Busygin played a large role for his team this season and you can tell that his coaches believed in his upside. There’s a lot to like about him as a defense-first defender. He’s an assertive, territorial blueliner who plays on his toes and isn’t afraid to step up to make a play in all three zones. He’s a hard worker and really battles out there, throwing hits or fighting for body position. Plays with a great pace and is ready to help rescue plays or make desperation attempts if his team’s defensive coverage breaks down. Shows an advanced understanding of defensive zone coverage, keeping tight gaps, staying in position against cycles, checking over his shoulders, and using his stick to break up enemy pass attempts. His timing and positioning are well executed and he reads play prior to them unfolding, knowing where he needs to be to battle and break up chances or whether he needs to rotate and release to cover another assignment. Very impressive penalty killer for a 17-year-old. Not an especially good skater, but he can open up space with his stride length, engagement, and how well he reads the play around him. He can also, occasionally, show off some deceptive lateral footwork, opening lanes and space for himself. Does a good job of patrolling the offensive blue line to keep the play alive, including going deeper into the zone if the situation calls for it. The one area of his game that needs a lot of work is his puck control, as he has trouble calming the puck down and carrying it, especially with traffic around. The top hand being too close to his body and a fulcrum far out in front limit the accuracy and power of his shot. Definitely projects better as an off-puck defender than an on-puck defender. Busygin has upside as a bottom-four NHL defender and should be a nice pickup for a team in the mid to late rounds.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide