Yevgeni Yakunin (C, L, 6’3″, 194, MHK Spartak Moskva, 02/09/2009)
2027 Draft Grade: A-
Skating: 4.0
Passing: 4.0
Shot: 3.5
Puck Handling: 3.75
Defense: 4.25
Size/Strength: 4.0
Compete: 4.5
IQ: 4.0
Upside/Projection: Middle 6 NHL
Player Type: Two-Way Forward
Comments: SKATING: Long powerful strides. Can skate through opponents and incidental contact. PASSING: Is not overly dynamic, but can make the passes that need to be made to play at a fast pace. SHOOTING: Is still developing his one-timer and deception on his snap shot. There are too many times he is in the clear and the goalie doesn’t have to move to make the save. PUCK HANDLING: Not a dangler, but can pull pucks off the wall while at pace and understands how to use his body to protect the play. DEFENSE: Maintains net side positioning throughout battles. Skates through lanes and battles for valuable ice. SIZE/STRENGTH: Long and lanky with with the core strength to hold off opponents during battles or win the valuable ice even when his opponent is there first. COMPETITIVENESS: Battles and competes through the full sheet. HOCKEY IQ: Consistently plays quality 200′ hockey that translates to higher levels by beating his opponent to the valuable ice first. OVERALL COMMENTS: Yevgeni Yakunin possesses the raw physical foundation and middle-of-the-ice versatility to project as a dependable middle-six NHL power center after 2 to 4 years of continued development. Standing 6’3″ and 194 lbs, Yakunin already boasts ideal NHL length, providing a projectable frame that will comfortably handle NHL-level physical wear as he adds muscle toward the NHL average. His current 2026/27 single-game averages across the KHL, VHL, and MHL highlight a mature 200-foot profile: he logs over 15 minutes of ice time per game with true special teams trust (2:10 PPT, 1:00 SHT), holds a strong 55% win rate on 12 draws per game, and displays intelligent high percentage habits with an 85% pass completion rate and 1.8 pre-shot passes per game. Previous evaluations rightly praised his long stride, subtle puck protection, and knack for winning 50/50 puck battles along the boards, though scouts frequently flagged a lack of high-end dynamism, a tendency to defer playmaking responsibilities when under pressure, and periods where his feet stopped moving. His currently shows marked progress in puck security while maintaining a clean giveaway-to-takeaway ratio (3.7 GA to 3.3 TA per game) while winning 51% of his battles and his step up to Russia’s professional levels (KHL/VHL) underlines a high hockey IQ that coaches trust in structured environments. While his shot output (2.1 S+ on 3.7 attempts) and finishing rate (11% SC%) show he may never be a high-volume, top-line goal scorer, Yakunin’s combination of size, faceoff prowess, responsible defensive habits, and steady distribution give him a high-floor profile as a reliable, match-up driving NHL middle-six pivot.