Dmitri Ishkov highlights standouts from the 2025 U16 Sirius Cup

The Sirius Cup is the first major youth tournament in Russia prior to the start of the club season. It takes place in the Sirius federal territory, just outside of Sochi—an urban development created for the 2014 Winter Olympics—now used for events like the U16 Sirius Cup.

Usually divided between federal districts, this year the format was changed to better distribute the talent of Russia and Belarus, with players switching between teams during the event. Russia iced three teams (Red, Blue, and White), while Belarus had two (White and Red).

At the end of the final day, Russia White were crowned champions after defeating Belarus Red and completing the event with a perfect 4-0-0 record. They were followed in the standings by the other two Russian teams, with Red in second and Blue in third, leaving the two Belarusian sides in fourth and fifth.

Gordei Khotkov, LHD, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Standing in at 6-foot-4 and weighing 209 pounds, Gordei Khotkov is something of a physical specimen. The size alone sets him apart from his peers, however there’s much more to his game, possessing the skating ability to play the game as he pleases. Simply put, there were very few occasions where he was stopped by an opposition player. He’s an advanced puck handler with legit dynamic qualities. Excellent mobility with play coming the other way, allowing him to eat up plays with his range and aggressive habits.

He finished the event with four assists in four games, the second highest total amongst defenders.

Nikita Baranov, LHD, Spartak Moskva

Finishing as the top point-producing defenceman, Nikita Baranov made this an interesting battle between himself and Khotkov.

From the opening game of the tournament:

“Baranov was the standout defenceman for Russia Red and arguably the best blueliner in this game. He owned the offensive blueline with his range through a long reach and fluid lateral mobility. His dominance on the power play was a big reason that his team flew ahead early. He was a key distributor playing as the quarterback, mixing shots and passes effectively to keep the PK unit guessing, generating chances with his killer passes, and was constantly keeping the puck in the zone with that range.”

The Spartak youngster is a 6-foot-3, do-it-all blueliner. That play at the top of the offensive zone shone the brightest in game one, but he continued to contribute offensively throughout the entirety of the event by joining rushes, constricting the zone, and activating into openings. He provided strong defensive coverage with his skating and instincts. 

Igor Nikulin, RHD, Dynamo Moskva

Rounding out the standouts from the blueline is Igor Nikulin. Unlike the previous two, Nikulin is a more typical sized player for this age, standing at 6-feet tall and nowhere near as bulky. That said, his defensive game stood up to the bigger players, utilizing a strong skating base with four-way mobility to shut down rushes with ease. In the back-and-forth environment of this event, having a player who can easily win back possession for the team and securely move it out to spring a counterattack the opposite direction was extremely valuable. His stat line does a poor job reflecting his effectiveness, though.

Dmitri Ishkov, W, Armiya-SKA St. Petersburg

Dmitri Ishkov came into this event already regarded as one of the best 2010-born prospects in the country. He spent the entirety of the 2024/25 season playing at the U16 level with Armiya-SKA, cementing himself as, arguably, the best player on that team despite his age.

He switched from Red to Blue halfway through the event, accumulating eight points in five games, with two goals and six assists. He has a lot of elements in his game that are comparable to Matvei Michkov. A smaller winger who loves to go between-the-legs on his first post-entry move, possesses an elite shot, dynamic handling ability, and advanced playmaking instincts, Ishkov has one of the strongest offensive toolkits out there. Adding in his explosive foot speed and the ability to chain together plays at high pace only makes him more unstoppable.

Nikita Sinikin, W, CSKA Moskva

Sticking with highly regarded names, Nikita Sinikin is the counterpart to Ishkov. Similarly, Sinikin spent his full season with the undefeated CSKA Moskva U16 side, playing in a top-six role on a stacked roster that went the distance.

At this event, luck was not on his side, finishing with four points in four games and it should have really been more. 

From his first game of the event:

“Out of all of the players here, I've seen Sinikin the most as he spent all year with CSKA U16, yet he still managed to blow me away with this performance. While he only managed to get on the scoresheet with a secondary assist, he dominated every area of the ice with his high-end, dynamic handling skill and hockey sense. He was able to find separation in just about every situation he was thrown into because he's habitually reading the defence and picking it apart in his head, and then makes his move to escape pressure and find open ice.”

His hockey sense is what sets him apart from his age group and is a big factor behind his success at the U16 level. Every play he attempts is deliberate, seeing two plays ahead to make educated decisions, manipulates prior to passing, and executes on his attempts with elite execution. Where Ishkov is the shot threat, Sinikin falls into the pure playmaker category. His finishing ability lets him down, but he more than makes up for it by driving offensive threats with a top-notch passing game. He’s a dynamo of a winger with his skating speed and soft hands, allowing him to drive a line on his own.

Roman Andreyev, W, CSKA Moskva

Roman Andreyev warmed up for the Sirius Cup with a tournament in Ontario at the end of June. In his youth career, he’s found himself to be one of the most prolific goal scorers in the country and certainly didn’t disappoint here, leading the event with six. goals in four games

His game is reminiscent of Igor Chernyshov. The physical game is already well established and he’s now listed at 187 pounds, up from 165. He proves to be difficult to knock off the puck with advanced shielding habits, puck control, and the sense to make plays that move possession from the walls to the middle of the ice. Dominated on the rush, especially in the final game against Belarus White. His skating mechanics are an area of growth, but the top speed is already high with this player.

Nikita Kapyonkin, C, Traktor Chelyabinsk

Nikita Kapyonkin led the U16 Sirius Cup in scoring with nine points, though he was one of the few players to feature in five games instead of four. He captained Russia Red through their four games, then was moved to Russia White to play in the final game, taking the ‘C’ there and being named as one of the champions.

From his MVP performance against Belarus Red:

“Captain Kapyonkin led the way for Russia Red in this big win with a five-point performance, the most in this game. He was unstoppable when carrying the puck down the flanks. He's not a great skater mechanically, but he's quick enough with short strides to outpace most defenders and can outmuscle the rest. Constantly attacked the middle of the offensive zone with passes and was hitting his targets at a solid rate. Showed some advanced playmaking habits at times - opening up to 10-2, disguising passes, and applying weight to his feeds to hit moving targets.”

In addition to his production, Kapyonkin made a name for himself as a true centreman, playing a responsible defensive game and providing major value on the penalty kill. His skating quirks can be worked on and then it will be all about refining his style of play. Looks like a great fit into the Chelyabinsk system.

Anton Malinovsky, W, Lokomotiv-2004 Yaroslavl

Some players are just perfect fits for the system they’re in. Anton Malinovsky is a great example of that. A two-way winger with a never ending motor, Malinovsky ended up being one of the top point producers at this event despite never being the true offensive threat on his line. This wasn’t necessarily a fluke, either, he produced extremely well with Lokomotiv-2004 U16 at the end of the season, this was just a continuation of his momentum and a reward for his work rate. 

Platon Shchur, W, Lokomotiv-2004 Yaroslavl

There weren’t too many impressive performers between the two Belarusian teams besides Platon Shchur. He was awesome at the U16 level with Lokomotiv-2004 and dominated the U16 Champions Cup, leading all U15 players (including Ishkov and Sinikin) with 10 points in 8 games.

He capped off his Sirius Cup run with a two-point game in a 5-3 defeat to Russia Blue, a goal and an assist while being a dynamic source of offensive output for his team. That performance made him the only Belarusian to hit the point-per-game mark, four points in four matches. With fake lacrosse moves, crafty dangles, strong vision, and a powerful shot, Shchur has all sorts of ways to dominate the offensive end. This could very well be a top-end prospect out of Belarus.

From his game against Russia White:

“He's just such a dynamic and creative player. Handling skill is awesome, comes up with crafty ways to get out of tough positions or make his way to dangerous offensive areas. Had a sweet move into the slot from the wall, just dangling through defender after defender to set up a backhand shot that was just barely saved. Was a true play driver for his team and by far their best player, I'm a big fan of this kid.”

Best Forward: Dmitri Ishkov (Russia Red/Blue)

Best Defenceman: Nikita Baranov (Russia Red/White)

Best Goalkeeper: Yevgeni Babich (Russia Blue)