Fyodor Svechkov

May 2023 – Svechkov has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators. The 20-year-old forward played at all three different levels of Russian hockey this past season but spent the majority of his time in the KHL with Spartak Moskva. In 27 games, he scored two goals and four points. With all of the recent troubles in Russia, it was a smart move by Nashville to get him over to North America sooner rather than later. Expect Svechkov to be a middle-six forward in the AHL with Milwaukee in 2023-24 with a chance to see NHL games in the second half of the year. Curtis Rines

March 2022 – The young two-way forward has played all over the place this season in Russia. A majority of Svechkov’s time has been spent in the VHL, where he has posted nine goals and 31 points in 30 games. It is hard to project Svechkov’s true offensive upside in the NHL. You look at someone like Anton Lundell in Florida, who was questioned on his offensive abilities but has silenced everyone with 38 points in 52 games during his rookie season so far. For now, I think Svechkov is still a must-draft in start-up dynasty leagues as he can be a solid two-way second-line center in his NHL career. Curtis Rines

July 2021 – Svechkov was selected in the first round, 19th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

February 2021 – Unlike many of the prospects coming out of the MHL, Svechkov is an excellent two way forward who thrives on being the driver of play at both ends of the ice. He never lacks for effort and keeps the play moving. He does an excellent job of forcing play to the outside defensively and wins more battles than he should. His ability to use his stick and strip the puck or quickly pull the puck out of a pile makes him one of the best players in the draft class at turning play up ice in an instant. His ability to play in tight areas and around the boards is impressive for a guy who isn’t the biggest. One of the biggest issues for Svechkov is that he is often on an island with Lada Togliatti in terms of both effort and talent on many occasions.

His game in transition is solid, understanding the paths he can take based on what the opposition gives him. He doesn’t try too much and finds his way to the offensive zone with consistency. Svechkov finds his teammates in space and gets them the puck through the neutral zone and then tries to make things happen in the offensive zone by funneling play to the middle. His focus as a passer seems to be drawing attention and then making a quick pass into space for his linemate. The young Russian displays excellent awareness in all three zones and has the work ethic to make things happen on will alone many time. That’s not to say that Svechkov lacks any skill. There are many times when he flashes some impressive skill and quick hands that can get him out of trouble. He has shown more creativity and skill as he’s become more comfortable at the VHL level, the second-tier men’s league in Russia, and that has driven some of the offensive numbers up a bit. He’s beginning to challenge Nikita Chibrikov as the best Russian forward in the draft class but his recent success offensively will be key to ensuring that Svechkov continues to rise up draft boards. Tony Ferrari