Pavel Mintyukov is an offensive-minded defenseman who plays the game with an aggressive mindset. He uses his skating and offensive instincts to jump into the play every chance he can get. His vision and ability to read the defensive zone coverage are impressive for a blueliner. He can anticipate the play really well and adjust his positioning to get into a excellent position to create an offensive chance. When he’s at his best, he has excellent playmaking instincts, and can manipulate passing lanes with his eyes and deliver crisp and accurate passes to his teammates in prime scoring areas. He has strong lateral mobility with the puck on his stick, making him a strong power play quarterback and facilitator from the top of the offensive zone. The concerns about him are mostly in relation to his high ‘boom or bust’ label. He has flashes of being an elite offensive zone player, but he can go a long time without being at the top of his game. There are inconsistencies in his passing and puck-handling ability, and if he can find a way to level that off it will significantly impact his long-term outlook in appositive way. Defensively he struggles to maintain solid gap control and at angling his opponents away from the perimeter. He’s not a liability on defense, but goes through severe ups and downs when it comes to his defending. His game oozes confidence and he can process the game quickly, he just needs to improve on a few key defensive skills and consistency before jumping to the next level. Mintyukov has the potential to be a top-six, maybe even top-four blueliner at the NHL level who plays a significant role running a power play unit. If he doesn’t develop, he may struggle to make any five-on-five impact.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide