From Russia with hope: which of the young Russian talents will play in the NHL

The NHL has only recently started the offseason, but several clubs in the strongest league on the planet have already been reinforced by Russian players. So, this summer, two leaders of Magnitogorsk Metallurg, striker Roman Kantserov and goalkeeper Ilya Nabokov— signed contracts with the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche, respectively. Anton Silaev, a talented defender of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, has signed an agreement with the New Jersey Devils, and Mikhail Ilyin, the leader of Severstal Cherepovets in recent years, has already managed to prove himself in the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs as part of the Pittsburgh Penguins farm club. The summer of 2026 may become a landmark year for young Russian hockey players. However, each of them will have their own path to the NHL.

Kanzerov — a chance on the move

Back in 2023, the Magnitogorsk native was selected by Chicago in the NHL draft in the second round with the 44th overall number. By that time, he had already made his debut for Metallurg in the KHL, but played only one match. However, the following season, at the age of 19, Kantserov gained maximum trust from the head coach of Magnitogorsk, Andrei Razin, and gained a foothold at the adult level.

He became one of the creators of the club's victory in the Gagarin Cup in the spring of 2024. After that, Roman continued to progress and remained among the key players of the team. Last season, he was placed in the top flight along with star forward Vladimir Tkachev and another hero of the championship playoffs, Alexander Silantiev.

Kantserov took full advantage of his chance. He became the best sniper of the KHL regular season, scoring 36 goals, and at the end of the entire season he scored 40 times, taking into account the playoffs. The striker helped Metallurg to confidently win the regular season.

On May 14, Kantserov signed a three-year rookie contract with Chicago, although Magnitogorsk tried to keep the 21-year-old striker. The Blackhawks have not made the playoffs since 2020. There is no one left from the great team that won three Stanley Cups in the first half of the 2010s.

The club has been undergoing restructuring for several years now. Therefore, it is quite possible that Kantserov will immediately get a chance in the main team, and in the top 6, that is, the first two links.

—Kanzerov is young, but he is already experienced enough to go to the NHL," Vladimir Krikunov, the former head coach of the Russian national team, shared his opinion with Izvestia. — I don't like it when players go overseas at an early age, before they've really played in the KHL, but in the case of Roman, everything is done on time. He already won the Gagarin Cup two years ago, and last season he finally became one of the leaders of Metallurg. And now it's time to try yourself in the NHL.

Nabokov — Getting used to America

Another Metallurg graduate gained Andrey Razin's trust in the 2023/24 season and immediately helped the team win the Gagarin Cup. At the age of 20, Ilya Nabokov gained a foothold in the KHL and became one of the main stars of the Magnitogorsk club during the championship playoffs.

It was one of the rare occasions when the Gagarin Cup was won by a team with an inexperienced young goalkeeper. Nabokov was then recognized as the MVP (most valuable player) of the playoffs and the best rookie of the season. After that, Colorado selected Ilya in the second round of the draft with the 38th overall number.

He didn't spend the next season in the best way. Nevertheless, Colorado signed him to a two-year rookie contract in 2025, but leased him to Magnitogorsk for a year. Last season, Nabokov shared playing time with Alexander Smolin, but became the main one in the playoffs, where he could not show his best hockey, as two years earlier.

In May, the goalkeeper's move to North America was announced. Almost immediately, he was sent to the Colorado Eagles, the Avalanche farm club, which was playing in the AHL playoffs at the time. Nabokov spent several training sessions with the new team, but did not have time to make his debut in the Calder Cup — the Eagles were eliminated at the semifinal stage.

"Nabokov is certainly a talented goaltender with good prospects, but he will need time to adapt to North American hockey," well—known agent Alexei Dementiev told Izvestia. — In the NHL, goalkeepers are always a difficult situation, you need a systematic approach to get used to the requirements. In this sense, it is more difficult for goalkeepers than for field players. How quickly Nabokov adapts depends on himself, his environment, and the club.

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Ilyin — through the AHL school

In 2022, at the age of 17, the Cherepovets native made his KHL debut for his native Severstal. Gradually, under the leadership of Andrei Razin, who was then in charge of the team, Ilyin began to score the first points. In June 2023, Pittsburgh selected him in the NHL Entry Draft in the fifth round with the 142nd pick.

In the following seasons, already under Andrey Kozyrev, Mikhail became one of the leaders of Severstal. His attacking link with Danil Aimurzin and Kirill Pilipenko has become one of the strongest in the KHL over the course of two championships. It was only last season that it collapsed.

In the spring of 2026, 21-year-old Ilyin went overseas and signed a rookie contract with Pittsburgh. He was immediately sent to the Penguins farm club, Wilkes-Barre, where Mikhail scored 9 (2+7) points in 15 Calder Cup matches in the AHL playoffs.

Silaev — justify the advances

In 2023, the Sarov native won the Kharlamov Cup, the main trophy of the Youth Hockey League. He did this as a member of Chaika, the youth team of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

In the fall of the same year, Silaev made his KHL debut for Torpedo at the age of 17 and enjoyed the confidence of then-head coach Igor Larionov throughout the season.

In 2024, he was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the NHL Entry Draft at number 10. After playing for two more years for Torpedo, Silaev signed a three-year rookie contract with the Devils last spring.

Ak Bars Kazan striker Ilya Safonov and Severstal forward Danil Aimurzin may also leave for the NHL this year. But both of them are trying very hard to keep their current clubs.