Letunov is a lanky center who needs to still grow into his body. He lacks strength and will be pushed off the puck easily by bigger opponents. Once he adds muscle, he will become a very dangerous player as he has the skill to put up numbers at the pro level. Letunov is nifty with quick hands, an explosive shot and strong passing skills. He handles the passes well, but needs to build strength to be more effective against bigger defenders. He takes advantage of easier defensive targets and driving the net from an outside lane. He likes to attempt power moves. Letunov has good stick skills and creativity, and he likes to open space with a quick toe drag before ring off a quick, heavy wrister or before setting up a teammate with a crisp feed off the rush. He gets the puck off his stick quickly however is easiest: shot or pass. He works hard to get the puck off his stick. Letunov doesn’t make a huge issue of going into the corners, but again, added muscle is a must. Letunov’s skating and defensive play are two areas of his game that progressed during the year. He is more balanced on his skates, but needs to improve his foot quickness and his first few steps. Defensively, Letunov has shown more under- standing and his defensive effort in February was much stronger than it was in September. He still has a few learning years left before making the leap to the pros. (May 2014)