Two Calgary Flames prospects are set for different kinds of November tests on the international stage.
Alan Shaikhlislamov and Theo Stockselius have both landed on under-20 national team rosters, but only one of them is chasing World Junior dreams this year. Shaikhlislamov will suit up for Russia at the Future Cup in St. Petersburg, while Stockselius joins Sweden for a 5 Nations event in Nypoping.
Shaikhlislamov, one of Calgary’s second-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, is in his 18-year-old season and has made a strong impression with Tolpar Ufa in Russia’s top junior league, the MHL. He’s now with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Tolpar’s Kontinental Hockey League parent club, and will be part of Russia’s under-20 group at the Future Cup from Nov. 5-8.
That tournament will also include under-20 teams from Belarus and Kazakhstan, along with an under-18 Russian squad. Russia’s roster also features several other NHL-drafted players: Loko-76 Yaroslavl goalie Dmitry Borichev (Nashville), Chaika defender Maxim Agafonov (Seattle), Khimik Voskresensk defender Nikita Tyurin (Detroit), Salavat Yulaev Ufa defender Nikita Shcherbakov (New Jersey) and Avto Yekaterinburg forward Dmitry Isaev (Ottawa). A number of players eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft are in the mix as well, including Torpedo forward Sergei Skvortsov, who sits second on Steven Ellis’ recent Daily Faceoff rankings.
Still, the bigger picture for Shaikhlislamov is limited by circumstance. Because of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the country is not eligible for the World Juniors this year, so his chance at the Future Cup is about making an impression, not earning a ticket to that tournament.
Stockselius’ situation is more about timing and recovery.
The Flames’ second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft is in his 19-year-old season with Djurgardens IF in the Swedish Hockey League, and he’ll take part in the 5 Nations event from Nov. 4-8. Sweden will host the tournament in Nypoping, with Slovakia, Switzerland, Finland and Czechia also in the field.
He is one of 18 NHL prospects on Sweden’s roster. That list includes Södertälje SK goalie Love Härenstam (St.
Louis), BIK Karlskoga goalie Måns Goos (Dallas), Djurgårdens IF defender Liam Pettersson (Boston), HV71 defenders Malte Gustafsson (NY Islanders) and Karl Annborn (Seattle), Växjö Lakers HC defenders Ola Palme (Seattle) and William Håkansson (Carolina), Leksands IF forward Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen (Ottawa), Skellefteå AIK forward Viktor Klingsell (Winnipeg), Brynäs IF forwards Milton Gästin (St. Louis) and Gustav Hillström (New Jersey), Örebro HK forward Alexander Command (New Jersey), Boro/Vetlanda HC forward Wiggo Sörensson (Carolina), Växjö Lakers HC forward Morgan Anderberg (Tampa Bay), MoDo Hockey forward Elton Hermansson (Los Angeles), Linköping HC forward Loke Krantz (Seattle), and Timrå IK forward Eddie Genborg (Detroit).
Stockselius was viewed as a serious candidate for Sweden’s junior team last year and had been invited to this same event in the fall, but a severe skate cut knocked him out for months and derailed his World Junior chance. He looked sharp at the World Junior Summer Showcase in July, and he’s once again considered a strong contender to make Tre Kronor for the World Juniors.
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