Daniil Lazutin
2020-21 Team: SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (Russia)
Date of Birth: Jul. 25, 2003
Place of Birth: Moskva, RUS
Ht: 6-foot-2 Wt: 174 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: C
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2021 first-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting: 46th (European skaters)
- Peter Baracchini’s Final Rankings: 120th
- Andrew Forbes’ May Rankings: 81st
- Matthew Zator’s April Rankings: Honorable Mention
- Smaht Scouting: Honorable Mention
Heading into the 2020-21 season, the buzz surrounding Lazutin was pretty high. He was looked upon as one of the top center prospects to come out of Russia in quite some time. He had four goals and 11 points in 32 games for MHL Dynamo Moskva in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league. In addition, he turned heads during the World U-17 Hockey Challenge, scoring four goals and nine points in six games leading Russia to the Gold medal.
Related: THW 2021 NHL Draft Guide
He spent the 2020-21 season playing for SKA-1946-St. Petersubrg in the MHL. In 31 games, he had eight goals and just one assist. He had a goal and four points for Russia in seven tournament games at the U18 World Junior Championship. His stock fell throughout the course of the season as there were times where he seemed invisible on the ice, and his production was very inconsistent. However, he is still a well-rounded two-way player and can be a contributor on an NHL club.
Lazutin is a very shifty and crafty player on the ice. He uses his elusiveness to get around defenders to get himself in one-on-one chances with the opposing goaltender. He uses those same skills to get the netminder out of position and score some highlight-reel goals. He has very quick hands and can read the play in the offensive zone well, which leads to him setting up his teams.
While he has the height that NHL scouts look for in a center, he still needs time to fill out. One of his knocks is that he doesn’t play as physical as one might hope for a player his size. However, he is very good at using that size to his advantage in other ways. While he isn’t a big hitter, he does rather well in board battles by using his big frame to shield the puck and push away opponents. He also does a good job of using positioning his body to keep defenders away from the puck.
Other THW Draft Profiles:
Daniil Lazutin – NHL Draft Projection
As mentioned earlier, Lazutin was pegged to be one of the top European prospects heading into the season, but his stock has fallen. So instead of being a late first-round or second-round pick, we now could see him go anywhere between the middle of the third round and the fifth round.
Quotables
“Another highly regarded forward, Lazutin is an impressive player, who, like Poltapov, looks comfortable playing the role of both facilitator and scorer. Not an overly physical player, Lazutin nonetheless uses his size to his advantage, particularly in one-on-one battles and to get good length when deking. There are periods of play where Lazutin kind of vanishes, but that is not too concerning for a draft-1 player in the MHL — it is a tough league for youngsters. I’d also like to see a little more explosion out of Lazutin’s first couple steps, but, again, that is not unusual for a bigger player in his pre-draft season.” Ross Martin, The Draft Analyst
“Daniil Lazutin is a very well-rounded two-way forward. He moves around the neutral zone with ease to disrupt passing lanes and apply heavy pressure to his opponents. Lazutin had an incredible U17 World Hockey Challenge, as he centered a line with Nikita Chibrikov and Prokhor Poltapov. His production numbers from the tournament were great, with nine points in six games, however, his defensive work was what really stood out. Lazutin is just about everything you could ask for in a 200-foot player — speed, size, and skill — but needs to work on becoming a more consistent player.” Dylan Griffing, Dobber Prospects
“Lazutin looks like they have all the tools. He’s a 6-foot-2 center who can skate and has a high skill level. There are shifts when he comes barreling up the ice, turning defenders around, or pulling pucks through legs and sticks, where he looks like a no-doubt top-six NHL forward. He can get a little tunnel-visioned at times, but I also see moments of great vision and offensive IQ. His consistency will need to get better, but I see a player with the potential to become a great pro.” From “The 2021 NHL Draft ranking: Corey Pronman’s top 35 prospects” by Corey Pronman, The Athletic – 10/8/20
Strengths
- Vision
- Hands
- Size
- Hockey IQ
Under Construction (Improvements to Make)
- Physicality
- Consistency
NHL Potential
Lazutin certainly has the size to play in the NHL, especially when he starts to fill out his 6-foot-2 frame and build strength. His ability to set up his teammates and make plays for himself will get him plenty of chances to succeed once he comes over to North America. His ceiling is a top-six center, but he will more likely fit into a middle-six role providing secondary scoring if everything goes right.
Risk-Reward Analysis
Risk – 4/5 | Reward – 4/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense – 7/10 | Defense – 5/10
Awards/Achievements
In addition to winning a gold medal at the 2020 World U17 Hockey Challenge, Lazutin was also named to the tournament’s all-star team. A year later, he took home a silver medal at the U18 World Junior Championship.