Ruslan Gazizov is highly-skilled player who struggled to adjust to the North American style a bit in his first year making the jump. When you see him play you can see the offensive gifts – he’s a talented skater with high-end puck skills but just hasn’t quite figured out how to put everything together yet. He has a lot of speed in his stride and the ability to move laterally with ease at his top speed, making it tough for defenders to slow him down when he gets moving through the neutral zone. He’s comfortable making high-risk moves in traffic because he knows his puck skills and speed give him the ability to pull off any shake he wants to make. He has the dual threat of solid playmaking ability and a high-quality shot that allow him to freeze the defenders when he attacks off the rush. While he has the upside and skill to be a great NHL player, his consistency and engagement level wavered at times throughout the season. He will have shifts where he’s engaged and one of the best players on the ice, but then disappear the next shift and have no impact on the game whatsoever. When he’s engaged and is on his game, there isn’t a play he can’t make. But when he’s off his game, he struggles to play with intensity, misses easy passes and struggles with his puck control. The inconsistency will scare some teams from taking a player with his skillset earlier than the middle or late rounds of the draft, but there’s no denying the skill and offensive potential he possesses. If Gazizov can find a way to keep himself engaged more consistently, there’s no denying he can become an effective middle-six scoring forward for whoever takes a shot on him in the draft. That is, however, a pretty big if.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide