2025 NHL Draft Profile: Kurban Limatov

You know, not all defense prospects have to be the same. While I have a greater appreciation for guys who can play good defense and get the puck out of their own end, I also see value in guys who excel at moving the puck up the ice and can be pretty good in other areas. I think this is especially true for defensemen who are very good skaters, which I think is a skill that helps every element of the game.

When they're good skaters, good puck movers and have some good size? That's a good combination to have.

THE BASICS: STATS AND CONTEXT

• Position: Left-shot defenseman
• League(s): MHL
• Height: 6'4"
• Weight: 190 lbs
• Birthdate: March 20th, 2007

Here are his draft rankings, as of writing this:

• Bob McKenzie: 69th
• Corey Pronman: 47th
• Will Scouch: 57th
• Elite Prospects: 44th
• Scott Wheeler: 44th
• Dobber Prospects: 35th
• FC Hockey: 25th
• McKeen's Hockey: 31st
• HockeyProspect.com: 16th

Limatov was the top defenseman on Dynamo Moskva, one of Russia's top hockey organizations. Statistically, he led all U18 defensemen in the MHL in points, both in the regular season (8 goals and 23 points in 46 games) and the playoffs (2 goals and 5 points in 7 games). He only got one small taste of the KHL, playing 52 seconds in his single KHL appearance in March.

Limatov is 6'4" and a bit lanky at 190 lbs, but he was a workhorse and he earned his minutes. You can see that in his average ice time by month and how it increased:

• September – 16:34
• October – 18:12
• November – 19:57
• December – 23:01

It leveled out for the rest of the regular season, but never dipped below 20 minutes. Then when the playoffs hit, it went to another level – he led the MHL playoffs in average ice time with exactly 32 minutes. That was 2 minutes ahead of the next closest player, and almost 7 minutes ahead of the next closest teammate.

Considering how many minutes Limatov was playing, it's almost not necessary for me to say this but I will confirm – he was on the top pair at even strength, he was on the top power play unit, and I think on the second penalty kill unit (more of a 1B unit really). He was the guy the coach sent out when the team needed a push for offense, and when defending the lead. He also bounced between playing on the left side and the right, depending on his partner at the time.

THE GOOD: SIZE, MOBILITY, TRANSITIONS, OFFENSE

The most standout parts of Limatov's game is that classic combination of "he's big and he can really skate". I don't know about mechanics, but the scouts I know who do like breaking mechanics down all seem to rate it as very high end. I wouldn't say that means he's the fastest guy, but he's very smooth and agile. He can dance through defenders in open ice and makes quick pivots defensively when he needs to make sudden cuts or shifts from forward to backward skating (or vice versa).

That kind of skating skill is what makes Limatov so effective on transitions. On retrievals he can pull off spins and use some shifty edgework to evade forecheckers. making him a dangerous offensive activator from the blueline and a dominant puck retriever. He has quick acceleration to establish an inside position and pull away from defenders while carrying the puck out of his own end.

Limatov has puck-rushing ability and isn't afraid to step up in the offensive zone to make things happen. He will kickstart the rush offense and jump into the play as a second or third option. He will lead the rush himself if he has the space. He makes quick, simple outlets, and can pull off more complicated passes to his defensive partner to avoid pressure.

Another strength is Limatov's offensive impact. He isn't necessarily a guy who can dominate in the offensive zone, or uncork a huge slapshot from the point. A good bit of his offense comes from the rush and his ability to drive transitions, but he definitely has offensive skill – the kind of offensive skill for a defenseman that I like.

He activates into the play, he does have a good wrist shot but can also "shoots for sticks" when firing it on net from the point, rather than trying to score. He's pretty confident in controlling the puck and carrying it along the blueline, makes good passes through seams and mostly makes good decisions with the puck to create offensive chances for his team. According to many scouts, there's evidence of considerable upside in his game in the offensive zone – including stutter steps to deke past defenders, "defensive-triangle dekes" which I don't actually know what it means but sounds cool and he's apparently good at it, and is good at board-to-middle plays.

When it comes to his defense, things aren't as strong but I think he has some projectable tools. I already touched on the size and skating, which both help a lot. He's also willing to play physically to his advantage, which will play up at even the NHL level once he fills out some more. He steps up in the neutral zone to throw some big hits, but can also seal opponents and pucks on the wall. He can sometimes be a legitimate play-killer, using his skating to close fast on opponents with an aggressive gap. His transition defense is already at a pretty good level, I think.

When it comes to defending in his own end, I'll say that Limatov has shown improved positioning and anticipation, which is good to see because... well, I'll get to that later. When he's "on", he makes good reads and decisions defensively. Physically, he can just plain bully and work opponents off the puck and has a good stick for breaking up possessions and pass attempts.

THE FLAWS: DECISION MAKING, CONSISTENCY

So there were a couple of qualifiers I mentioned so subtly above, and it all comes down to Limatov's brain. This is mostly a problem on defense right now, but it does crop up on offense or transitions too. He struggles to consistently complete plays, and his overall feel for the game can be shaky at times even if he can also be pretty brilliant at others.

The problem is that Limatov has what I can only call "Jake Gardiner Syndrome". Where he can make some truly head scratching decisions at times. It's not really like a video game controller being disconnected, because he doesn't just stand still or stop skating. The problem is that he will try to do things and you don't really know why, or what he was trying to do. Defensively, his positioning can be downright weird, he'll chase guys unnecessarily, he'll alternate between passive and aggressive at the oddest times.

Limatov's defensive engagement is also an area for improvement. Despite his impressive physical tools, he can be inactive defensively and lose physical battles along the walls and on the rush. He doesn't consistently show a consistently strong defensive engagement – he needs to be more proactive in his in-zone reads and doesn't scan enough defensively, which causes a lot of problems for his positioning when there's an opponent in his zone that he's not tying up.

With the puck, he can rush certain plays while taking too much time on others. He can be too passive on breakouts at times and have the puck stripped, creating a dangerous turnover. He can try to solo rush against a wall of defenders and, again, turn it over. His passing accuracy can also be wild at times. His puck management and passing precision are notable weaknesses for him to work on improving. The word "baffling" came up from multiple scouts to describe his decision making.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

Truth to tell, based on Limatov's rankings he seems more likely to be a second rounder than a third. I could have easily swapped him and Beauchesne, especially since Limatov has the advantage in every physical tool – size, strength, skating, and reach.

The thing is, I tend to be scared of players – forwards or defense – who have that kind of processing or decision making issues. I'm sure it is something that can be improved with coaching, but I view it a lot like skating mechanics where that can only go so far. So even if I think he'll be taken earlier, he's someone I'd rather hope falls to the third round than saying I'd want him taken in the second.

That said, I am still enticed by the things Limatov is good at. That size and skating combination is always good to see, and while there are some small consistency issues with his decision making handling the puck, he can mostly execute those plays at a pretty high level. If you are someone who liked Jake Gardiner, I think you'll like Limatov as well – not that I think he's a lock to be as good as Gardiner was, just that he's that kind of defenseman. But if you're someone who tore your hair out about him and can't tolerate defensemen who are that inconsistent defensively, then keep your fingers crossed that Treliving picks a different big defenseman who can skate well and actually play good defense.

Thanks for reading!

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