Danila Klimovich announced his status as a legitimate 2021 NHL Draft prospect with his U18 debut

I have to admit, I didn't know much about Danila Klimovich before the start of the Under-18 World Hockey Championships. After his debut performance for Belarus against Sweden, I'll definitely be keeping my eye on him for the rest of the event. It would've been nearly impossible for Klimovich to offer a better first impression. He was deservedly named player of the game for Belarus after scoring his team's lone goal with a power play one-timer, but more than that, he contributed in all facets of play. 

Let's get something out of the way early before we dive into the rest of Klimovich's play. The skating. It looks like a potential issue in the forward's game. He bends his knees and has an advanced shin angle, but doesn't fully complete his pushes, and his skates recover wide of his centre of mass after those pushes. There is also noise in his upper body, a lot of rocking, and head movement. 

His overall form could probably improve with training, but creating separation and eluding professional opponents might prove difficult for him. But, like the rest of this scouting report, this evaluation is only based on one game and is subject to change as our sample expands. 

The core of Klimovich's game looks to be his handling skill; his quick and agile hands. He approaches most on-ice situations with that ability in mind, rarely shying away from taking opponents 1-on-1. He seems adept at reading the positioning of defenders and threading the puck either inside their triangle -- the space between their stick and skates -- or past them, into space to get it back the other way. This is exactly what he did in the first clip in the video below. He pulled off a violent inside move on a defender who ventured too far outside the dots before firing at the net with that same fierce energy. 

If you roll the entire video, you will also see other techniques that are part of Klimovich's kit; toe-drags, behind-the-legs moves, and slip passes. The Belarussian forward also seems to have an above-average ability to repair handling mistakes. Against Sweden, Klimovich easily caught the puck back after it escaped his blade, before pulling a series of moves to evade opponents that jumped on him, sensing a weakness. This ability to quickly adapt to pressure suggests problem-solving skills, but again many more viewings are needed to confirm it.

Another quality that makes him probably an above-average handler: His use of the hip pocket. For most of the game, Klimovich brought the puck at his hip, in a more deceptive and play-ready position, upon receiving it. It allowed him to manipulate defenders in key moments to gain the slot or pass to teammates who did the same. 

This brings us to another evident quality Klimovich staple that he deployed against Sweden: His inside-game. Klimovich didn't look like a periphery player at all. Au contraire, he worked hard to move the puck from the wall to the slot and, if he could get there, to the net. 

This particular sequence, an offensive-zone face-off, stuck with me. 

Klimovich loses the draw -- he played wing in this game so I assume he lacks practice in that facet of the game -- but doesn't give up on the puck. He hounds it, working through three players to get his stick on it, before one-touching it in a shooting position, and then firing hard on net. 

The winger clearly has a relatively high motor and some bully abilities to go along with his small-area handling. The sequence didn't end there. He made an extra effort right after his shot to again steal the puck back after it bounced off the goalie.

It bears repeating -- this is one game. But we can also assume that Klimovich not only has some projectable offensive skill, but also some defensive pride. More than once in the game, he reloaded high to cover for his defencemen or other teammates, filled appropriate systemic positions, and backchecked with effort. 

This last sequence, Klimovich's best in the game, brings all of the elements mentioned above together. 

The puck moves to the half-wall in the Belarussian zone. At first, Klimovich is in ''contain'' mode, but seeing the puck-carrying opponent turn his back to him and move his head down, Klimovich takes two quick steps and pressures the opponent. He makes contact to cut his escape route and stick-lifts him, stealing the puck for a breakaway, in which he chains a fake shot into a between-the-legs release. The move misses (it would have been more successful had he approached the goalie in a more east-west pattern) and the play rapidly moves the other way. Klimovich activates, catches up to a 2-on-1 against, and denies 

Fabian Lysell a backdoor tap-in, before drawing a penalty on him after another dangle. 

In the span of 25 seconds, Klimovich effectively transformed a defensive read into a breakaway and a defensive effort into a significant advantage for his team -- a power play. 

A few other notable elements of Klimovich's play that I liked over the course of the game: his communication with teammates, his poise under pressure, and his ability to support play. 

Belarus plays again tonight against the Swiss. It will be another occasion for Klimovich to show his skill. Can he improve on his performance against Sweden? The EP Rinkside team will certainly be watching to find out. If the rest of Klimovich's tournament mirrors his first game, and if his play holds up in future crossover viewings of the Belarus league, he will certainly feature on our final board. How high? Time will tell.