Ice proposal: our goalkeepers were in hot demand at the NHL Draft

The NHL Rookie draft has ended in Buffalo. 25 Russian hockey players were selected. However, goalkeepers turned out to be the most in demand. Izvestia summed up the ceremony for our players and assessed their chances of playing overseas.

A fan of Kucherov

The second round attracted the most attention, where the players who could well be higher were selected. This fully applies to striker Egor Shilov, who was taken by Colorado at number 43.

"Egor has excellent shooting accuracy — 18%, he has a versatile game and won more than 54% of face—offs, which is already good," said Sportsnet expert Jason Bukala.

It is known that Shilov will spend the upcoming season in the same place where he played, in the Quebec Junior league club Victoriaville Tigers, and then transfer to the NCAA student Association, as he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. It is assumed that over time it may become the center of the first or second flight of the Avalanche.

Nikita Shcherbakov, who plays in the Salavat Yulaev system, was chosen after Shilov, and New Jersey took him away. The leadership of the Devils did not hide the fact that they were attracted by the combination of solid size and mobility of the Russian. It was also noted that he already has some experience playing in the KHL.

"Shcherbakov reads the game well when going from defense to attack. It's very important for the Devils to pass quickly and efficiently, to close empty areas," said Dobber Prospects expert Zach Egan.

Next, Tampa took striker Oleg Kulebyakin from Halifax at number 52, Calgary chose Alan Shaikhlislamov from the Salavat system at number 55, and Spartak goalkeeper Yuri Ivanov went to Boston at 56.

The Lightning had been leading Kulebyakin for a long time and even specifically exchanged draft picks to move up six positions. During pre-draft interviews, Oleg showed reporters an autographed hockey stick by Nikita Kucherov, which he has kept since a young age. Tampa is the forward's favorite club, but he won't be in the Lightning system for at least a couple of years. He has a season in the Quebec League ahead of him, and then a transfer to the University of Michigan.

As for Ivanov, Boston took one of the youngest goalkeepers available in the draft, which surprised its fans, who on social media demanded to pay attention to the defenders.

"It was a really interesting choice, because it's not known how long it will take to see Ivanov in a Bruins uniform. Jeremy Swayman has six more years on his contract, and the team has Michael Dipietro, who is very good in the AHL, as a reserve. But Sweeney's general manager said that depth was needed in this position," said Boston Herald columnist Steve Conroy.

Spotlight: which of the Russians will be selected in the NHL draft

Morozov and Shilov are considered the main domestic candidates, but several more players from the KHL and the MHL have chances.

The trend for Russian goalkeepers

There were three Russian players in the third round, all of them goalkeepers. Dmitry Borichev from Loko was chosen by Nashville under the 70th number, Dmitry Ivchenko left under the 78th, who was chosen by Vancouver. Under 89, Los Angeles drafted Egor Rybkin from the Nizhny Novgorod Chaika, which also came as a surprise. He missed most of last season due to injury, but that didn't deter the Kings.

"Rybkin is a goalkeeper who stepped off the screen of a video game. The goalkeeper is 201 centimeters tall! He is incredibly explosive in side-to-side movement, has fast and powerful legs, and his skating is impeccable. A goalkeeper with such long arms simply shouldn't be as fast and agile as Rybkin," says David Hofreiter, author of the Mayors Manor blog.

Of the other Russians selected in the draft, it is worth noting Egor Barabanov, who was taken by Calgary in the fourth round under the 100th overall number. Initially, Barabanov was quoted much higher: he was 43rd on the NHL Scouting list, but he remained unnoticed for a long time. This was the third time that Barabanov had submitted his candidacy for the draft, although he was called the best player among the senior participants.

Last season, the forward scored 91 points in 68 games for Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario League, which was the fourth highest score in the league.

"Barabanov has very fast hands, that's what attracted us. Egor makes excellent use of free space and improves his defensive game. He always had talent, but the results are finally starting to bear fruit, and it's hard not to admire his tough game," the Flames scouts noted.

The record was set by Alexander Karmanov. The defenseman selected by San Jose State became the tallest hockey player in the history of the draft. The 18-year-old hockey player was chosen by San Jose under the overall 201st number. His height is 216 centimeters. Previously, the tallest drafted player in NHL history was Slovak defenseman Zdeno Hara — 206 centimeters.