Devils Prospect Anton Silayev Ranked Among Top U20 Russian Players

When the New Jersey Devils walked up to the podium at the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28th to make a selection at 10th overall, it was a surprise to see they weren’t going to trade the pick. It was additionally surprising to see Russian defenseman Anton Silayev’s name still on the board. The Devils didn’t allow Silayev to fall any further in the draft, selecting the 6-foot-7, 207 lb defenseman. He’s since been ranked among the best U20 Russian players in the world.

When asked if he contemplated trading the 10th overall selection, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald explained it was an option. However, nothing that came across his desk excited him enough to deal the draft pick away.

“There was a couple of opportunities, but certain teams and certain players valued a plus to it,” Fitzgerald explained to New Jersey Hockey Now. “And we were okay with that if it made sense, depending on what that plus was. And as the picks started and players started to go off the board, I remember talking with and I turned to Dan MacKinnon next to me because we really liked the Finnish center [Konsta Helenius] as well. I just said [to MacKinnon] like, ‘What do you think? The 6-foot-7 guy, the defenseman. Or, the center?’ He looked at me like, ‘The defenseman is six-seven and can skate.’ I said, ‘Alright, we’ll take the defenseman.’ So I wasn’t trading that one.”

Silayev was projected by many as a top-three selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. The fact that he fell to the Devils at 10th overall justifies Fitzgerald holding onto the pick.

In fact, Fitzgerald’s choice was further justified recently by Russian media this past week.

Russian hockey has a similar version of North America’s Professional Hockey Writers Association who vote on NHL awards. Sports Express conducts their own project called, “The Best Hockey Player of Russia.” According to Sports Express, the largest Russian sports media participate in voting for “both KHL and NHL representatives (and potentially any other league in the world). The only condition is that the hockey player has Russian citizenship.”

A total of 60 people took part in voting for a number of accolades, all leading authors, commentators, and bloggers of Russia. Among the awards voted on was “Best Junior,” or best U20 player with Russian citizenship.

Although Silayev didn’t win the award outright, the Devils prospect defenseman ranked third among the best Russian U20 players in the world. In fact, Silayev only trailed Philadelphia Flyers prospect Matvei Michkov and Montreal Canadiens prospect Ivan Demidov.

As for U20 Russian defenseman, Silayev is ranked No.1 in the world overall.

Silayev received seven first place votes, 11 second place votes, and eight third place votes.

Michkov — selected seventh overall in the 2023 NHL Draft — is viewed as one of the best prospects in the world. He recently terminated his KHL contract and is joining the Flyers for his NHL rookie season in 2024-25. Demidov is another highly-touted prospect who was selected fifth overall by Montreal in the 2024 NHL Draft.

In 63 KHL games during his rookie season, Silayev collected three goals and 11 points. There’s offensive upside for the 18-year-old Devils prospect defenseman. However, Silayev’s bread and butter is as a defensive defenseman. His explosive skating allows him to blanket all zones, close gaps, and activate plays. Silayev is also a dominant physical presence.

The plan for Silayev is to finish the remaining two years on his KHL contract. Then, the Devils prospect defenseman can choose to begin his North American career should he not ink an extension overseas. The good news is the Devils’ blue line is in a good spot for the next little while, and the best place for Silayev to continue his development is overseas among men in the KHL.

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