| Igor Chernyshov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | R | LW | 6’1″ | 189 | Penza, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: A- |
Game Grade: A
Comments: Chernyshov (#25) has clearly graduated from the MHL level. Kapitan is not the strongest opponent, but he was visibly at a higher level than every other player on the ice and finished this game with 4 points. He is a very quick forward that is able to accelerate to top speeds with few quick steps and uses his pace as the foundation for every other part of his game. He has very soft hands and was able to exploit defenseman’s positioning with quick moves and cuts to space. He is very hard to take the puck from and slips past defenders even in the tightest spots along the boards. He is very patient with the puck and unphased by any level of pressure applied to him. He keeps his head up at all times and easily finds the best option in nearly every situation. He moves the puck quickly and his high-end playmaking ability was on display tonight. He made many high danger pass attempts that set up teammates in the slot for quality chances. He showed off great vision, finding and hitting teammates cross zone with threaded seam passes through traffic. Every time I have watched Igor at the MHL level he has gotten multiple breakaways and 2v1 chances in each game. All 4 of his points came on the rush. The first goal came on a penalty kill where he stole the puck and rushed the length of the ice before finishing in tight with a defender on his hip. Next, he picked up an assist on a breakaway where he got a quality shot off and the rebound was buried by a teammate. He picked up another assist on a 2v1 situation moments later when he made a quick, one touch pass back to his teammate for an easy tap-in. His final goal came a few minutes later on another 2v1 where he received a pass on the doorstep for an easy tap in goal. 4 points is an incredibly productive night but with a couple of bounces, Igor could have easily had 5 or 6 tonight. Without the puck on his stick, he does a great job of staying in motion and getting to space where he becomes a quality escape or scoring option for his teammates. He slips into space and flashes a target and has a clear plan for what he will do next to work the puck towards the cage. He sets up in the crease and battles hard for positioning and flashes the tip/redirection option. He works hard on the forecheck and uses his pace to take away time and space from opponents. This was a fantastic game from Igor, and he will likely not play any more games at the junior level in his career. I have not watched him at the KHL level yet, but I would not be surprised if he shows the same level of confidence and skill against better competition. Likely to be a top 15 pick in the 2024 draft.
| Ivan Ryabkin | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 170 | Balakovo, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: A |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Ryabkin is a 2007 born forward eligible for the 2025 draft and will likely be quick off the board on his draft night. He is incredibly skilled and poised for his age and was able to pick up 2 goals on the night. He showed some great hands and confidence on the rush, successfully transitioning the puck and was able to beat defenders with quick moves in 1v1 situations. He has a smooth and powerful stride that allows for a quick pace. His first goal came when he tapped in a rebound while crashing the net on the rush. His second was a one timer on a 2v1 rush where he was given a perfect feed for an easy finish. He works hard on the forecheck and gets involved around the boards to win possession for his team. Ivan does not dominate play just yet and needs to develop his soft skills a bit more, but I am confident that he will be one of the best players in next year’s draft class and will likely be towards the top of scoring in the MHL next season.
| Artyom Bondar | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 172 | Smolensk, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C+ |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Bondar is a 2024 eligible forward with a big bulky frame. He plays a power forward style game and uses his size to protect the puck and power his way towards the cage. He has skilled hands and was able to pull off a couple of quick moves around defenders on his way to the cage. He snaps the puck around well and was able to generate a couple of chances with his playmaking. His speed is far too slow to be an effective player at this level and it holds him back a tremendous amount. Unlikely to be drafted but some good traits and size to build on.
| Kurban Limatov | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | D | 6’4″ | 187 | Moscow, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Limatov is a 2007 born, 6’4 defenseman eligible for the 2025 draft that plays with a ton of poise and confidence in his draft minus 1. He is unphased by pressure and uses his skating ability to work his way past oncoming forecheckers. He activated deep into the offensive zone to become a pass option and is not afraid to rush deep when he has the space to do so. He set up a nice scoring chance with a pass to the slot on one of his activations. Kurban had a bit of trouble with his pass accuracy tonight and missed a majority of his stretch attempts. He picked good options but couldn’t seem to hit teammates when there was a long distance between them. He needs to work on his defensive positioning and aggressiveness. He was constantly drawn out of position and is not very effective in shutting down play around the net. He picked up 2 assists tonight, but neither were directly due to his pass. Very involved and poised defender with a ton of upside in the 2025 class.
| Alexei (Aleksey) Zaitsev (Zaytsev) | MHK Dynamo Moskva | MHL | L | C | 5’10” | 146 | St. Petersburg, RUS | 2005 | 2022-2023: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Zaitsev is a 6’4 quick skating forward with some upside. He has a lanky build and can generate fantastic speed with a couple of quick steps. He showed off some good edgework to slip into tight spots. He lacks many other tools to become an effective player and does not have the offensive stats this season to be worth a pick, but he has the potential to become an elite player if he can build on top of his base.
| Fyodor Avramov | Kapitan Stupino | MHL | R | LW | 6’3″ | 190 | St. Petersburg, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Not Avramov’s best night but he is one of Kapitan’s best players and scored the only goal for his team tonight. He was very low energy tonight and spent most of the game floating around with his stick in the air. He was invisible for a majority of the night but was able to make a couple of nice plays. He is a tall, smooth skating forward that uses an efficient stride and skilled edgework to move his way around the ice. He pulled off a skilled spin move around a defender on the rush but was unable to create anything from it. His shot is one of his better qualities. He can pull off drag releases to change the angle around defenders and has a hard wrist shot that hits the target more often than not. He scored his goal late in the third. He fired a shot on and crashed the net, picking up his own rebound and placing it past the downed goalie. Not a very notable performance from Fyodor but still showed some positive traits in a down night for his team.
Scout: Henry Lawrence