Who's the best player outside the NHL

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U25 only.

My top5

Nikishin
Shabanov
Gritsyuk
Aimurzin
Demidov/Buchelnikov

Yeah, all are from the KHL, because the transition from the KHL to NHL usually goes the smoothest way (look at Michkov, Voronkov and Tsyplakov, who played in the "terrible KHL" and still made the big league).

I mean right now, not in the future. I doubt Schaefer or Misa are better than a PPG+ KHLer...
You know you're posting this on a "PROSPECT" board, right? Why would anyone list anyone other than a PROSPECT on a PROSPECT board?
 
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.

Yea those guys have a “decent chance to make the NHL”.

Meanwhile wonder-kid Demidov will make the Habs next year.
Yet a 19 year old Demidov isnt quite as good as Shabanov.

It’s funny how age correlates to level of play. Who would have known!
 
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If we are being technical and true to the question, it’s clearly Nikishin. Demidov is the better prospect, but Nikishin is the better player at this point in time. It makes sense - Nikishin is older and much further along in his development and he’s SKA’s most important player. If Nikishin went down before the playoffs, they’d be absolutely f***ed; without Demidov, they’d get by. In fact, it’s looking like Rotenberg might just bench Demidov for the playoffs anyway, for some of the games at least.
 
I have said it already, but it is worth repeating: russians do overrate their hockey players and hockey program. When at hf there is a question of the strength in the hockey world usually it goes smth like this:
1.Canada
2.USA
3.Sweden
4.Russia
5.Finland


6.Czechia

etc

For russians it is like this:

1 Canada/Russia



3 USA



4 Sweden/Finland

6 Czechia

etc


So it is natural, that if Europe has no prospects worth mentioning and all good NA guys go straight from "kids leagues" to NHL, all the best U25 players in the World not in the NHL are russians from KHL.


In reality there are probably 30+ players in AHL who are better than Buchelnikov, Shabanov or Aimurzin.
 

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