Sychyov immediately jumps off the page thanks to his unbelievable skating abilities, however, the closer you watch him the more questions about his game arise. He is a truly gifted skater. He has flexible hips and ankles that allow him to keep his blades glued to the ice through the entirety of his leg extension in both straight lines and during crossovers. The quickness in his feet and ability to direct power forward in his first three steps is borderline picture-perfect. His balance and edge work in turns and transitions is similarly impressive. He is able to carry the puck from end-to-end with relative ease. There is very little inefficiency or wasted momentum in his movement, and he can be overwhelming when closing on a puck carrier. A player with his skating attributes should be able to feast on opposing defenses, but his impact in the offensive zone is often underwhelming. While he uses his pace to great effect to close gaps both on the forecheck and backcheck, he doesn’t show that same gear on the attack quite as consistently. He doesn’t seem to have any issues with puckhandling at top speed, so the issue may stem more from the added mental responsibility of being a puck carrier. His hockey IQ is not a glaring issue, however, there are instances that make you question his on-ice awareness. He particularly seems to lack spontaneity and mental flexibility when it comes to exploiting defensive breakdowns. He seems locked into the simple or standard play regardless of what the opposition defence is offering. He’s generally in the right spots and will keep the play alive, but without that killer instinct to take advantage of miscues he’s not someone a team can consistently lean on offensively, especially since he lacks power in his shot. While his overall play isn’t as cohesive as you’d like, his elite skating abilities are a great base to build around long-term. If his offensive instincts every catch up, look out.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide