ROMAN KANTSEROV

2025-05-28

Scout: Tony

Skating:

Roman is a very good skater, quick agile with good acceleration

Passing/Handling:

Roman has very good passing and handling skills

Shooting:

Roman is a very good shooter, able to get his own shot with his shiftiness

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

Roman has a very high hockey IQ, vision is very strong to get teammates the puck or get around a defenseman. I idid not see much panic except on rush defense

Forechecking:

Roman did show some forechecking and was ab le to turnover the puck from opposing players

Defense:

Roman does offer some forecheck defense and his ability to get the puck to teammate or around defense with puck possession is his best defense

Best Asset:

I would say Roman's best asset is puck handling and passing.

Biggest Concern:

Do to his smaller size I don't expect a lot of BASH, As long as he can avoid to much physically he should be ok

Top Tier/Role Potential:

Tier 2/Middle 6 forward with some powerplay time

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

Roman's skating, shooting, passing, puck handling and IQ all lead to a solid middle 6 role.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

tier 3/ 4th line

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

Not enough BASH.

Stylistic Comparable:

I would say Romans reminded me of Connor Garland

Scouts Final Thoughts and Additional Stats/Info:

I could see Roman maybe being a good lineman for Bedard

Games Scouted:

2 KHL games

2025-02-27

Scout: Jeremy Vercillo

Skating:

Kantserov is a smooth skater, although not flashy in terms of straight line speed. He has good edgework and is able to make quick turns and pivots, which should increase his lethality on offense.

Passing/Handling:

His passing is crisp and on the mark and he's got good puck control skills. If anything he may hold onto the puck a tad too long at times, because his size lets him easily be bumped off the puck.

Shooting:

Kantserov has a good wrist shot, and especially likes to use it after doing a little curl and coming down his strong side on the powerplay, ala Jared McCann. I don't see much indicator of a one timer or slapshot prowess here.

IQ (Vision, Anticipation, Panic/Poise):

I really like his vision and IQ, and it especially shines on the powerplay. Both with and without the puck he's good at getting to the right places and releasing pressure on his teammates. I think he may struggle to create offense out of thin air, but with a skilled finisher he could be very dangeous.

Forechecking:

He's not the most aggressive of forecheckers, but can properly apply pressure when necessary. Don't expect any big hits or created turnovers though.

Defense:

Kantserov is surprisingly defensively responsible for a young, offensive Russian winger. In the games I watched he broke up multiple passes in the D zone and collapsed down to the top of the circles to help the defense when needed. The fact that his team trusts him for 18 minutes a night and PK2 time shows the value he brings here.

Best Asset:

Vision -- his vision with the puck is great, but I actually want to talk about his vision without the puck too. He's quite adept for a young forward at slowing down, reading the play, and finding soft spots in the D, a bit like a skilled Striker in soccer/football. I think that's a rare skillset, and I'm excited to see how it translates to the NHL.

Biggest Concern:

Size is always going to be a concern with a 5'9" player. I don't think it's a huge one with Kantserov, but it certainly won't help him.

Top Tier/Role Potential:

80+ point top line winger. The Panarin to Bedard's Kane. What Chicago wanted Lukas Reichel to be. I think he's got a perfect skillset to complement Bedard and hope they get a chance together starting in 26-27.

Justification for Top Tier Assessment:

He's got the offensive talent and the IQ to play with elite players.

50th Percentile Tier/Role:

Middle 6 + PP merchant

Justification for 50th Percentile Tier Assessment:

His patience and vision really shines on the powerplay. I would be surprised if he's not a consistent figure on one of the units in his prime. If the size and speed doesn't translate he may not get a full complement of even strength minutes though.

Stylistic Comparable:

Jack Hughes

Scouts Final Thoughts and Additional Stats/Info:

Worth noting that he's teammates with Danila Yurov. Yurov is highly touted and a year older, but Kantserov is getting 2 more minutes TOI, more PP time, and has scored more points than Yurov.

Games Scouted:

Feb 2025 KHL games