Kirsanov is a very confident and poised defenseman when the puck is on his stick. He looks like he has ice in his veins, and is able to stickhandle the puck through traffic and around forechecking pressure to help his team exit the zone. Very good hockey sense and decision making under pressure, he shows very little panic. He can receive passes well enough and makes a reasonable first pass. Nice use of crossovers in his skating. Well balanced, strong on his feet. Good shoulder checks when picking up the puck to find his next move. Shows some impressive angling along the boards when defending the rush to cut off his opponent’s space. What is frustrating about Kirsanov, though, is that he plays with barely any pace. It’s one thing to be calm, but he rarely pushes the pace or exerts that last bit of effort that can turn a 50-50 situation into something positive. His play without the puck in his own zone is far too lackadaisical, with opposing teams cycling the puck around and generating chances far too easily. Needs to work on his pivots and turns, and to get quicker retrieving pucks. Every now and again he can read the play well enough to intercept a pass or make him an open pass-reception option, but it’s not really enough to make up for his lack of pace and effort. Has some good stick work to get in the shooting lane, constantly looking to make something happen, but his shot doesn’t really look like a weapon. There’s very little creativity to his game in transition or at the offensive blueline, he almost always defers to the obvious, safe play. Doesn’t get full extension in his stride and his first couple of steps will need to be worked on going forward. Feet look way too heavy at times. Despite playing in the KHL as a teenager there are a lot of questions about his long-term NHL upside.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide