Kirill Kirsanov

June 2022 – A very smart and aware defenseman, Kirsanov continued to impress in his age-19 season that saw him climb the ranks to KHL, where he put up four points across 24 games with SKA St. Petersburg. Primarily a defensive defenseman, Kirsanov’s game is built on strong positioning and a great stick to break up plays in his own end. Once he has the puck, the opposing team has a hard time reading if he is going to break the puck out with a pass or if he will choose to carry it out himself. When he carries the puck, he can effectively create a controlled zone entry and quickly set his team up in the offensive zone, and he can quickly distribute the puck to his forwards along the goal line to generate dangerous scoring opportunities. His ability to switch his defensive prowess to transition to become an offensive player indicates there could be some hidden upside with Kirsanov. He will return to SKA St. Petersburg for the 2022-23 season where he will look to continue his rise through the ranks. As a left-shooting defender, he may have an opportunity to fast track himself to the top of the depth chart in Ontario and quickly establish himself as a top option for the Kings if he chooses to come to North America sooner than later. Sean Crocker