Scouting Report on Ivan Ryabkin | 2025 NHL Draft
Throughout the 2024-2025 season, TSLH Prospects will be sharing scouting reports, rankings, and profiles of prospects eligible to the 2025 NHL Draft. Continuing our work of the past five years, our analysts will provide insights on numerous prospects to give you a comprehensive overview of the draft class and their progress. Today, the spotlight is on Ivan Ryabkin, a forward playing in Russia.
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2025 NHL Draft Scouting Report: Ivan Ryabkin
After Matvei Michkov in 2023 and Ivan Demidov in 2024, we now have a third high-level Russian prospect for 2025 in Ivan Ryabkin of the Moscow Dynamo. Like his two compatriots, this 6-foot, 170-pound forward is overflowing with talent. At 16 years old in the MHL last season, the young player produced an impressive 58 points in 44 games. This figure surpassed the 2020-2021 record held by Matvei Michkov by 2 points, despite playing 12 fewer games!
What worries in this young forward’s profile is his contract with the Moscow Dynamo. The current agreement extends until 2027, meaning for another three seasons. However, with Igor Chernyshov, drafted 33rd overall by the San Jose Sharks, recently terminating his contract with the organization to move to North America, this might not be a major issue after all.
Ivan Ryabkin: An Asset Beyond Michkov and Demidov
Ryabkin is a highly versatile offensive player who can both control the play and be the one finishing it. Nonetheless, Unlike Michkov and Demidov, Ivan Ryabkin incorporates a physical element into his game. While he doesn’t use it to dominate opponents, he finishes his checks effectively during forechecking and when applying pressure on a puck-carrying opponents.
Understand me correctly; he is not a power forward, as he is more of a finesse player. However, there is power to be harnessed here, and it’s reasonable to believe that in a more rugged context, he would adapt without difficulty. The young player shows a strong desire to have the puck on his stick, and when Ivan Ryabkin loses it or fails to strip it from an opponent, he channels his energy legally on the target who beat him.
A Diverse Skill Set
Although not the most explosive, the Russian is an excellent skater who avoids opponents before the pressure even reaches him. Defending against him is challenging, especially considering his hands are among the best in the 2025 NHL Draft class. He can beat players in one-on-one situations with dekes, agile direction changes, or straight-line acceleration with power.
Additionally, he has a notable ability to score goals. His shooting arsenal gives opposing goalies a lot of trouble. Whether with one-timer, using screens, or changing angles before shooting, Ivan Ryabkin excels at finding weaknesses in goalies’ positioning. He may not be at Matvei Michkov’s level at the same age, but the potential is evident.
I wouldn’t label him as a peripheral player, as he is not intimidated by traffic. However, he creates most of his plays from the outside in the MHL, with cross-ice passes, behind-the-net passes, and shot fakes. Although not as elite as Ivan Demidov, the young player handles the puck with confidence.
Defensively, Ivan Ryabkin manages well with active and well-positioned backchecking. However, he is not a future Selke candidate. He applies pressure by doubling coverages in a very chaotic defensive league. In the KHL, it will be a whole different story in the coming years. I’m eager to see his level and how he compares to the recent top-10 Russian prospects in the NHL Draft.
Ranking for the 2025 NHL Draft
Ivan Ryabkin is expected to be the only Russian in the top 10 of the 2025 NHL Draft, according to current scouting lists. This could be influenced by the decisions of his team in Russia. The Moscow Dynamo coaches often uses young players in their KHL roster, but usually with a ridiculously low average ice time of under 8 minutes per game.
Thus, if he spends too much time on the bench in the country’s top league, it might affect his stocks. Nevertheless, with his talent, I believe he could quickly convince them to use him more frequently, especially in offensive situations.
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