2020 Flames First Round Targets: Marat Khusnutdinov
By Mike Wilson
3 years agoThe 2020 NHL Draft is scheduled for October 6 and 7, conducted remotely. The Calgary Flames have a first round selection and will pick 19th overall. In advance of the draft, we’ll be looking at some contenders to be selected at 19th.
Last but not least, Marat Khusnutdinov may be one of, if the most, underrated skaters in the 2020 NHL Draft. His raw talent and complete game may and probably should pressure a team to select him in round one. With a July birthday, Khusnutdinov is one of the youngest skaters in the draft class.
Scouting Report
The diminutive left-hand shot centre could be the steal of the first two rounds. He’s small but he is an incredibly forceful offensive player, a seriously great skater and a flat out great play driver. Despite his size, he is as aggressive on the puck as any player over six feet. He’s the man with no fear. He’s known for being much stronger than his smaller 165-pound frame would suggest.
Hailing from the MHL, Khusnutdinov worked his way to become one of the most impactful centres in the Russian junior league this year.
He motors around the ice and plays a high-tempo, high-pressure game with or without the puck. He never stops. He wants the puck at all times. His ability to control the neutral zone combined with his elite and explosive stride make him a dangerous offensive threat. His creative tactics in the offensive zone are capped off by his stealthy shot. He’s known for his fantastic backhand, ability to elevate the puck in tight, and always being able to create in highly contested areas. According to Will Scouch’s data, Khusnutdinov finished the year with some of the best 5v5 metrics of draft-eligible players coming out of the MHL.
Scouch says of Khusnutdinov:
“He’s extremely raw, but the raw tools when he showcases his best hockey are absolutely disgusting. He’s fast, skilled, selfless with the puck, and drives tremendous defensive results with a great transition game to go with it. Constantly involved in play, constantly supporting his line, constantly anticipating play.”
His compete level and willingness to engage is not lost in the defensive zone. In fact, on the contrary, as his tenacity goes both ways. As per the Hockey Writers Josh Bell:
“Without the puck, he’s on a mission to get it back. He plays hard at both ends, blocking pucks, and his forechecking might be among the best in this class.”
The numbers
Khusnutdinov put together a nice campaign last year, considering he started the year utilized in SKA’s bottom-six, putting up 38 points in 44 games. Despite his initial limited role Steve Kournianos notes that Khusnutinov’s points per 60 minutes at even strength were a fantastically productive 3.14/60. This led all skaters who averaged under 15 minutes a game in the MHL.
Marat also captained team Russia to the gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky tournament picking up three assists over the five games.
He got a taste in the KHL this year before heading back to the junior league with SKA-1946. Over eight games he’s picked up two tallies and seven points.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P |
| 2019-20 | SKA-1946 | MHL | 44 | 13 | 25 | 38 |
| 2020-21 | SKA | KHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | SKA-1946 | MHL | 8 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
Fit and availability
Khusnutdinov’s ranking has hovered in the low 30’s to 50’s for most of the season. However, his name has started to creep more and more into the first round. Multiple analysts have him ranked in the top 30 (Byron Bader, Will Scouch, Corey Pronman) and he seems to be gaining a bit of steam as a player some teams may take a chance on.
Treliving and the Flames have shown a willingness to draft out of the MHL having selected Ilya Nikolayev from Loko Yaroslavl 88th overall in 2019. There’s also no backing down from filling the prospect cupboard with undersized players who are majorly competitive and skilled (see Mangiapane, Andrew and currently Phillips, Matthew). It would certainly be an interesting and perhaps bold pick at 19.
As a puck-moving, tenacious centre whose defensive game is matched by his raw offensive skill, he would be a great addition to the Flames pipeline.
2020 First Round Targets
Braden Schneider | Kaiden Guhle | Seth Jarvis | Connor Zary | Jacob Perreault | Noel Gunler | Lukas Reichel | Dylan Holloway | Hendrix Lapierre | Jan Myšák | Jake Neighbours | Mavrik Bourque | Ozzy Wiesblatt | John-Jason Peterka | Yaroslav Askarov | Tyson Foerster | Helge Grans | Rodion Amirov | William Wallinder | Justin Barron | Ridly Greig | Dawson Mercer
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