As reported yesterday by the Philadelphia Flyers, forward Maxim Sushko has been loaned to Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. Sushko as our own Jamey Baskow and I have said in the past has the one of the best wrist shots in the system. He is also another steal draft pick of the Ron Hextall era being drafted 107th overall in the 2017 NHL draft right after fellow forward Matthew Strome. Sushko a 6’1 190-pound speedster prospect from Belarus, continued to hit the ground running once he came over from Belarus to North American hockey. As I said in my previous article about Sushko, he answered all the strength of competition questions rather quickly. In 229 career OHL games for the Owen Sound, Sushko had 164 total points.
Moving forward, Sushko continued to impress when he came over to the Phantoms this year for his first year pro. He is a goal scorer and a playmaker who thinks the game very well allowing him to read opposing players with the best of them to determine shoot or pass in what seems like the snap of a finger. Sushko in his first year pro in 53 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms had 21 total points (11 goals and 10 apples made up that total). This kids work ethic is uncanny with the only thing having to improve in his game being the defensive end. Sushko did however, showed improvement this year with Lehigh Valley finishing with a +7. This is a part of his game that we can really see how its grown as he goes over now on loan to the Dinamo Minsk to play in the second best league in the world the KHL.
Sushko has very good potential and that’s what the Flyers saw in him in 2017 when former General Manager Ron Hextall selected him. His style style of play really played a factor in this selection. That play style is a dynamic scorer and playmaker. Sushko’s quickness and wits while handling the puck make him a menace for opposing defenders as he is coming down the ice since, they never know whether to anticipate pass or shot. Now he is going to be a menace for KHL defenders as he goes over on loan due to the uncertainty surrounding the AHL season. Sushko in my eyes, still projects as at least a future bottom six playmaker and scorer for our Orange and Black Philadelphia Flyers. This move shows just how much the Flyers believe in the kid sending him over to the KHL to continue to work on his game as the big club prepares for the playoffs. This was a wise move by the Flyers as there is uncertainty surrounding the AHL season and now Sushko gets to go over to Russia to play amongst grown men, as he continues to hone in his own game and become the productive playmaker and scorer the organization see him being.Â
