The Next Zdeno Chara is Now Known
There hasn't been a bigger story in the prospect world this week than Anton Silayev's rise to fame in Russia.
The 6'7" defenseman, who was almost entirely unheard of two weeks ago, has now already broken KHL records. He's one of the most exciting prospects out there... and he's draft eligible next year.
Silayev Making a Name for Himself
In six KHL games in his career (all in the last two weeks), Anton Silayev has six points. This gives him a pNHLe (Projected NHL Equivalency) of 293. To show how ridiculous this is, Connor Bedard scored a 151 on the same stat this past year.
At 6'7", 207lbs, he skates incredibly well. He is being noticed quickly, being placed ninth overall on Craig Button's initial board, and first overall on controversial and begrudged former NHL scout Grant McCagg's rankings.
From Unknown to the Front Page
One scout, Aaron Itovitch from DobberProspects who discovered him way back in July, is very excited about his recent success.
Anton Silayev is one of the biggest 17 year olds on the planet, and he has no mercy for his opponents. His skating isn't great, but for a 6'7» guy he's not horrible.
In my small sample he seems to be very smart
Silayev is the biggest story in hockey literally and figuratively -- he has now broken the record for U18 points in the KHL as a defenseman.. and he did it in a week!
He is on his way to become the highest-scoring U18 player in KHL history. This kid is very very special.
His stylistic (and size) similarities to Zdeno Chara will make him incredibly desirable for NHL teams. Is the next Big-Z ready to enter the league?
We'll just have to wait and see.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 16 | 46 ANSWERS The Next Zdeno Chara is Now Known Do you think Anton Silayev will go top-five in this years' draft? | ||
| Yes | 25 | 54.3 % |
| No | 21 | 45.7 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
