Chibrikov is a fantastic skater who often displays very good top speed while carrying the puck on his stick, using fluid crossovers to generate speed through the neutral zone and find space in the offensive zone. With lightning acceleration and sublime hands, he is a real threat in transition. Give him too much time and space in open ice and you’ve got a huge problem on your hands. He as the wheels to beat opponents wide and gain that all-important separation. He’s also quite an elusive player, able to slow the pace down, shift his weight seamlessly from side to side, and deceive defenders with his hands, feet or head movement. He shows poise with the puck on his stick and calmness under pressure. He finds his teammates with passes in motion and can maneuver the puck into better shooting lanes. He does a good job of spotting opportunities on offense, finding teammates with crisp cross-ice passes while skating on the perimeter in the offensive zone. He also shows a willingness to go to the front of the net to make himself available for deflections and attempt to screen the opposing goaltender. At both ends of the ice, Chibrikov’s compete level is impressive for the most part, keeping his legs churning and playing aggressively on the forecheck in order to make life difficult on opposing defenders on the breakout. But his effort level and intensity can cut in and out, as some shifts he can dominate the play, but others where he blends into the scenery. His defensive game can be quite inconsistent. Though Chibrikov can appear to be engaged with the puck in his own zone and shows a willingness to keep his feet moving, there’s something left to be desired in regards to his defensive positioning and awareness. There is a disconnect with his ability to read and react to the play in his own zone, which leads to him running around in his own zone a bit too often and prolonging defensive zone time at times where proper positioning could have potentially broken up passing plays. In addition to inconsistent defensive reads, there are also times where Chibrikov is guilty of flying his own zone too early in an attempt to stretch the ice, making breakouts more difficult for his defensemen.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide