The 6-foot-4, 209-pound blueliner was drafted by Calgary in the second round, 50th overall, of the 2020 NHL Draft and was signed to a three-year entry-level contract on Mar. 30, 2021. Prior to his collegiate career, Kuznetsov spent a season in the USHL with Sioux Falls Stampede, suiting up for 34 games in the 2018-19 campaign.
"We've watched him for a couple years now," Flames' director of amateur scouting Tod Button said last fall. "We were able to track him as an underage player knowing that he would go to U-Conn.
"He has really good defensive fundamentals with a chance to grow his game offensively. He definitely takes care of his own end first, but he's a player we think can play with more of a risk-taking, offensive defenceman on a middle pairing."
"He's got a chance to be a really good player," added general manager Brad Treliving. "He's a really good skater, good on his edges, able to get back for pucks, break out pucks, he gaps well, takes away space.
"Just the length of him, the feet, the head and competitive combination… Really good value there."
The Sea Dogs have two other Flames prospects from the 2020 NHL Draft class on their roster, with defenceman Jeremie Poirier (third round, 72nd overall) and forward Ryan Francis (fifth round, 143rd overall) playing key roles for the club this past season.
