It’s nearly impossible to not notice Milan Kutsevich when watching an Avs game, his ability on the puck jumps out at you immediately and he captivates you with the consistent impact he has on a game. His stickhandling ability allowed him to create separation and space for himself as he moved across the ice with speed, and he sliced through defenders to access the middle of the ice and provided himself with an ideal shooting lane. He made his decisions very quickly and was capable of reacting to adjustments the defense made to ensure he didn’t get caught in possession. He often found himself in a great position before he needed to be, a result of him processing things at an elite level, and because of this he got dangerous scoring opportunities or found an open man to pass to while the defense scrambled to close him down. He protected the puck with his body very well and bought time for him to survey his passing options to pick out the next destination for the puck. He was effective at spreading the puck around and there was no level of pass difficulty that he was unable to connect on. He supported the puck well when his teammates were in possession and he closely followed in pockets of space to give them an outlet to hand the puck off to. He has a quick shot release and showed zero hesitation to let loose a shot from anywhere inside the attacking zone. He continues to be a driving force for North Jersey and a big part of their success.

Milan was a player who first caught our eye at the CCM 68 this past summer and he continued his strong play here. His ability to create chances for his team was unmatched and he could do so in a variety of ways. He had no trouble in using his explosive crossovers and pull away speed to beat defenders 1 on 1 when given the chance but he also showed he could stop up and delay the play, making tight turns using quick one touch dekes to create space and open up lanes to pass. He used his body well in front of the net, showing off his handles in tight while simultaneously shielding defenders. When he got space in the middle, he showcased a hard and accurate shot while maintaining good mechanics to curl, drag and change the angle. Off puck he had a quick first few steps leading to him being able to separate himself more often than not. Milan has elite puck skills when bursting through the neutral zone, able to easily maneuver through bodies but occasionally he can be caught doing too much.

One of the players who could make a case for being the top player on the squad for Team USA 2 was Milan Kutsevich. Immediately his puck skills grabbed my attention and he was successful in 1v1 situations as he looked to continuously take players on and show what he was capable of. He took the direct approach but was not impatient on the puck, he would read his defender well and make his moves accordingly, finding ways to work to the inside and get his shot away with great power. He was constantly creating chances, be it for himself or for others, through his excellent puck handling ability that opened up the ice in front of him. He showed his ability to play quickly when the puck was fed into him, and what impressed me the most was the way he received his passes. He was always set up with his next movement in mind when receiving the puck, his stick and body were all aligned to prevent him from making an extra move to set him on course for his next step because he had already thought it through. He moved well off the puck and continually found pockets of space to work himself into and receive the puck, and he used his body well to fight players off and ensure he would come away with the puck. He protected the puck well with his size and was able to get some extra chances out front as a result of his strong physical play. He chipped in with some defensive efforts from time to time, but offense was certainly a bit more his speed. He was caught trying to do too much on more than one occasion, but he was successful more often than not so it’s understandable that he would want to keep testing the defense. He showed remarkable puck skills and was a big part of his team’s offense.

Although the consistency level was a bit sporadic, there’s no denying that at his best Kutsevich was the most skilled player in this game by a fair margin. He was at his best throughout this game operating with the puck in transition, using his absurd puck skills to weave his way through the neutral zone with ease, consistently enter the offensive zone with control and attack defenders head on. Some of his highlights from this game include pulling the puck between his legs to get a step on a defender and get a chance off from in tight, while he also used a fake slapshot to get a defender to drop down before pulling the puck around him and breaking in alone. The puck skills really do help him navigate out of problematic areas, especially in tight quarters in the offensive zone where he was able to work his way to the middle of the ice by beating multiple defenders at a time with deft stickhandling maneuvers.

At his best in this one Milan Kutsevich was absolutely dancing and was very difficult to contain. Once he had speed and momentum built up behind him, he was dominant 1-on-1, pulling pucks through feet, to the outside, and changing direction in a pinch. He showed the puck handling ability, along with fine edgework in tight quarters to prolong possession, slip pucks under sticks and through feet whilst pivoting and turning to keep play alive. These periods of strong puck control allowed his teammates to find open ice as he attracted a fair amount of attention towards himself. Playing without the puck he still brought a high level of pace and energy to the game, hustling down after puck carriers, using well-timed and placed poke checks to knock pucks free and jump on them. Although perhaps not his most effective game as a whole, it’s clear the talent he owns is something that can change a game at the drop of a hat.

In terms of raw skill Milan Kutsevich probably stood out the most to me, he was an excellent carrier of the puck and just oozed confidence as he was eager to take players on. He was very creative and his ability to receive the puck in a way that set himself up for his next move really stood out to me. He liked taking the direct approach but he did show patience on the puck as well, he was agile and could easily take the inside or outside route depending on what the defender showed him. He found open ice well and his off-the-puck movement was something that he used well to get himself in places where he could quickly receive a pass and earn a scoring opportunity.

He was extremely confident and at times simply and truly dominant on shifts. He began the game by floating high behind coverage and looking for breakaways, continued to do so for a while, can certainly come back down lower in the zone with powerful pushes once he’s in motion, but elected to kind of float around sometimes and wait for the play to evolve. He can open his posture, protect the puck well on the exterior while waiting for trailer passes, and won key faceoffs down the stretch when they were looking to make a multi-goal comeback. Between his end to end rush attempt and showing skill at top speed, or his one-timer half slapper from the right side to get them closer near the end of the game, this showcase screamed high-end-tools at me.