Standouts from the Gold Star Showcase as 2009-Born Russian and Canadian Prospects Clash

It wasn’t technically a true international event, but Saturday night in Toronto we got one of our first looks at a Russian team playing on North American soil. 

The exhibition game set up by Gold Star Hockey, the agency led by Dan Milstein, featured some of the best 2009-born Russians in a game against some of the best 2009-born Ontario players, players on NHL radar for 2027. The event was heavily scouted by OHL scouts and there were close to a dozen NHL teams in attendance, too. 

While the game was held in Toronto, it had considerable Russian flair with many family members for Team Gold Star waving Russian flags and chanting, while one Russian fan menacingly held Russian nesting dolls in the front row and hoisted them in celebration after a couple Gold Star goals. 

The Gold Star team is also playing games later this week at the Andrews International Hockey Showcase in Charlottetown. 

There were some challenges getting the game together, which Viktor Fyodorov, Alexei Anisimov, Gleb Pugachyov (all 2008s), and Nazar Privalov (2009) left at home due to visa issues, but in general it was a rare opportunity to compare top players against their peers. 

The Canadien roster was built from future OHL talents and featured a couple of familiar last names. Aleks Kulemin and Eli Tverdovsky both come from NHL lineage and the latter of which was notably the only non-OHL prospect on his team, with his rights belonging to the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL. 

Team Russia Standouts

The premier prospect in this game was Sergei Skvortsov (Torpedo). He had the pond rocking with every touch of the puck and brought the crowd to its feet with a lethal display of handling skill, turnstiling a defender to create a huge scoring chance early. It wasn’t hard to tell that this kid has been playing above his age group—physical maturity, an unrelenting motor, and cerebral instincts stood out. A primary assist on the 2–0 goal was all he had to show for this game, but the chances kept coming.

It was his two wingers who led the top line. Yaroslav Krasavchikov’s (SKA) forechecking excellence, honed at the U16 level, paid off early with a steal behind the Canadian goal-line and a quick pass to Roman Kozhevnikov (Traktor) in the slot to open the scoring. Kozhevnikov ultimately led the pack and delivered the best performance on his team:

“An active stick to disrupt and the physical presence to suffocate and end attacks on [Kozhvenikov’s] own. He was consistently rewarded for his work rate with chances to turn play the other way. Led his penalty killing group with a handful of crucial stops on valuable passing plays, stayed tight to puck carriers, and managed to keep the puck away from the high danger areas of the zone.” 

Daniil Yermolov (CSKA) was the first to get on the scoresheet with the 2–0 goal. With Privalov out of the line-up, he became the second top prospect ahead of puck drop—and he did not disappoint. He also added a helper on Russia’s fourth goal and scored the empty-netter to seal the 6–3 victory. A high-skilled forward with great hockey sense, Yermolov showcased his problem-solving ability, highlight-reel carries, and superb vision to repeatedly break down the Canadian defence. He also ended up being one of the main instigators in the post-whistle scrums and watched the game end from the penalty box.

Gleb Olkhovik and Artyom Katsuro (both CSKA) also put together excellent performances. Both were able to showcase their skill, with Katsuro playing his usual entertaining brand of hockey. This was a valuable viewing of Olkhovik, who played with more freedom and became a major scoring threat.

“This was a great performance from Olkhovik who shone while playing away from Privalov and Yermolov for a full game for, what was very well, the first time this season. [...] He was able to find his game early and his team was dominating, so he flipped gears a bit to shift from possession driver to play driver.”

A strong game from Dmitri Pavlov (Spartak), too. His off-puck work rate allowed him to load up on puck touches and frequently turn defence into offence.

On the back end, Vladimir Shtyrkhunov (CSKA) and Vladimir Mozzhukhin (Avangard) showcased their fantastic mobility at both ends of the ice. The former was his team’s best player in the third period, displaying his end-to-end carrying ability to weave through the defence and generate multiple scoring chances.

Luka Okleba and Ivan Rossinsky (both CSKA) have games that project well to the MHL level. Okleba’s foot speed is his primary defensive tool, and it proved effective against the Canadian competition. Rossinsky’s ability to control space and force plays to the perimeter kept danger away from the Russian net.

In goal, Yakov Kazantsev (Lokomotiv) stole the show—and we were lucky enough to have our goaltending expert, Sean Shapiro, on hand to witness it:

“The first thing that stands out about Kazantsev is his explosiveness and how he uses it aggressively to challenge shooters. He's quick on his edges and sharp in his stops. [...] For a 15-year-old with great movement and good size already, he's really intriguing to watch and has flashes off all the tools to be one of the better NHL Draft prospects in a couple seasons.”

Team Canada Standouts

For the mostly Ontario-born group of Canadians—who lost their lone WHL-drafted prospect, Eli Tverdovsky, to injury early in the first period—it was a solid showing overall, in spite of the final score. A pair of Toronto Titans, Jeremy Freeman (BFD) and Michael Tang (NIA, USHL Madison), got the Canadians on the board in the first two frames, before Toronto Marlboro Kingston Harris (SBY) rounded out the scoring in the third period.

The all-Toronto Jr. Canadiens line of Camryn Warren (NB), Keaton Ardagh (BRAM), and Jax Pereira (NB) showed immediate chemistry, as the OHL Cup champions linked up for intricate passing plays in the offensive zone and generated chances off the rush.

A trio of Don Mills Flyers also made impactful contributions. Aleks Kulemin (KGN) dominated with his physical tools, space-creation, and puck-protection abilities. Lyndon Cabral (ER) played with energy, pushed the pace, and displayed excellent checking ability, while Charlie Sullivan (GUE) played his usual heavy, physical style on the back end, burying opponent after opponent in the defensive zone.

“It's easy to see why Kingston took Kulemin ninth overall -- he was the most consistent and strongest Canadian player on the ice in this game. [...] Already has tremendous space creation abilities, protecting pucks as he moves around the offensive zone. [...] an excellent off-puck player in this game, overwhelming on the forecheck, supporting and scanning constantly, deflecting passes, setting picks."

Matthew Perreault’s (PBO) combination of size, agility and physicality made him the team’s best rush and shutdown defender, as he logged significant minutes on the top pair. Alex Forrest (KIT) was a star on the blueline, using his high-end skating and offensive vision to create advantages in the offensive zone, while also punishing players in his own end. 

“An incredibly dynamic and physical game from Forrest, who was the most dangerous blueliner on the ice. His offensive vision shone, as did his agility and explosive edgework, feinting and baiting defenders before taking off in the opposite direction.”

For more individual highlights, game reports for 33 players in this game from Dylan Griffing, Lauren Kelly, and Sean Shapiro are live on their respective player pages.