Yan Kuznetsov

July 2023- Kuznetsov finished his first official professional season with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL where he had a bit of a tough time adjusting to the pace of the play. He finished the year strong and his presence in the playoffs was massive. He was laying some big hits for the Wranglers and being a very physical presence for the team. Kuznetsov played tough and held his own against men, this season was a great thing for him and a huge stepping stone in his development. Carson Klein

May 2022 – Kuznetsov spent most of this year in the QMJHL and he did get to play in a dozen games with the Stockton Heat in the AHL. One thing is for sure, he will be in the AHL full time next season. He is not ready to play at the NHL level yet, but he could be within the next three years. Just do not expect scoring production from the defenseman, he will be much better in multi-category leagues. Chris Fekete/Pat Quinn

Dec 2020 – Calgary only drafted one defender from 2017-19 and that was Juuso Valimaki. They were able to find some smaller powerplay defenders as well as some two-way style guys to fill some voids but Kuznetsov adds an element they’ve been looking for, for a while. He’s large and in charge when it comes to using his reach to separate pucks from attackers and using his body to close off lanes and gaps. His 6’4 frame allows him to simplify his transition game and most of the time just make small outlet passers to streaking teammates. His understanding of the transition game and its subtleties is really nice actually. Not what you’d expect when your favorite team grabs a hulking defender. He is certainly a shutdown style defender but could be exactly what the Flames are looking for in a few years to fill out the depths of their lineup. his fantasy ceiling will be much lower than most but his floor should be fairly high.

He should show Flames fans what he can do once he steps on the ice for  Team Russia for the WJC. – Joel Henderson