listed as a centre by NHL Central Scouting and often discussed as one, he actually played exclusively the wing this year) who was able to progress up levels because of his rounded game. And while he looks a little skinny out there, he’s feisty and he fights off his fair share of checks to stay on pucks. There’s also a bit of a hunch to his stride but he leverages his edges well, building speed through the neutral zone to push pace with the puck. I don’t see game-breaking skill or finishing, per se, but he plays with pro pace, he’s a good passer, he plays on the interior, and makes plays all over the ice. He projects as a contributing NHL player. —Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Who should be no. 15 on the 2022 BSH Community Draft Board?
| Pavel Mintyukov | 5 |
| Isaac Howard | 16 |
| Owen Pickering | 8 |
| Marco Kasper | 8 |
2022 BSH Community Draft Board
1. Shane Wright — C, Kingston (OHL)
2. Juraj Slafkovský — LW, TPS (Liiga)
3. Logan Cooley — C, NTDP (USDP/USHL)
4. Simon Nemec — D, HK Nitra (Slovakia)
5. Matthew Savoie — C, Winnipeg (OHL)
6. David Jiricek — D, HC Plzeň (Czechia)
7. Joakim Kemell — W, JYP (Liiga)
8. Conor Geekie — C, Winnipeg (OHL)
9. Frank Nazar — C, NTDP (USDP/USHL)
T-10. Brad Lambert — C, JYP/Pelicans (Liiga)
T-10. Cutter Gauther — C, NTDP (USDP/USHL)
12. Ivan Miroshnichenko — LW, Omskie Krylia (VHL)
13. Jonathan Lekkerimaki — LW, Djurgårdens IF J20 (J20 Nationell) / Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
14. Danila Yurov — RW, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
15. ???
