Daniil But is the best Russian forward available after Matvei Michkov. He is a sizeable player at 6'5" and competes hard. He played in the MHL, russian juniors, where he scored 15 goals and 11 assists for 26 points in 26 games. In the post-season he was heavily leaned upon as an offensive force and physical presence. At times he looked like a man amongst boys and scored 4 goals with 5 helpers in only 7 playoff games. He played in the KHL as well and scored 2 goals in 15 games. I thought he fit in well with the big club and will likely be a full time roster player in the following season.
Being such a big guy, But has a powerful shot. On the power play he plays as a right handed shot on the left circle (facing the opposition's net) similar to Ovechkin. He has a booming one timer that teams will want to utilize. I find his wrist shot to be pretty hard as well, but I have a tough time believing in his accuracy. His shot accuracy lacks consistency. Sometimes the puck will be aimed with precision and other times it will go a foot over the net. His follow through is very strong so poke checks don't deter his shot as much as others.
Surprisingly enough, But is a pretty good skater. He isn't an elite skater, but for his size, he impresses me. He has really good explosiveness and a solid NHL top speed. I think his north and south skating are his strong suits. I think the concerns come from his side to side movements. He is so lengthy that sometimes he will look like he is falling over himself. I think with added strength, this issue will get lessened.
I want to start off by saying But is a smart guy. He picks up on his opponents tendencies and adapts to them quickly. If he sees an opponent cheats too often, he will exploit that. He is really good at being positionally sound and not taking himself out of position to make a hit. When But has the puck, he doesn't do anything too fancy and makes the simple play. Sometimes his decision making with the puck can be poor, but not often enough to be concerning. I'd say his overall hockey IQ is quite average for a prospect.
But has some pretty nifty hands. You don't see a lot of guys his size become skill players, but he sure acts like one. He has a nice touch on the puck and makes crisp passes. I wouldn't describe his playmaking as anything special, but he can work the power play and occasionally set-up some nice plays at 5v5. I think he will be relied upon more in the scoring department than the creative part of the game.
Earlier in the year, But was not showing too much physicality. It wasn't until the MHL playoffs where we were able to fully see his physical game. He looked hungry for the puck at all times and was a handful for his opponents. He bodied guys and impacted the game with a physical presence. I think he is so big, his physical tools will have a higher impact at the next level, so I gave him an above average grade.
Below is his Elite Prospects page
Elite Prospect's page for Daniil But3/4 Above Average
2/4 Average
2/4 Average
2/4 Average
3/4 Above Average
Below are some sources to look at for visual demonstration;