These three players from the OHL, KHL and WHL possess a plethora of talent at the defensive position that should intrigue NHL teams in the mid-to-late first round of the 2024 draft, says Tony Ferrari.
This season, I want to give more insight into the process of how I track NHL draft-eligible players throughout the year. This week, as I give a peek behind the curtains, we take a look at some interesting defensemen with varying opinions on each of them regarding where they fit in this year’s NHL draft class. Each of these players has been ranked in the first round by various outlets and analysts.
We start off with a massive Russian defender, Anton Silayev. He started the season on fire but with his production slowing down to merely a trickle, we look at just how much the rest of his game has grown this year. We follow that up with high-flying, offensive dynamo Zayne Parekh who needs some defensive work but the point totals are gaudy. We finish off with defensive specialist and human punisher, Charlie Elick, as we wrap up this look at the 2024 NHL draft notebook.
Anton Silayev, LHD, Nizhny Novgorod (KHL), 6-foot-7, 207 pounds
Ranked 15th by Tony Ferrari, 2nd by Ryan Kennedy
March 9, 2024 vs. SKA St. Petersburg - This game started out as one of Silayev’s best games that I’ve seen from him this year. He was gapping up defensively, using his length to dislodge possession. He was passing off attackers off the puck, maintaining a focus that allowed him to stay positionally sound even as attackers moved laterally. Silayev was moving very well, even joining the rush a couple of times early in this game. On one play, he attacked down the slot, cut to the outside and then fed a pass to the slot on his backhand.
Silayev was making some very quick and decisive passes on the breakout. In the second period, Silayev began to get a bit more overwhelmed as SKA started dumping and chasing a bit more, forcing Silayev to pivot and get to the puck behind him and then try and make decisions immediately. This caused him to get a bit sloppy with the puck, icing it a couple of times and just sending passes into the neutral zone with no true intended target around. The panic threshold that Silayev showed in this game has been a concern all year.
There were a few moments in the game in which Silayev was pushed around or pinned to the boards despite being much larger than his opponent. While Silayev remained strong as a rush defender and even improved on his dump and chase retrievals in the third period, the fact of the matter is that Silayev was constantly playing in his own end. This was a team factor as much as it was a Silayev factor. Silayev couldn’t evade and skate with the puck or escape pressure aside from making a quick pass D-to-D or off the glass.
There were some excellent moments in this game, particularly on the defensive side of the puck as he was positionally sound, mobile, and detailed with his stick-checking and placement. It’s tough to be hemmed in your own zone but credit to Silayev, he wasn’t on the ice for a five-on-five goal against. The one goal against that he was on the ice for was on the penalty kill. A teammate failed to get the puck out and turned it over inside of the blueline and a quick pass left Silayev in between two attackers for a mini two-on-one, stuck in no man’s land. Silayev could have made a move toward either but stayed in the middle which made for an easy pass across for a goal.
Overall, this game showed off many of Silayev’s strengths including his skating and length as a defender, but it also showcased some of the concerns I’ve had throughout this year such as his panic threshold on puck retrievals or passing under pressure. Silayev remains a very talented but raw player who will need ample runway to develop.
Zayne Parekh, RHD, Saginaw (OHL), 6'0", 181 pounds
Ranked 21st by Tony Ferrari, 12th by Ryan Kennedy
March. 1, 2024 vs Brantford - This has been one of Parekh’s better games that I’ve seen. He has played his typical attack-style offense, creating off of the blueline and looking to exploit the passing and shooting lanes by jumping up into space with his skating. He isn’t shy when it comes to using his mobility to walk the blueline and then penetrate as soon as he sees a north-south skating lane.
In this game, Parekh simply punished the Bulldogs any time they collapsed in their defensive zone coverage, taking a few strides in from the blueline and firing shots on net. He collected three points on the night. His assist came on a play in which he pulled the puck off the wall as the opposing team attempted to rim it out of the zone. He calmingly gathered the puck, pulled it to the middle and took a shot from the top of the circle that wound up being deflected over the goalie's shoulder and in. The seamless ability to gather the puck off the wall and create some separation for himself was impressive.
He scored a bit later in the game on a seeing-eye shot through traffic that beat the goalie from the blueline. Both of those goals were a result of Parekh moving laterally in the offensive zone and getting a shot off. He collected a second goal in three-on-three overtime, streaking down the wing and ripping the puck past the goalie on a two-on-one rush chance. Parekh scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in this game. His ability to gather himself with the puck on his stick, move laterally to open up room for himself and then make a skilled offensive play are all impressive.
There are times when Parekh is playing a fourth forward or rover, pinching into the slot or playing on the half wall rather than a typical defensive position at the blueline. In this game, he seemed to do a decent job of defending in the neutral zone, breaking up passes and pulling the puck off opponents' sticks.
His lack of physical play was noticeable in the neutral zone as it’s been all season, but he managed to mitigate it with his skating and stick-checking. The defensive zone is where he often struggles and this game was no different. While he wasn’t in the defensive zone all that much throughout the contest, he would lose his man behind him which would put the opposing attacker in a good offensive position.
His puck retrievals were hit-and-miss throughout the contest. On clear wins, he would collect the puck and swing behind his net before emerging with the confidence and speed to gash the opposing neutral zone defensive structure as a skater or passer.
When the puck race was a bit closer, even if Parekh had a one-step advantage, he would concede the puck and poke at it as he swung by, hoping to dislodge it and allow a teammate to gather it. Parekh seemed to avoid contact in the corners and played a bit scared at times on puck retrievals. He has the skill and mobility to grab the puck and make a move to escape the pressure but he seems to avoid those tough spots.
The defensive side of the game has grown in space, defending the rush but Parekh remains a non-factor in the game within five feet from the boards which is a massive issue for NHL projection.
Charlie Elick, RHD, Brandon (WHL), 6-foot-3, 198 pounds
Ranked as an honorable mention by Tony Ferrari, 22nd by Ryan Kennedy
March. 8, 2024 - This was the kind of game that could get scouts excited and make Elick a first-round prospect. His offensive game isn’t going to wow anyone but the defensive play and physicality will have NHL scouts and coaches wanting to get this kid on their roster.
Elick was a consistent presence on the back end for Brandon, pushing opposing attackers to the outside on the rush and then punishing them along the boards with big hits and hard-fought puck battles. Elick used his size to lean on opponents along the boards, pinning them and giving him an advantage when it came to recovering and handling the puck. He absorbed hits to make plays on puck recoveries below his own goal line, looking to make safe and simple plays.
Elick showed excellent presence in front of his own net, tying up sticks and pushing players out of the goalie's sightlines. He always seemed to default to the front of the net when defending, almost making it his home base. Whenever he would extend to go win a puck battle in the corner or defend an open shooter at the faceoff dot, he would take care of business and then retreat to the net front to ensure it was clear.
Elick plays a fairly conservative game in that regard. His aggression comes when throwing hits. Every once in a while, he can chase a big hit which opened him up to being beat. On one play in particular, Elick went to throw a big hit in the neutral zone and the player slipped by him. Elick hit the boards and the attacker had a two-on-one that resulted in a good chance but ultimately no goal.
In transition, Elick was quick to defer to teammates and allow them to make plays. He hit his outlets with good crisp passes when he could but didn’t shy away from going glass-and-out several times.
On the penalty kill, he was a force. He defended the rush well with his stick and blew a couple of guys up with big hits. Elick was positionally sound, blocked a few shots, and cleared the puck with haste whenever it was on his stick. In the offensive zone, there were a few nice plays from Elick that involved some passing from the blueline, looking to hit seams across the ice. He was also quite effective at getting his shot on net, ensuring that the shot was low to create a rebound.
Although he wasn’t rewarded with a point and his skating and puck handling aren’t as dynamic as other defenders in the class, for a defensive-minded blueliner, he was a capable puck distributor offensively. Elick isn’t going to blow anyone out of the water with his on-puck game but he is the kind of player we see traded for at the NHL trade deadline every year. Steady, positionally sound and physical.