The Philadelphia Flyers have selected right wing Ilya Pautov with the 173rd pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Philadelphia Flyers have selected right wing Ilya Pautov with the 173rd pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Pautov, despite being considered an undersized forward at 5'11" and 165 lbs., has an intriguing skillset that has been described as "simply put, shifty—with great head-fakes on the puck and good lateral movement off puck. He pursues play well and hangs onto possession. But I find his playmaking isn’t at the same level as his puck-skills are – which keeps him really doing it all."
He's also touted as being a very creative player that's fun to watch, and can impact the pace of games with his impressive skating and playmaking abilities.
Scouting reports suggests that Pautov's biggest downsides are his size and strength—both of which can absolutely be worked on as he develops—along with the fact that his skating abilities don't include any kind of impressive speed.
Further developing his skillset and production will be the biggest factors in determining Pautov's chances at moving up in the Flyers' system whenever he might join, but he looks to have an offensive upside that fans will want to keep an eye on.
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