Kuzmin is a capable offensive-minded, puck-moving defenseman. This season in the top pro league in Belarus he played in all situations for his team, logging heavy minutes while playing on the right side as a left-shot defenseman. His greatest assets are his blend of smooth mobility and puck skill. His edgework is top-notch, allowing him to move in all directions with ease, control gaps, and keep himself between puck carriers and his own net. He can turn away from forecheckers to find passing lanes on the breakout. Displays a high level of skill to his game, able to use flashy dekes to beat checkers in both the offensive zone and while carrying the puck in transition. Though his puck skills are more often than not a positive, there are instances where he is too overzealous while handling the puck in his own zone, attempting moves on forecheckers in high-risk scenarios that can burn him. Despite being trusted by his coaching staff to kill penalties there is still a lot of work to be done in his defensive game. Skating at around 5-foot-10, he is fairly undersized for a defender and has difficulty separating players from the puck below the hash marks, and he more often than not comes up short in battles for position in front of his own goal. His defending in his own zone, and particularly in front of his own net, is heavily reliant on stick work and positioning. However, he is often caught with just one hand on his stick in his own zone, which in turn causes him to lose stick battles for loose pucks and makes it difficult for him to tie up opposing sticks in front of his own net and box out attackers. Overall, Kuzmin shows a lot to be excited about in his offensive game and ability as a puck-mover, but will need some fine-tuning in his own zone moving forward.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide