Film Room: How Alexander Zharovsky Went from Afterthought to Draft Wildcard

“While other kids were playing with cars, I was practicing with a stick."

That’s what Alexander Zharovsky says put him ahead of his age group. He is the biggest riser of the 2025 NHL Draft–and his path to this point makes it all the more impressive.

Klin, Russia, is not exactly known for hockey. In 2014, Titan Klin played its final season in the VHL, and the town just northwest of Moscow lost its lone professional team. Three years later, Igor Geraskin became the first Klin-born player to debut in the KHL, with no one following in his footsteps until Salavat Yulaev Ufa gave Zharovsky a chance in the 2025 Gagarin Cup Playoffs.

Zharovsky’s roadmap to the present day is a unique one. His first major move was from his hometown to the big city. Entering the CSKA Moskva system placed the winger alo