AYDAR SUNIEV

2024-12-04

Scout: Jeremy

Skating:

Suniev has a choppy, lumbering stride. It's definitely the weakest aspect of his game. At the college and BCHL level he clearly can make up for it with positioning and IQ, but the translatability concerns give him some bust potential. The good thing is that this flaw is more survivable at wing than at C, especially with a strong IQ, and is one of the easiest pieces to improve with proper coaching.

Passing/Handling:

Opposite his foot speed, Suniev's hands are quick. He's not going to burn anyone one-on-one, but can protect the puck well and find open teammates. He also is already adept at using his shot as a threat and giving a teammate a wide-open chance with a no-look pass or making a "shot pass" designed for a tip.

Shooting:

Suniev's shot is very good. He's scored a number of goals from range this year, has a cannon of a one-timer on the powerplay, and has a quick deceptive release while on the move. I think he has the shot to be a 30 or even 40 goal scorer in the NHL.

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

Suniev is a smart player who has good vision with the puck. Without the puck he's able to draft to open areas, most notable on the powerplay. His panic meter may be a bit light -he definitely likes to hold until the last second to open up more options.

Forechecking:

Suniev is very good at applying pressure and closing down space. He isn't overly physical, but he tries to corner defensemen and force bad passes. I think his style of forechecking would play really well in a good 1-2-2 system.

Defense:

His in-zone defense is fine for a winger. He's willing to block shots and plays positionally well. The lack of footspeed combined with his aggressive forechecking can sometimes leave him behind the play in transition.

Best Asset:

His shot is really good. I'm surprised I didn't hear it talked more about in the 2023 draft. I think it's up there with Nadeau, Yager, or Cristall.

Biggest Concern:

Skating. He's one of the poorest-skating forwards I've scouted, but the fact that he was a 3rd round pick in spite of that shows his potential.

Top Tier/Role Potential:

Top line sniper and PP1 triggerman.

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

He'll never be a solo play driver or the franchise player on a team, but paired with an elite centerman I think he'll score a lot.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

middle-6 powerplay specialist

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

If the footspeed doesn't catch up, he won't see big minutes. I think his IQ and defensive game is good enough to give middle-6 even strength minutes to, and his shot probably elevates him to PP1.

Stylistic Comparable:

Max Pacioretty

Scouts Final Thoughts and Additional Stats/Info:

I'm hoping we see a Jason Robertson type turnaround where he becomes a stud in spite of the skating concerns.

Games Scouted:

Nov 2024 NCAA games