Who's the best player outside the NHL
- Thread starter Kshahdoo
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I feel like this conversation is impossible to have without people conflating best, most ready NHL prospect with best hockey player. It’s already happening.
If you take this conversation at its most literal core - it is pretty irrelevant whether a guy like Shabanov succeeds in the NHL or not. The question isn’t “who is the best player at ice hockey given NHL rules, NHL rink sizes and NHL settings”.
I think Nikishin is a good choice because he fits both the purity of the question and the desire to answer it based on an age/prospect status, size and toolset that seems easily transferable to the NHL. You can make the case he’s the best defenseman in the KHL and thus the best defenseman outside the NHL.
To answer Demidov you actually have to believe he is, as of the 24-25 season, the very best forward in the KHL, for starters. I think he is clearly the most precocious talent and clearly having a great season - but is he, as of 3/15/25, a “better hockey player” than say Dmitri Buchelnikov? Like distinctly, a level above? Or Shabanov? Or Galimov? Or…?
Leonard is interesting because he has a pretty dominate physical toolset that IMO could be succeeding highly in any non-NHL senior league right now, KHL included. And while yes, going down the NCAA scoring list is a foolish way to say “this player is NHL ready”, the very very top guys with experience and physical context tend to prove out very much NHL ready - which leads me to believe a guy like Leonard is a more plausible inclusion than superstar prospects still in juniors.
If you take this conversation at its most literal core - it is pretty irrelevant whether a guy like Shabanov succeeds in the NHL or not. The question isn’t “who is the best player at ice hockey given NHL rules, NHL rink sizes and NHL settings”.
I think Nikishin is a good choice because he fits both the purity of the question and the desire to answer it based on an age/prospect status, size and toolset that seems easily transferable to the NHL. You can make the case he’s the best defenseman in the KHL and thus the best defenseman outside the NHL.
To answer Demidov you actually have to believe he is, as of the 24-25 season, the very best forward in the KHL, for starters. I think he is clearly the most precocious talent and clearly having a great season - but is he, as of 3/15/25, a “better hockey player” than say Dmitri Buchelnikov? Like distinctly, a level above? Or Shabanov? Or Galimov? Or…?
Leonard is interesting because he has a pretty dominate physical toolset that IMO could be succeeding highly in any non-NHL senior league right now, KHL included. And while yes, going down the NCAA scoring list is a foolish way to say “this player is NHL ready”, the very very top guys with experience and physical context tend to prove out very much NHL ready - which leads me to believe a guy like Leonard is a more plausible inclusion than superstar prospects still in juniors.
Look at Misa's teammate Chernyshov. He's dunking on the OHL to absurd levels (more than Misa is) yet he's, at best, a 3rd liner on Dynamo similar to Rimashevsky.
On no planet are Schaefer or Misa the current best players outside the NHL.
Yes absurdly talented players......but they're still U18 kids.
I don't know where he would rank but I'd bet Tristan luneau becomes a pretty dangerous offensive dman soon. He has 32 points in his last 22 ahl games as a 20 year old ahl rookie dman.
6'1 202 lbs for those who care.
6'1 202 lbs for those who care.
What are you talking about? Is not major junior on the downswing with players now able to leave for the NCAA?
Will Misa be in the NHL next year? Besides Schaefer who is NHL ready?
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Gavin McKenna?
He would go first overall if he was eligible.
lol yup the 6 best players not in the NHL atm are all Russian
Classic Russkie boosting
Nikishin and Demidov yes, maybe Gristyuk you could make a decent argument for but zero out of ten NHL franchises are taking 5'8 150lb Maxim Shabanov on their roster tomorrow before Leonard, Parekh, Perrault, Buium, Morrow, Cristall, or Misa.
Josh Leivo is leading the KHL in scoring, it's not a bad league by any means but also not what it used to be.
Classic Russkie boosting
Nikishin and Demidov yes, maybe Gristyuk you could make a decent argument for but zero out of ten NHL franchises are taking 5'8 150lb Maxim Shabanov on their roster tomorrow before Leonard, Parekh, Perrault, Buium, Morrow, Cristall, or Misa.
Josh Leivo is leading the KHL in scoring, it's not a bad league by any means but also not what it used to be.
Well, KHL is the only European league where NHL caliber players are still playing after their draft so naturally it will be Russians.
And since the question is about the player stepping it in now and not their future progression, it’s also 20+ year old Russians
Mmmmm no it's not and no it isn't. Everyone's entitled to their own delusion though, enjoy.
There's no transfer agreement between the NHL and the Russian hockey federation, so right now yeah. They could trade his rights for whatever reasons, but if he wants to play in the NHL, it'll be with the Canes.
Guys like Parekh, Cristall, Misa, etc. cant even make a 5th place Canadian WJC team.
A 25 year old Shabanov would completely destroy the WJC. Men vs boys.
yeah sure man whatever you say
Maybe if he has a real strong final couple games he can come close to matching Reid Boucher's KHL point totals from last year. Reid Boucher who's best year in the NHL was an 8G 19P season almost a decade ago.
yeah sure man whatever you say
Maybe if he has a real strong final couple games he can come close to matching Reid Boucher's KHL point totals from last year. Reid Boucher who's best year in the NHL was an 8G 19P season almost a decade ago.
And a current Reid Boucher would absolutely destroy a bunch of kids like Parekh, Cristall, Misa, etc, let alone make a 5th place WJC team.
And a current Reid Boucher would absolutely destroy a bunch of kids like Parekh, Cristall, Misa, etc, let alone make a 5th place WJC team.
Totally. Which is why 6 months from now he'll be enjoying boiled cabbage in Omsk while they'll all be at NHL camps with a decent chance to make a real pro hockey team.
Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov rated No. 1 on Craig Button’s Top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects list | TSN
Montreal Canadiens blue-chipper Ivan Demidov, in the middle of a record-setting season in the KHL, is the No. 1 player on Craig Button’s top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects list.
www.tsn.ca
Please stop!
Montreal Canadiens' Ivan Demidov rated No. 1 on Craig Button’s Top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects list | TSN
Montreal Canadiens blue-chipper Ivan Demidov, in the middle of a record-setting season in the KHL, is the No. 1 player on Craig Button’s top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects list.www.tsn.ca
Please stop!
Stop... what ?
You know you're posting this on a "PROSPECT" board, right? Why would anyone list anyone other than a PROSPECT on a PROSPECT board?
There is still the difference between present and future even on a prospect board.
