Avalanche Film Room: Gulyayev’s Dazzling Skating A Perfect Fit (+)

When the Colorado Avalanche picked up another first round pick in 2023, it allowed them to go out on a limb and take a bit of a risk. With their first pick that year at 27, they took Calum Ritchie, a rangy center who was a pretty safe bet to play in the NHL. With the 31st pick, they bet on skating and skill, taking 5’10” defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev.

And boy is he fun to watch.

We know Gulyayev won’t be coming over until 2026 at the earliest, barring a massive year in the KHL. That’s okay, as he’s just 19 and has plenty to work on when it comes to his game. And we know that when he does come over, he doesn’t want to play in the AHL. But when he does eventually make his way to the Avalanche, he’s a picture-perfect fit for the way they want to play.

Here are 32 clips that showcase what makes Gulyayev so intriguing, as well as a few things he’s got to work on. The camera angles are a little strange, but the guy you’re looking for is wearing #84.

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Mesmerizing Skating Ability

It really is a sight to behold.

Avalanche fans have been spoiled by being able to watch Cale Makar skate around the ice on a nightly basis. He’s an elite skater, and I’m not sure there’s a defenseman in the NHL that can match how well he can move. I’m not going to say Mikhail Gulyayev is quite at Makar’s level when it comes to skating ability, but he’s pretty darn close.

Gulyayev kind of needs to be an elite skater given his size, and he certainly uses it to his advantage. He lures in forecheckers by letting them get close, then breaks away to head the other way. It’s similar to what Sam Girard does, but I think Gulyayev has better straight-line speed.

Keep in mind that this is an 18 year old defenseman playing against professionals that are older than him. You can tell from a few of the clips that teams already respect his skating ability, as they just back off and give him time to make a pass. He’s a perfect fit for how the Avalanche want to play, whenever he actually does get to North America.

Skating And Stick Work In D-Zone

Gulyayev uses that elite skating ability in his own end to defend, closing the gap on whoever he’s covering in the defensive zone. That speed makes it tough for forwards to get away from him, and when he’s tracked the puck carrier down, the teenager uses his stick to his advantage.

That first clip is probably my favorite of them all. You’ve got a forward barreling towards him at full speed, but it doesn’t face Gulyayev. He’s able to stick with him because of how well he moves, and pokes the puck off his stick to kill the possession. That’s pretty advanced stuff.

Two of Gulyayev’s goals this year came off plays that started with him in the defensive zone. On one of them, he absorbs a hit on the forecheck and starts the breakout, then follows it up by putting the puck in the back of the net. On the other, he forces a turnover in the defensive zone with his stick and uses his skating ability to jump into the play. There’s a reason he earned more and more ice-time as the year went on for a very good team. Very encouraging for a teenager playing in a very good league.

Hope For More Creativity

As previously mentioned, it’s not easy for teenagers to earn ice-time in the KHL, especially on defense. Gulyayev played it pretty safe his first full year in the league, focusing more on his own end than anything else, but I’d love to see his offense take another step this season. The reality is that a defenseman his size is going to need to contribute offensively to earn ice-time in the NHL. We’ve seen smaller defensemen become defensive stoppers (Jared Spurgeon), but it’s pretty rare. He has the ability to create offense and jump in more, but I didn’t see a lot of it last season as he had to earn the trust of the coaching staff. Now that he has that trust, I’d like to see the offense take a leap.

Whether or not that happens is the question. The majority of Gulyayev’s ice-time last year came at even strength. He was barely used on the powerplay, and I’m not sure that’s going to change this season. He’s still going to be the youngest guy on the defense, so it could  be another year where he’s in a very similar role. The hope is that the coaching staff will give him a bit more freedom now that he’s established himself a little bit on the team.

The Size Element

There’s no way around it – when Gulyayev does eventually make his way to the NHL, he’s going to have to deal with smaller ice and a heavier forecheck. How he adjusts to it will be interesting. He’s able to skate away from a lot of forecheckers, but you can’t skate away from everyone. His lack of size is apparent in certain situations. You can see in the second to last clip that he does everything right by forcing a dump-in, but when it comes to recovering the puck, he’s knocked off the puck pretty easily by the much bigger forward. He’ll likely deal with that more in the NHL than he would in the KHL, so he’ll have to adjust. The good news is that he has time to make some adjustments and get a little bit stronger with his KHL deal lasting another two years.

He’s not afraid of contact, but he’s at a disadvantage in a lot of matchups.

Final Comments

I’ll be keeping a close eye on Gulyayev this season, if only because he’s incredibly fun to watch.

His comments recently about not wanting to play in the AHL have rubbed some people the wrong way, but I get where he’s coming from. Would I prefer if he came over after this next season and played a year in the AHL? Yes, because I think that would be a way to get him powerplay time while allowing him to adjust to the smaller ice surface, but that’s not going to happen. Young Russians like him already are playing pro hockey and making good money. They don’t necessarily want to ride the buses if they don’t have to, but he’ll have to hold up his end of the bargain when he does eventually sign with the Avalanche.

The Avalanche obviously have a type, even if that type is on the smaller side. Gulyayev looks like a guy that would thrive in the system Colorado currently plays. They give their defensemen freedom to jump into the play, skate with the puck, and make plays. That’s something he’s built for. A few more years of development (which he needs) and he should fit right in.

What will be fascinating to watch is whether or not he’s a member of the Avalanche when he does come over. I’m not talking about burying him in the AHL, but rather a trade. A team like the Avalanche is looking to win now with where their core is at. Knowing he won’t be playing for them for a few years, is Gulyayev a trade chip for them to get better in the immediate? The Avalanche held onto him at the deadline this past year and I’m sure they don’t want to trade him, but he is an interesting trade chip.