It's easy to get enamored with a player's size in hockey, but in reality, it's more about how a player utilizes his tools than what he looks like.
With Anton Silayev, it's hard to ignore his size. The Russian defenseman, who turned 18 in April, is a breathtaking 6'7" and 207 pounds. There are several ways in which Silayev utilizes that size, and we'll get to that.
But what makes him such an intriguing prospect is how well he moves. No, not how well he moves for his size. If he was 6'1", he'd still be considered one of the draft's best skaters. Silayev is explosive in straight lines. His stride is clean, and his four-way mobility is incredible.
He can move laterally with ease thanks to his long legs without the downside of skating himself out of position, as can be the case for bigger defensemen. It's not just that Silayev is fast, but it's that his movements are extremely controlled.
A refined skater with the reach of a 6'7" defenseman? That's the recipe for a monster. Silayev always seems to be in the way. He's impossible to get around on the rush. He is on the winning end for so many races to free pucks. He gets in shooting lanes in the offensive zone.
Despite his size, Silayev first attempts to defend with his stick and body positioning. That being said, he does utilize his strength. He ends forechecks and cycles by smothering players along the walls. He boxes out from above the crease with ease. He does need to learn to make better decisions defensively, as he got burned a few too many times this past season when he abandoned the net front without support to chase behind the net.
Few draft-eligible players in Russia get meaningful minutes in the KHL, and the ones who do are typically wingers. For a defenseman to have played a regular role for a decent KHL team all season is nearly unprecedented.
Where opinions diverge is in relation to Silayev's offensive game. His three goals and eight assists in 63 KHL games are solid, but most of that output came in a small run of games early in the season. His production at the junior level was close to non-existent. He is composed with the puck and keeps his head up, but he struggles with the accuracy of his passing on breakouts.
If Silayev can turn his tools into offense, then he's going to become a special player. But I'm far less inclined to buy the Victor Hedman-esque hype that some scouts are offering.
Regardless, Silayev is a true outlier. If his trajectory holds, then he's going to be one of the best shutdown defensemen in the NHL with the kind of makeup that many teams will spend years searching for without success.
