| Yaromir Yermakov | AKM Tula | MHL | R | LW | 5’9″ | 154 | Omsk, RUS | 2005 | 2023-2024: C 2022-2023: C |
Game Grade: Limited Viewing
Comments: Yermakov is an undersized but very talented forward. He showed off some sick hands and was able to walk straight through the defense on a couple of rush attempts. He remained calm under pressure and pulled off some agile cuts to open up space for himself to take advantage of with his skating or passing abilities. Yermakov was not the focus of my report tonight, so I don’t have many notes, but he is a very skilled offensive player.
| Anton Popov | Loko Yaroslavl | International | R | D | 6’2″ | 183 | Chelyabinsk, RUS | 2006 | Not yet rated |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Lanky Popov is 6 games deep into his tryout with Loko. He showed off some great patience with the puck and used some skilled footwork to escape from pressure until he was able to find a teammate with a pass. He handled the puck with confidence and was not affected by forechecking pressure. His hands are a bit clunky, but he got the job done in most situations. He even showed off a skilled directional fake while walking the line. He sold one way and made a hard stop with a quick restart in the other direction which opened up a shooting lane that he took full advantage of. One really concerning part of his game was how irresponsible he was defensively. He was drawn out of position very easily and ended up chasing around the zone most of the time he was out on the ice. I think there is something there with Popov. He is a smart player and has the right idea in most situations. It is going to take a long time (if ever) to refine his abilities, but he showed off enough skill and IQ to make the list. Very unlikely to be drafted but an interesting player to keep an eye on for the next few seasons to see how he develops.
| Yegor Andriyanov | Loko Yaroslavl | International | L | D | 6’0″ | 168 | Yaroslavl, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Andriyanov is a smooth skating and skilled defenseman. He shows off a ton of patience with the puck and uses agile edgework to escape forechecking pressure and dart up ice with speed. He keeps his head up and is able to spot teammates to hit with timely breakout passes. Andriyanov activates deep into the zone often. Some of his attempts in this game were risky and he should have probably stayed back but he worked hard to get the puck towards the net and even set up to screen the goalie after completing a drop pass on a rush attempt. He was given some penalty kill time on the second unit. I didn’t get much of a look at him in the defensive zone as the puck was often on the other end, but it seemed clear he leans more offensively. I want to get a couple more looks at Yegor’s game before making a full assessment on his overall play.
| Kirill Yemelyanov | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | C | 6’0″ | 161 | Irkutsk, RUS | 2007 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: 2007 born Yemelyanov is a guy to take note of for next year’s draft. He had a ton of energy tonight and used it effectively to apply pressure on the forecheck and carve out space in front of the net. He was very confident with the puck early in this game but disappeared a bit as the night went on. He was patient with the puck and waited to find the right target before passing the puck. He has smooth hands and a nice shot. He earned powerplay time tonight as the net front guy and battles hard to earn positioning. He sometimes throws bad passes without a real look and can cough up pucks under pressure, but he has plenty of time to refine these parts of his game. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on for the 2025 draft.
| Vadim Dudorov | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | C | 5’11” | 185 | Sarov, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: A
Comments: This was one of Vadim’s best games this season. He did not end up on the scoresheet but was very close a number of times and was a pest all game. Vadim is a highly skilled power forward with a ton of offensive upside. He shows off quick, well timed dekes and fakes which he uses in all situations to create space for himself which he immediately turns into offensive chances. His head is always up, and he showed off some great vision with some of the passes he was able to pull off in tonight’s game. He sprung many odd man rushes by finding teammates up ice and firing well timed passes right onto the tape to set up chances. He is a nimble skater and pulls off some tight turns on the head of a pin to quickly pull away from incoming attackers. He is incredibly confident on the rush and calm when pressure comes. He uses quick changes of edges to slip through tight spaces and change his body’s angle to take advantage of opening lanes. Dudurov’s motor was very impressive tonight as he applied some harassing pressure on the forecheck and did everything he could to make sure the other team did not have an easy time with the puck on their sticks. He finished checks hard and did not give up on battles if the puck was not won right away. This is a part of his game that has been added over the course of this season and has become invaluable to Loko’s lineup. He was trusted with penalty kill time on the second unit and power play time on the first. One problem that still needs to be worked on is his tendency to force his way into odd man situations that favor the opponent. He tries to dangle his way through multiple defenders at once and usually coughs the puck up quickly. That being said he has improved in this area of the game and is much more patient in his decision making. I really like Dudurov’s game and think he is worth a careful look. I think he is worth a third-round pick and if he can be picked up later than that he will be a real steal to add to an NHL prospect pool. He will need some work to improve his pace to an NHL level, but Vadim has the skill and work ethic to take his game higher.
| Ilyas Magomedsultanov | Loko Yaroslavl MHL | MHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 171 | Yaroslavl, RUS | 2006 | 2024-2025: B |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: Decent game for Ilyas tonight. He snapped the puck around well and showed off patient play when possessing the puck. He made some good pass decisions in the offensive zone. His best moment in this game was on the defensive transition where he made a well-timed surf attempt to angle the opponent towards the boards and force a dump in which he was able to win the race to. Unfortunately, his worst play of the night was also in defensive transition. He made a bad read on the opponent’s next move and jumped a bit too early. He was turned before the blue line and gave up an odd man rush due his poor decision. I have liked Ilyas in previous viewings, but he was not as noticeable in this game. He is not eligible until next year and will likely be able to work out some of the kinks in his game by then.
| Yegor Surin | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | KHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 176 | Voronezh, RUS | 2006 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: A
Comments: Another brilliant game from Surin who has been working hard to improve every aspect of his game and it shows. He worked his butt off tonight and was rewarded with a hat trick and a ton of time on ice. His motor was very noticeable in this one, using his speed very effectively to apply a seemingly infinite amount of energy in every corner of the ice. His forecheck was great. He applied tight pressure to opponents and finished his checks hard and into the glass. Now that he has become a bit more disciplined with his physicality, it has become a very impressive addition to his game. He times his checks well and shows off great strength, dropping many of his victims to the floor. He is trusted with time on the top penalty kill unit and takes that job very seriously. He is responsible in his choices to apply pressure to the puck carrier and battles hard to ensure that he wins the battle and clear down ice. He was fantastic with the puck on his stick, rushing up ice with a ton of speed and confidence, showing off slick hands and well timed dekes while powering his way into the offensive zone. He made smart reads of the defensive schemes and attempted high IQ pass attempts which set up plenty of chances throughout the game. One in particular came late in the third as he rushed up ice. He entered the zone with control and spotted a teammate entering shortly after. He changed his angle and fired the puck directly to a spot where his teammate would skate through soon after which set up a dangerous attempt 1v0 with the goalie. Surin showed off a great delay game and was patient when possession was on his stick. His first goal came late in the first period as he set up in front of the net, battled hard to earn space, received a pass, then battled some more to collect his own rebound and tap it home. Great second effort to capitalize off of his own hard work. His second came early in the next frame when he was set up on a breakaway with a fantastic pass and Surin ripped a shot low blocker with a very quick and deceptive release that caught the goalie off guard. His hat trick goal came late in the second when he delayed for a moment after entering the zone then snapped a shot while cutting into the high slot which the goalie was not ready for. Surin was given time on the first powerplay unit and did a great job there as well. He fires quick, smart passes, and stays in motion to help provide pass options and retrieve pucks after shots. Surin seems to be working very hard to eliminate the flaws from his game. There are still sometimes where he over handles the puck and forces his way into bad situations, but they occur far less often than they did early this year. I think Yegor projects to be a middle six forward that can provide a ton of energy, physicality, and supply a good amount of offense using his skill and smarts. He can play both special teams well and is a menace on the forecheck. Yegor Surin has made a great case to be picked in the first round of the 2024 draft.
Scout: Henry Lawrence