2024 Draft Profile:
LD Daniil Ustinkov, ZSC Switzerland
Generally, I avoid mentioning the Devils in draft profiles even though I write them these days exclusively on a Devils thread, because I want to make them universal and timeless. However, the Devils have an organizational need at LD and have recently been building a team heavy on Swiss nationals (and, although he has dual citizenship and a Russian name, Ustinkov considers himself Swiss and plays international hockey for Switzerland).
Most notably, however, is this is a kid with a shot to fall to the Devils pick in the 3rd round who is much, much better than he has been given due credit for.
Ustinkov is a very strong and solidly built 6'0-200 with terrific skating ability. He played this year in the Swiss Men's league which is probably neck-and-neck with the Czech league as the 4th best league in Europe after only the KHL, SHL and Finnish Liiga. Though he only averaged just north of 10 minutes per game, he was rock-solid defensively and his mix of strength and speed enabled him to win both puck races and greasy, in-tight battles with impressive regularity. This is even more impressive when you realize that Ustinkov missed the 2025 draft by mere days and is probably the youngest player being ranked in the top 2 rounds for the 2024 draft.
Ustinkov's defensive game is, right now, where he excels the most. He's certainly got a lot to learn, but his positioning and gaps are already at a pretty good level, even for a men's league, and his reads and anticipation of the game are truly impressive in both their maturity and instinctual grace. This is a smart and athletic kid, and he also features a high-compete level and willingness to engage physically. There are myriad reasons to believe Ustinkov can develop into an excellent defensive-defenseman.
Ustinkov's consensus rankings range from the early 2nd round to the mid-3rd, which seems low for a player of his defensive acuity and strength/skating combination. Needless to say, it's because many write him off as a strictly defensive defenseman --bolstered by the fact he only scored 9 assists all year with no goals. Well, I'm here to tell you this is the rare defensive defenseman who is actually better with the puck than without it.
While Ustinkov is one of those no-red-flags, good-across-the-scouting-board defenders, his one truly special ability might just be his almost preternatural savvy with the puck and ability to quickly and efficiently transfer pucks from danger areas to safe zones with high-end passes.
By no means a creative or exciting passer, Ustinkov might be the most *accurate* passer of all 2024-class defenders taken after the top 15 picks. He's exceptionally accurate in his decision making as well. So, what you have here is a guy with the defensive ability to break up a play, then the savvy and hands to calm the puck down and separate from forecheckers, then the ability to lace heady passes up-ice, all in a heartbeat. He does this several times every game, even as a 17 year old in a men's league.
The combination of everything described above gives me little doubt Daniil Ustinkov will be a regular NHL defenseman. Yes, there is a possibility he'll level out as a 3rd-pairing guy, but I also feel he has some unheralded upside offensively. Simply put, a kid this smart, this fast, this good with the puck, and this efficient in his passing game? He's got the tools -- and I think as the youngest regular defenseman in a men's league, he's toiled as a team-first guy, willing to sacrifice taking offensive chances to better compliment his team. He rarely rushes, and seldom activates from the point, even though he clearly has the necessary tool-kit to do so.
In conclusion, I think Ustinkov is, at the very least, one of the safest defensemen in the 2024 draft class and, at the very most, a kid with some sneaky upside who might be one of the more underrated players for the 2024 draft. He's a great pick anywhere in the 2nd round, and an absolute steal thereafter.