Daniil Orlov is a mobile two-way defenseman who is able to play large minutes due to his ability to be effective in all situations. The best aspect of his game is his fluidity and mobility. He’s very smooth on his skates and, in turn, this makes him a very capable player in transition on both sides of the puck. He displays good four-way mobility in his movement. His gap control and ability to track forwards through the neutral zone allows him to shut down plays before they enter his zone. He can be a physically imposing defenseman that does a great job of preventing entries. He is able to use strong one-on-one defending skills and an active stick, and is able to transition pucks efficiently the other way with his ability to evade pressure with his mobility. He is a fairly basic offensive player when handling the puck in the offensive zone, often opting to make efficient passes in the offensive zone rather than playing with creativity to open up space. He is more efficient in his offensive reads and plays rather than displaying any high-end creativity with the puck on his stick. He is, however, able to contribute on the power play due to a strong point shot that he often makes use of. He can generate great power when shooting from distance and had good mechanics in his one-timer to make him a shooting threat from the top of the offensive zone. He will need to continue to add more skill and creativity to his offensive game, as well as add more strength to his frame, to be a true 200-foot force at the NHL level. But currently, Orlov shows enough upside in his mobility and one-on-one defensive ability to be a depth defenseman at the pro level with upside on both special teams units given the various tools at his disposal.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide