Anton Silayev Profile, Is he a Future Chicago Blackhawk

Prospects like Anton Silayev don't come around very often. When they do, they typically get selected quite high in the draft. Sure players of his stature like a Victor Hedman (6'6), Aaron Ekblad (6'4), or Owen Power (6'6) were all taken inside the top 2 of the draft in their selections, but there were more offensive upsides to their projections than Silayev's game at the current moment.

More to the point here is the risk, will Silayev be more like Chicago's own Alex Vlasic that is showing an excellent defensive IQ in combination with his size and reach? That would mean having a very good top 4 blue line player on the roster, but not necessarily the next Victor Hedman. What if though, Silayev is passed on for a Dickinson, Levshunov, or Parekh and becomes a player that resembles the great Zdeno Chara? That right there is why Anton Silayev is one of the most interesting prospects we've come across here at Blackhawk Up in years.

The "what if" game with Silayev is endless at this stage (just 17 years old). Will he go #2 overall in the draft? It may come down to whom drafts in those spots. For one, if Anaheim picks 2nd overall, we believe he would take Silayev. If Chicago drafts 2nd, we feel Levshunov (as a right shot) may be the preference first. However if the Blackhawks select 3rd-5th and Anton Silayev is on the board, I'm not sure having 2 elite defensive LD that are 6'6 to 6'7 inside your top 4 is a bad thing....