Fansided

Dallas Stars Throw Curve, Draft Denis Guryanov; Why Him?

By Josh Clark |

The Dallas Stars went off the board on Friday night and drafted Russian RW Denis Guryanov with the 12th overall pick of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Now, if you were like the majority of Dallas Stars fans, your reaction probably contained a hint of, if not full blown, shock.

With strong forwards Mathew Barzal and Kyle Connor still surprisingly on the board when the Stars pick rolled around, they went out of their way and picked Gurianov. He ranked 28th in a consensus ranking of all the mock drafts. So, a first round pick!… but nowhere near his projected pick.

As always, we trust entirely in Jim Nill and his decisions. He’s gotten the Stars further than anyone could have imagined in the last two years, so he obviously knows what he’s doing here.

But the more I look into this pick, the more Jim Nill’s genius continues to shine. Denis Guryanov is a modern day Valeri Nichushkin it seems.

Gurianov (we don’t know whether it is truly a y or i, so we’re just going to switch back and forth) is a 6-3 powerful right winger. This guy knows how to skate with power. His speed on the ice is nothing short of impressive. As a right winger, his shot is very powerful. His ability to skate is regarded by many as the best of any player in the draft. He’s at the same level as Connor McDavid in that category. His hands are decent and his competition level is enthusiastic. His smarts could apparently use some work, but that is why he is regarded as a prospect. He just turned 18 and has two years left on his contract in the KHL.

In his post-draft interview, Gurianov said that he knew the Dallas Stars well and loved watching Valeri Nichushkin. He compared himself to Nichushkin, and there are plenty of similarities. The Stars are currently suffering a lack of right wing talent, so putting one into the system is a perfect move.

Guryanov played his 2014-2015 season with the MHL team Ladia Togliatti. He shone in this campaign, tallying 15 goals and 25 total points in just 23 games. His ability to score is profound, and he loves to celebrate. He did end up clocking 39 penalty minutes in the season, but that can be hammered out as he progresses.

With Russia U18, he played 12 games and his statistics were a bit different. He played 12 total games and scored seven goals and eight points, but the surprising thing is that Gurianov totaled 33 minutes in the sin bin. He might end up having a vicious side to him, but we have nothing more on that.

Here is a link to a great prospect report on Gurianov.

The Dallas Stars may have found themselves a diamond in the rough with this pick. He was supposed to be a late first rounder, and some even projected him to be a third round take. This may scare you but here are some reassuring tweets from Dallas Stars writer Mark Stepneski and analyst Josh Bogorad:

More from Dallas Stars News

Here is a prospect report on Denis Guryanov from Eliteprospects.com:

A highly skilled forward who intimidates with his speed and proficient puckhandling ability, Denis [Gurianov] may have one of the highest ceilings as a forward prospect for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Very strong on his skates and uses his size to protect the puck well. Drives the net hard and knows where he will shoot before he is even in a position to do so. Possesses a heavy and accurate release on his shot, which he likes to get off near the faceoff dots; if he can’t shoot from there, he will either dangle or bull his way through to the blue paint. While he is proactive and aware defensively, he still needs to work on consistency in his own end. All-in-all, a dynamic offensive threat that has room to grow defensively.

Lastly, Gurianov was on fire in a game against Sweden this past year. Here is a great video to see his skating abilities, goal scoring prowess, and fiery celebrations:

Overall, there aren’t tons of notes on Gurianov because of where he was expected to be drafted. But there is enough for us to assume that he is going to be a strong and dominant right wing in the near future. I think the Dallas Stars found themselves a fantastic pick, no matter what the mock draft says.

After all, when was our captain and Art Ross Trophy winner drafted? Ah yes.

Stay strong Stars fans. This pick may have surprised you, but Jim Nill knows what he is doing and understands that he has made the right pick that the Stars need.

Next: Dallas Stars Draft Denis Gurianov With 12th Overall Pick

More from Blackout Dallas

Home / Dallas Stars News