2026 NHL Draft: Russian Prospects

[Caser]

Forgot to mention in this this thread that the first extra promised in the OP has arrived, but decided to deploy it as a separate thread: 2026 NHL Draft: Belarussian and Kazakhstani Prospects

 

[EXTRAS]

“Now you wanna run around talking about guns like I ain't got none.
What, you think I sold 'em all?”

– Andre Romell Young, American poet of the late 20th century.​

Just a ranking this year, which still is a progress comparing to the last year if you think about it that way. Not the most inspiring crop to say it mildly, especially if we are already keeping in mind the next year, but there are still some guys to like and a solid pool depth where to fish for the deep-water specimen.

Technical note: I went by the IIHF eligibility criteria when compiling this list, yet in cases when I wasn’t sure I didn’t give a benefit of doubt, that’s why the guys like Yegor Barabanov and Nikita Klepov didn’t make the list; as an opposite example, Alexander Karmanov would be considered eligible, he just didn’t make it to the top.

Despite not giving too much information here, I’m always open to questions or a discussion, so in case you are interested in something like that, please don’t hesitate and write it here. I will also try to add some extras from time to time, got couple of ideas on that.


1. LD Nikita Shcherbakov
2. C Yegor Shilov
3. W/C Gleb Pugachyov
4. RD Yaroslav Fedoseyev
5. W Matvei Kotkov
6. C Ilya Morozov
7. RW Alexei Vlasov
8. C Viktor Fyodorov
9. LD Alexander Morozov
10. LW Nikita Ovcharov

11. C Lavr Gashilov
12. LD Maxim Sokolovskiy
13. GK Dmitry Ivchenko
14. RW Oleg Kulebyakin
15. GK Dmitry Borichev
16. LD Ivan Patrikhayev
17. LD Alexander Ivanov
18. GK Vladimir Selivanov
19. RW Alan Shaikhlislamov
20. GK Yury Ivanov

21. LD Alexander Sapozhnikov
22. LD Yaroslav Matyev
23. LD Pavel Denisov
24. C Ivan Arkhipov
25. RD Vsevolod Matveyev
26. LD Alexei Anisimov
27. LD Nikita Poltavchuk
28. RD Maxim Moiseyev
29. LD Mikhail Gamzakov
30. C Andrei Molgachyov

31. LD Nikita Voyaga
32. LD Dmitry Shutyayev
33. RW Yan Melnikov
34. RW Leonid Levchenko
35. GK Vladimir Proskurin
36. GK Stepan Shurygin
37. LD Arseny Anisimov
38. GK Yegor Rybkin
39. LD Konstantin Nikitin
40. C Boris Borin

41. RW Vadim Dudorov
42. C/W Danil Sysoyev
43. LD Yelisei Ryabykin
44. C Andrei Bykov
45. C Artyom Matyuk
46. C Nikita Kharionov
47. GK Kirill Dubrovin
48. GK Matvei Karbainov
49. W Artemy Kulagin
50. C/W Igor Nechayev


As usual, a reminder that this rank is reflecting just my personal opinion, so it is absolutely normal that your or NHL team scout opinion differs from that.

Can you give an nhl comparable for shcherbakov who you think his game will be similar to?

 

[Caser]

Can you give an nhl comparable for shcherbakov who you think his game will be similar to?

Probably when I'm looking at him I'm thinking of someone like Mattias Ekholm as a potential comparable.

 

[Caser]

I’ve created a monster… I mean, I’ve created another extra (likely the last one though as I’m out of ideas) and this one is a ranking/watchlist for the 2027 draft. It was pretty complicated, as the amount of talent here is enormous and I hope it is some sort of an anomaly, as otherwise my head will explode from following so many prospects. To go into details, as I already had mentioned, at this point the first 5 guys look like surefire first round candidates, but that is just the tip of the iceberg as the high-end talent is all the way through the Top20 if not through the Top30. A lot of depth is there too, which allowed me to go with 60 positions here, which is actually absurd for the Draft-1 season guys if you think about it.

1. W/C Nazar Privalov
2. W Sergei Skvortsov
3. W/C Andrei Pustovoy
4. C Evgeny Yakunin
5. RD Vladimir Shtyrkhunov
6. LW Semyon Gerasimov
7. RD Illarion Babkin
8. W Ilya Kolmakov
9. W Bogdan Yakushevskiy
10. W/C Daniil Savin

11. RW Artyom Frolov
12. LD Artyom Mate
13. GK Valery Nikonov
14. GK Andrei Nikolayev
15. LD Pavel Chernochub
16. GK Yaroslav Vetrov
17. C Daniil Yermolov
18. LD Ivan Rossinskiy
19. W Roman Kozhevnikov
20. C Dmitry Savin

21. RD Daniyar Aibatov
22. GK Vladislav Chapayev
23. W Artyom Katsuro
24. C/W Yaroslav Tkachyov
25. C Mikhail Bulgakov
26. W Yury Menshchikov
27. RW Grigory Frolov
28. W Ivan Kovalenko
29. RD Yaroslav Trofimov
30. LD Vladimir Mozzhukhin


31. LW Yegor Trofimchuk
32. LW/C Ilya Kolomytsev
33. LD Fyodor Andreyev
34. W Nikita Silyutin
35. LD Pyotr Novozhilov
36. W Artyom Mishin
37. LD Denis Luzanov
38. RW Adam Israilov
39. W Bogdan Vasilevskiy
40. W Ivan Ryabov
41. RD Damir Gilmanov
42. W Sergei Zatsepin
43. C/W Fyodor Belousov
44. GK Kirill Zhernosekov
45. W Gleb Olkhovik
46. C Stepan Dmitriyev
47. C/W Alexander Sementsov
48. GK Konstantin Mandrykin
49. LD Dmitry Tokmakov
50. LD Alexander Shagalov
51. C/W Kirill Groshev
52. LD Sabit Khatibullin
53. LW Daniil Ivanov
54. GK Daniil Martynov
55. C/W Zakhar Malkov
56. RW Semyon Badalov
57. RD Kirill Teplyakov
58. W Matvei Tolstykh
59. LD Alexander Lyozov
60. W/C Ivan Chervyakov

 

[Caser]

For the record, draft eligible guys in Milstein's camp:

Pugachyov
Fyodorov
Shaikhlislamov
Gashilov
Kotkov
Matyuk
Ovcharov
Shcherbakov
Fedoseyev
Karmanov
Taimazov
Borichev
Rybkin
Y. Ivanov
Peshkov

Also Klepov, Barabanov, Rusakovich, Shayikov, as well as Timofei Runtso, Filipp Novak and Michal Orsulak.

@dyldude, thought you might be interested as I saw you compiling a list too.

 

[BMann]

I’ve created a monster… I mean, I’ve created another extra (likely the last one though as I’m out of ideas) and this one is a ranking/watchlist for the 2027 draft. It was pretty complicated, as the amount of talent here is enormous and I hope it is some sort of an anomaly, as otherwise my head will explode from following so many prospects. To go into details, as I already had mentioned, at this point the first 5 guys look like surefire first round candidates, but that is just the tip of the iceberg as the high-end talent is all the way through the Top20 if not through the Top30. A lot of depth is there too, which allowed me to go with 60 positions here, which is actually absurd for the Draft-1 season guys if you think about it.

1. W/C Nazar Privalov
2. W Sergei Skvortsov
3. W/C Andrei Pustovoy
4. C Evgeny Yakunin
5. RD Vladimir Shtyrkhunov
6. LW Semyon Gerasimov
7. RD Illarion Babkin
8. W Ilya Kolmakov
9. W Bogdan Yakushevskiy
10. W/C Daniil Savin

11. RW Artyom Frolov
12. LD Artyom Mate
13. GK Valery Nikonov
14. GK Andrei Nikolayev
15. LD Pavel Chernochub
16. GK Yaroslav Vetrov
17. C Daniil Yermolov
18. LD Ivan Rossinskiy
19. W Roman Kozhevnikov
20. C Dmitry Savin

21. RD Daniyar Aibatov
22. GK Vladislav Chapayev
23. W Artyom Katsuro
24. C/W Yaroslav Tkachyov
25. C Mikhail Bulgakov
26. W Yury Menshchikov
27. RW Grigory Frolov
28. W Ivan Kovalenko
29. RD Yaroslav Trofimov
30. LD Vladimir Mozzhukhin


31. LW Yegor Trofimchuk
32. LW/C Ilya Kolomytsev
33. LD Fyodor Andreyev
34. W Nikita Silyutin
35. LD Pyotr Novozhilov
36. W Artyom Mishin
37. LD Denis Luzanov
38. RW Adam Israilov
39. W Bogdan Vasilevskiy
40. W Ivan Ryabov
41. RD Damir Gilmanov
42. W Sergei Zatsepin
43. C/W Fyodor Belousov
44. GK Kirill Zhernosekov
45. W Gleb Olkhovik
46. C Stepan Dmitriyev
47. C/W Alexander Sementsov
48. GK Konstantin Mandrykin
49. LD Dmitry Tokmakov
50. LD Alexander Shagalov
51. C/W Kirill Groshev
52. LD Sabit Khatibullin
53. LW Daniil Ivanov
54. GK Daniil Martynov
55. C/W Zakhar Malkov
56. RW Semyon Badalov
57. RD Kirill Teplyakov
58. W Matvei Tolstykh
59. LD Alexander Lyozov
60. W/C Ivan Chervyakov

I hope Mikhail Bulgakov turns out to be a leviathan of a player..... Thanks for all this work Caser. And I hope it isn't an anomalous year.

 

[AnonCommentary]

Always love the work Caser. I’m hoping CBJ gets back into drafting Russians habitually after Andreyanov. Thought I caught a glimpse of Waddell at the showcase on an IG story.

 

[NYNC99]

@Caser why Shilov above Pugachyov?

I’m not a fan of Shilov at all honestly…

 

[Caser]

@Caser why Shilov above Pugachyov?

I’m not a fan of Shilov at all honestly…

Here I would need to explain actually what separated Shcherbakov and Shilov from Pugachyov and Fedoseyev for me: for the first two I could see that they are definitely on the smart side of the game and for the latter two those looked sort of decent in that way, but I couldn't really tell if there's something more than that.

To be fair I might be over-valuating Shilov a bit due to him being a natural center, but I absolutely like how he sees the ice and the corresponding creativity, I think you can't really teach that.

Pugachyov is more about the athleticism, the good ol' "size & skating" combo, with good hands too though, but as I mentioned the creative cerebral part is something that I couldn't define for myself regarding him, which doesn't mean it is not there or some sort of flaw, just that is how it is here when trying to measure the processing of the game: for some guys you just have to leave that parameter as blank and undefined for now.