How the 2009-born Russian NHL Draft class is shaping up as a potential golden generation
The 2025 NHL Entry Draft marked the first season that the Elite Prospects final ranking did not include a Russian-born prospect in the first round. It also appeared it would be the first draft since 2005 in which a Russian was not selected on the first day. Fortunately, the Columbus Blue Jackets took a swing on goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov at 20th overall to keep the streak alive. Still, it was a telling sign of a down year for talent among 2006- and 2007-born players.
The 2008 birth year is shaping up to be weaker as well. Viktor Fyodorov, based in Nizhny Novgorod, leads the charge and looks like a potential A-grade prospect for NHL Draft consideration. However, there isn’t much star power overall. There are certainly other interesting names: Yegor Shilov and Alexei Vlasov were once considered top prospects before moving to the USHL, and there’s still talent in the MHL, with Alan Shaikhlislamov and Gleb Pugachyov among others.
Skipping ahead another year brings us to the 2009-born Russian prospects, a potential golden generation in the making. Star power at the top, depth at every position, and, perhaps most notably, a breakthrough of true centres and right-handed defencemen.
There’s a clear comparison to be made between the 2009 and 2005 birth years. Ivan Demidov spearheaded the 2005 class, supported by forwards Daniil But, Nikita Artamonov, and Igor Chernyshov, along with defencemen Dmitri Simashev and Mikhail Gulyayev.
CSKA Moskva lead the way with the most notable prospects with their crop of talent taking the U16s by storm with a 40-0-0 season in all competitions. Spartak Moskva and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl also have a strong group of players preparing to debut in the MHL this season. Out east, Traktor Chelyabinsk and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod each have a standout forward primed for easy transitions through the ranks.
Sergei Skvortsov, LW, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod U18
Sergei Skvortsov made it clear very early on that he is better than his regional age group. After potting 83 goals with 54 assists for a grand total of 137 points in 42 games played with the U13 team in 2023/24, he left his age group and has been playing against older opponents since. The following year, he led U16 scoring in the Volga region with 65 points in 36 games, good enough for him to jump up to U18 for his final year in youth hockey.
As a 15-year-old for the majority of this season, Skvortsov led his U18 league with 52 points in 25 games and led Torpedo to the Junior Hockey League finals, where they lost the championship match to Avangard. He also scored one of the nastiest goals of the season in the semi-finals:
This is a player who has been unstoppable at every level of hockey he’s played at thus far. He’s looked ahead of those around him at every level of youth hockey, both with Torpedo and representing the Volga District in interregional competitions. The MHL is his next stop.
From that semi-final game against Traktor U18:
“Two words: Game Changer. [...] There have been signs, but that goal has me thinking that this is a Michkov/Demidov-calibre prospect. I won't dwell on comparisons, but this is a special talent. His hockey sense is amazing, his skating is high-end, he has the hands, the shot, the playmaking; I mean, I struggle to see him not dominating next season.”
Now is the time to stake a claim: Sergei Skvortsov is a superstar prospect.
It may seem reactionary to have a take be elevated by a single goal, but that level of confidence and poise from a 16-year-old playing against opponents two years older speaks volumes about the player that Skvortsov is. He’s a fantastic puck handler as he attacks the triangle with pace behind him to blow past opponents with ease. In terms of sense, he’s going to grade high in his draft year. His ability to sequence plays at speed and make early reads is truly incredible to watch.
Having the pleasure of seeing Skvortsov at the Gold Star Exhibition in Toronto only made his skating and handling look even more impressive as he quickly caught the eye of the whole scouting staff in attendance for the game. He plays a complete game while having the high-end tools to be a true game breaker. He’ll be joining a young, exciting crop of players with Chaika Nizhny Novgorod this season and it’s hard to see him not exploding onto the scene.
Nazar Privalov, C, CSKA Moskva U16
True centres with high potential don’t come around often, let alone centres with size. Defying those odds is the 6-foot-4, 205 pound monster in Nazar Privalov.
Privalov centred CSKA’s first line throughout their undefeated season, leading the team in points with 65 in 32 games in the Moscow U16 League. He uses his size advantage effectively to leverage advantages, make aggressive moves to the middle, and get rough along the walls. In contrast to the physical nature his size would suggest, he can convert into a technical, offensive style to put the team on his back when needed.
Some players struggle with hitting big growth spurts early; Privalov embraced it. Using his long reach, handling the puck through traffic is almost too easy for him. As with many highly skilled, young players, he does have a tendency to start playing hero hockey. The solution to this problem is simple for CSKA–just break the line up, move two bottom-sixers onto Privalov’s wings, and let him go. It’s a habit that will have to be broken once his peers are on a similar level to Privalov, but this season, it worked in the club’s favour to let their talent show off.
Privalov is a dual-threat offensive talent through strong sense and a stronger shot. He can drive the bus on offence with his mobility and aggressiveness or be the link between his defenders and wingers, sitting further back to help transitions and then jump back into plays as an off-puck option.
Of the players on this list, I believe Privalov has the most to learn as a player. Having this immense advantage in U16 competition meant that he wasn’t being challenged nearly enough and he was able to play with, arguably too much, freedom. By no means is it a fault of his own nor is it a knock against him, it does make a transition to the MHL that much more difficult, though. Regardless, he should grow into a top line force with Krasnaya Armiya and the potential is, like his head, through the roof.
Daniil Yermolov, C/LW, CSKA Moskva U16
On Privalov’s left wing for the vast majority of this season was Daniil Yermolov, the top candidate for the number three slot among 2009 forwards.
Skvortsov and Privalov both have strong handling ability, but neither have the same dynamic pop as Yermolov. He attacks the defence by finding cracks in coverage, visualizing patterns, and capitalizing on weaknesses. With an array of different methods to pull that off, he was able to put together some outstanding sequences in all competitions this year. Strong teammate usage through moves with his individual skill makes him a tough player to stop.
His production makes him look more like a goalscorer than a playmaker, but he operates as the latter more frequently and does so very effectively. From his game against Avangard Omsk U16 on May 18th:
“Finding and exploiting weaknesses in the opponent's defence makes Yermolov a major threat with every possession. The handling skill and skating are both awesome. Able to create space and attack the opposition with a dynamic array of passing plays. He was dominating with slip passes through tightly contested lanes, strong adaptability, and good play reading to predict movement and reward teammates for their work.”
To put it simply; Yermolov is an entertaining hockey player. Highlight reel dangles, creative playmaking, big hits, post-whistle anger–he covers all the bases.
Privalov and Yermolov are the two highest upside forwards in the CSKA system, but also expect to see fellow 2009s, Gleb Olkhovik and Artyom Katsuro, breaking in with them for a powerful, young core on Krasnaya Armiya.
Vladimir Shtyrkhunov, RHD, CSKA Moskva U16
Remaining with underrepresented positions in Russian hockey, the right-handed defenceman has never been a strong spot. Finishing off the trifecta in CSKA and the first of two righties in this spotlight is Vladimir Shtyrkhunov.
In a game against Severstal Cherepovets in the U16 Finals, I stated:
“Vladimir Shtyrkhunov is simply one of the most dynamic defencemen I’ve seen.”
His ability to carry the puck out of the defensive zone is unmatched. High-end mobility through smooth edgework, effective crossovers, and the ability to explode in an instant. As a result, he drives transitions on his own by weaving through the defensive line and exploding into the offensive zone where he has the skill to continue towards the net or set the zone for his team.
On both sides of the puck, Shtyrkhunov has a knack for putting himself in the driver’s seat. With possession, he looks to play into a lack of forechecking presence, culminating in moments where he will genuinely stare down opponents to propose that they challenge him now or forever hold their peace as he skates through them. On defence, his skating advantage puts him into positions to force the puck carriers to make the first move. Similar to CSKA graduate, Vladimir Grudinin, Shtyrkhunov shows that high-end movement and intelligence can make a rush stopper out of a non-physical defenceman.
With a couple of defencemen aging out of the MHL and potential openings in the VHL, Shtyrkhunov should be playing top-four minutes with Krasnaya Armiya next season.
Roman Kozhevnikov, C/RW, Traktor Chelyabinsk U16
In terms of immediate impact in the MHL, Roman Kozhevnikov is right up there with Skvortsov. Already a physical beast at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, the shining star in Chelyabinsk’s system likely isn’t even done growing
He made a name for himself with an impressive five game run in the U16 finals last year, notching six points as an underaged player. He carried that momentum into the 2024-25 season with a dominant performance at the Districts Cup as the star of the Ural region and putting up 45 points in 36 games with Traktor U16, enough to earn a quick stint with the U17 club at the season’s end.
Our scouting staff has grown to champion prospects who can rightfully be described as “violent” players–Kozhevnikov fits that bill. With his big body and extremely high pace, he goes full freight train mode on opponents, running through them like it’s nothing and then retrieving the loose puck. He isn’t just about hitting, though it is a major part of his game, he also uses that speed to backcheck hard and cover for his defenders to take the part of a defensively responsible, two-way player.
On offence, he’s more of a wildcard. Having the size and speed advantage over his competition means that he gets a lot of puck touches, especially in high value areas. This saw him be a bit of a volume offensive creator, feeding passes to the middle and making moves to the inside for individual chances at a high rate. As a result, his completion percentage on these plays is lower than the other names on this list, but he just gets more chances in comparison. He’s a manipulative handler with a strong feel for offensive zone plays, creates space with ease - with refinement, there’s a lethal force in this player.
Artyom Mate, LHD, Spartak Moskva U18
Time to dip into the Spartak Moskva system with a pair of defencemen, starting with Artyom Mate.
Establishing himself as a top prospect early, Mate’s another smooth skating defender with incredible poise. He plays a game reminiscent of Dmitri Simashev on the defensive side of things; squares up to the rush early, mitigates attack to the middle with his feet and range, conceals his plans, and steps up to close down hard. On the contrary to most junior defenders coming through Russia, his gap control is top notch. That mature, confident style of defending projects very well to higher levels of hockey.
As more of a shutdown defenceman, there’s less emphasis on an offensive game from Mate, never being too notable of a point producer at any level so far. However, he still played a crucial role in offensive cycles at all three tiers he played in this season. He gets pucks fed to him at the point because of his reliability to complete on plays and flash intriguing moves through his fluid movement and handling skill. We saw more of that in the U16 level, headlined by a great game against AKM Novomoskovsk in March
“The U16 level is too easy for Artyom Mate. [...] Moving up the ice, he utilizes crossovers effectively and is a really tough player to stop. Carried the puck up the ice for multiple chance creations, including a great play on the PK to take on the defence alone, get a scoring chance, fought for the rebound, and kept possession to kill time off the clock. Activates at smart times, strong playmaking vision and passing skill, problem-solving ability with his hands and feet.”
MHK Spartak Moskva just took home the Kharmalov Cup and will be keeping hold of the majority of their defensive core, so expect Mate to be playing major minutes on their new MHL club, Spartak-MAH, in the Silver Division this season.
Illarion Babkin, RHD, Spartak Moskva U16
The second Spartak blueliner is also the second right-handed defenceman in Illarion Babkin.
A dream scenario is a pairing of Mate and Babkin for Spartak-MAH as the two haven’t played together much to this point. Babkin’s game revolves around his hockey sense. His ability to sequence plays together and play on the counterattack projects nicely into the MHL. A deceptive player on retrievals, he pre-scans at a pro level and utilizes his skating ability well to own that area of the game.
He’s a two-way presence with the skill to fit into any role, making him a strong contender to be playing huge minutes for MHK Spartak Moskva as his junior career progresses. Projecting his breakout game is easy, similar to Nikita Tyurin, who played a big role in the Kharlamov Cup run, creates space with creative movement and exploits weaknesses in the defence with killer passes. Babkin shows more willingness to attack pockets of space through carries than the prototypical Spartak defenceman, aggressively driving offence out of the back end.
This is going to be a very useful player in the Spartak system. With no real weaknesses in his game, Babkin should be able to break into their top-four in his draft-eligible season.
Artyom Frolov, C/RW, Lokomotiv-2004 Yaroslavl U16
Artyom Frolov was the driving force behind Lokomotiv-2004 this season, including a trip to the championship game against CSKA Moskva in the U16 Finals.
Another player who can play both down the wing and through the middle, Frolov is one of the most dynamic prospects in the Russian hockey scene right now. From a game against Dynamo Moskva U16 in January:
“An explosive, inside-driven winger, he operates with high pace and looks to cut across the ice to move defenders out of position and open up his dual threat offensive tool-kit. His shot looks high-end -- the handling skill to maximize his efforts before unloading his powerful, quick release did not go unnoticed here. Even with how great the shooting mechanics look, his playmaking still managed to be what stood out the most.”
He plays at a high pace and has shown strong processing ability at that speed. He has his hero hockey moments that will go more punished in the MHL, but the adaptability he displays at an early age leads to believe that he’ll be able to get himself under control and work in a team based environment. Frolov will be looking to take a spot on Loko Yaroslavl, however, there’s not a shortage of talent coming in through the system. He’ll have to fight hard to jump in front of some of the 2008s that already have earned playing time if he wants to avoid going to Loko-76.
Ivan Kovalenko, C/LW, Lokomotiv-2004 Yaroslavl U16
I’d be remiss to not mention Ivan Kovalenko on this list. The brother of Nikolai and son of Andrei, this player is the wildcard of all wildcards in the 2009 crop.
His production this season was less than ideal. He nearly landed at the point-per-game mark in all games played this year, but it was his 158 penalty minutes in 48 matches that jumps off the page. He’s a feisty, physical winger who has a tendency to get too caught up in the violence and puts hockey second. This made scouting him a bit of a challenge at times because he was getting removed from games far too commonly.
Looking past the discipline issues, Kovalenko has serious offensive potential. His shot is a cannon and he knows it, using the shot threat to his advantage to open up a solid playmaking game as a backup. On the power play, he’s basically unstoppable at this level as there’s no way for U16 opponents to take away space from him. Upon first touch, he goes eyes to the net and forces attention to be put fully on his release, giving him a serious advantage over the defence. He’ll more likely be a member of Loko-76 to start the year, though don’t be surprised to see Loko give him a nod for that offensive pop and physical edge.
Yakov Kazantsev, G, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl U16
The final player in this 2009 spotlight and a second high level prospect in Yaroslavl is, goaltender, Yakov Kazantsev.
Kazantsev has been the starter for Team Center in the Districts cup from U14 to U16, posting great results in all three tournaments. For Lokomotiv, he’s been just as reliable and earned a two game run with the U17 side at the season’s end.
His game is highlighted by his explosive mobility. Phenomenal ability to make quick moves from one side of the net to the other and shut off space for shooters. He predicts plays efficiently, keeps track of the puck through screens, and rarely makes mistakes between the posts. Unlike any of the other players on the list, Kazantsev isn’t eligible until the 2028 NHL Draft and will not be available to dress in the MHL until he turns 16 on November 28.