Likhachev is a skilled offensive-oriented forward who uses his top-notch puck-handling abilities and creativity to create highlight-reel plays and scoring opportunities. He displays average speed and quickness, but he is a smooth skater and his excellent edge work and agility makes him a very slick and mobile attacker. His acceleration is excellent, especially with his quick crossovers. His smooth hands allow him to dance around opponents and make defenders look foolish with flashy dekes and shifty moves. He creates time and space almost effortlessly, which gives him multiple dangerous looks on the attack. He tends to force plays though, often looking to pull off flashy dangles while a simpler play that uses teammates would be much more effective. His playmaking is elusive, as he attempts multiple no-look passes, but his dangles can be easy to predict for great defender. He anticipates offensive plays well, but he has shown inconsistency in his decision-making. He uses fakes and his shifty hands to create room for his shot to get favorable positioning on the puck delivery. He has a quick release, but he doesn’t have the most powerful shot. However, it’s an accurate wrist shot, which allows him to capitalize on the numerous chances he’s able to create for himself. He displays great pass reception as well, controlling inaccurate passes rapidly to start the attack. He lacks strength and sometimes forgets to put efforts in his own zone. He needs to work on his defensive game and decision making.

– FCHockey’s 2020 NHL Draft Guide