Timur Kol
2023-24 Team: Omsk Jr. (MHL)
Date of Birth: Aug. 23, 2006
Place of Birth: Moscow, Russia
Ht: 6-foot-4 Wt: 204 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2024 first-year eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting: 36th (among EU skaters)
- Logan Horn’s Final Ranking: 54th
- Future Considerations: 121st
- Recruit Scouting: 106th
- SMAHT Scouting: 59th
- Bob McKenzie: Honourable Mention
While the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) is one of the best leagues outside the NHL, the MHL (Minor Hockey League) is a significant step down from other U20 junior leagues like the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and the United States Hockey League (USHL). Defencemen seem to have an especially difficult time developing in the MHL, and if they don’t make the jump to the KHL by their draft season, it’s usually not a good sign. Even those who dominate the league don’t have a leg up on furthering their career outside Russia.
Related: THW’s 2024 NHL Draft Guide
For example, Artyom Duda, a second-round pick in 2022, spent his draft year between the MHL, the VHL (Russia’s second-tier hockey league), and the U18 circuit and didn’t play any KHL games until 2022-23. He was dominant in the U20 league, but it didn’t transfer, and he is now playing with the Toronto Metro University. Alexei Marchenko, on the other hand, was a seventh-round pick in 2011 and was named the MHL’s Defenceman of the Year that season but also appeared in 22 KHL games before he was drafted, putting up just two assists. He went on to have a four-year career in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs.
For that reason, Timur Kol has been left off most of the 2024 Draft lists. He spent all but two games in Russia’s junior and second-tier leagues this season, and in the MHL, he put up just eight points in 14 games and five more in eight playoff games. However, Avangard Omsk noticed something about his game, which led to a call-up to the big club in December and two KHL appearances before he returned to the MHL in mid-January. So, what did the KHL see that scouts may be missing?
Kol is a “meat-and-potatoes” kind of defenceman – he plays a simple, straightforward game that doesn’t have a lot of mistakes but also doesn’t have a lot of flash. The one thing that stands out is his mobility. Although he’s not an exceptionally fast skater, he has a smooth, strong stride that doesn’t cause him to lose momentum in transition. He covers the ice well and uses a lot of deception to create space, employing body feints and making quick, effective decisions to throw opponents off their stride and give him an opening to move the puck to a teammate or take a shot.
Kol primarily plays a defensive role, and in the MHL, he uses good body placement and strength to pin players against the boards to take them out of the play while generally lacking physicality despite his 6-foot-4, 204-pound frame. He uses his long reach and an active stick that can easily bump the puck off an attacker’s stick. He positions himself well and shows above-average intelligence and anticipation in the defensive zone.
But Kol has shown some offensive upside, as well. He is a solid puck mover, using quick, strong passes that are delivered right to the tape of his teammates. His mobility and intelligence usually put him in a great place to move the puck around the offensive end. His shot is also surprisingly strong and accurate, and in the VHL, he finished with five goals and eight points in 23 games. He doesn’t project to be a power-play quarterback in high levels of competition, but he’s doing everything right so far, which should put him on more than a few radars ahead of the 2024 Draft.
Other Draft Profiles
Timur Kol – NHL Draft Projection
There’s reason to believe that the Russian factor might not be as prominent this season after it was announced that Matvei Michkov will join the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2024-25 season. That’s good news for Kol, who has the potential to be a reliable two-way, middle-pairing defenceman in the NHL. As one of the youngest players eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, he is a bit of a project, but he has the size and maturity NHL teams love to see in a defenceman. He could hear his name called in the third or fourth rounds.
Quotables
“A big Russian defenseman who plays a simple brand of hockey, Kol leverages his reach, physicality, and mobility to suffocate opponents of space in the defensive zone. He stood out most in his games at the VHL level against second-tier professional competition. As the season progressed, he even flashed some on-puck skill and passing proficiency: diversity in his impact which, with added consistency and improved mechanics and confidence, could unlock a #4 defenseman upside. If he settles as a meat-and-potatoes defender with decent tools and improving reds on both sides of the puck, he could still develop into a reliable bottom-pairing presence.” – Sebastian High, Dobber Prospects
“He has shown the ability to dance around opponents with agile footwork, opening up his hips to sneak through tight lanes. One of Kol’s most impressive traits is his shot from the point. He is able to walk the line well to open up lanes before ripping heavy shots on goal. He has shown flashes of potential as an effective puck-rush defenceman but will need to make a lot of adjustments before he gets to that point…I have been up and down on Kol throughout the year, but he is a player who shows good traits and has plenty of room to grow.” – Medved Prospekt
“He’s a very interesting name for a project to leave in Russia for a number of years in my view. Very lanky with a tremendous shot from the point and some impressive performances at the men’s level in Russia as well as internationally. He needs to fill out physically and his lateral skating skill needs to improve, often relying on letting play come to him and getting beaten often on entries, but Kol has some interesting physical tools and has been a mainstay on many Russian lineups the last few years. I could see an effective, lanky, and skilled defenseman here that needs to diversify his offensive game, but here and there I’ve seen some impressive play come from Kol that should be worth a swing in the mid to late rounds.” – Will Scouch, Scouching
Strengths
- Defensive pressure
- Positioning
- Awareness
- Powerful shooter
Under Construction – Improvements to Make
- Skating stride
- Lacks physicality
- Offensive engagement
NHL Potential
Kol is an intriguing prospect. He’s big, smart, and has a lot of tools that could make him an effective two-way, middle-pairing defenceman in the NHL. His tools are largely unrefined, however, and while he looked OK in his two KHL appearances, he averaged just over five and a half minutes between them. He needs to add more physical elements to his game, and his skating is good for the MHL and VHL but will need to be cleaned up for tougher competition. Still, there’s a lot of potential in Kol, and he deserves to be given a shot.
Risk – Reward Analysis
Risk- 5/5, Reward 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense- 4/10, Defense 7/10