A month into the KHL season, a handful of NHL-drafted prospects are already forcing teams to pay attention. Through October 15, five young players have put together starts worth circling: one taking over from the crease, another driving offense from the blue line, and three forwards filling up the scoresheet in different ways.
Matvei Korotky has been the most productive of the group so far. The 20-year-old SKA center has 10 points in 13 games, with four goals and six assists, building on a solid 2025-26 season in which he posted 27 points (14+13) in 43 KHL games.
The St. Louis Blues picked him in the seventh round, 211th overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft, but the late selection has not stopped him from carving out a real role in St.
Petersburg. His KHL deal expires next May, and he could be in line to give the Blues depth heading into the 2027-28 campaign.
Right behind him, Yegor Surin is keeping his rise on track with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The 20-year-old has five goals and five assists in 14 games, a 0.71 points-per-game pace that fits the strong starts he has made before.
Surin’s game is built on more than finishing. His physical style and knack for reaching dangerous areas give him a chance to create for others, too.
Nashville took him 22nd overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he followed last season’s 37 points (15+22) in 57 regular-season games with eight points (3+5) in 22 playoff appearances as Lokomotiv won its second straight Gagarin Cup. His contract in Yaroslavl runs out next May.
Alexander Zharovsky has also kept producing after a breakout year. The 19-year-old Canadiens prospect has two goals and six assists in 14 games for Salavat Yulaev, even if his ice time has been modest and he is currently in a five-game scoring draught.
Head coach Viktor Kozlov, the former NHL forward, showed patience with him before trimming his minutes a bit. Montreal selected the Russian winger 34th overall in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft.
Last season, Zharovsky put up 44 points (16+28) in 69 games, including the playoffs, and won KHL Rookie of the Year. His contract ends next May.
Mikhail Gulyayev has been one of the few bright spots in a difficult start for Avangard Omsk. The 21-year-old defenseman has already scored twice and added six assists in 13 games, topping his entire regular-season output from 2025-26, when he finished with three points (1+2) in 54 appearances.
With injuries hitting Avangard, he even spent a number of games at forward. Colorado picked him 31st overall in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft, and his skating and puck-moving remain his calling cards.
He is under contract in Russia for the next couple of seasons.
Yegor Zavragin rounds out the list after a strong start in goal for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The 21-year-old Flyers prospect has a 1.56 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in six games, with one shutout, while backing up Alexander Smolin.
Metallurg sits atop the KHL standings despite some turbulence, including the suspension of head coach Andrei Razin and the switch to assistant Vladimir Vorobyov, who played a handful of NHL games for the New York Rangers and the Edmonton Oilers in the 90s. Philadelphia took Zavragin in the third round, 87th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Last season, he appeared in 12 games for SKA and posted a .919 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average. His contract runs out after this season, giving him a chance to get more games and more room to keep developing.
Taken together, the five prospects have made their impact in different lanes: Korotky and Surin with offense, Gulyayev from the back end, and Zavragin in net. With Philadelphia, Colorado, Montreal, Nashville and St. Louis holding their NHL rights, all of them will be worth tracking as the KHL season rolls on.
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Kirby Dachs Canadiens Role Just Turned Into A Bigger Roster Question
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What makes the situation more notable is that his name is no longer being framed only around on-ice production. Reports have suggested a trade is becoming a more realistic possibility, with other teams showing interest as Montreal weighs its options. For a player still in the middle of establishing his place with the Canadiens, that kind of attention adds another layer to an already uneasy stretch. [Read more 🡒]