Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Zharovsky wasted no time making his presence felt in the KHL season.
After being held off the scoresheet in Ufa Salavat Yulaev’s 3-2 win over Cherepovets Severstal on Saturday, the 19-year-old came up big Monday in a 4-0 victory over Guy Boucher and the Omsk Avangard. Zharovsky finished with two assists in the game, helping set up Nikita Shcherbakov’s first career goal and later picking up another helper on an even-strength goal by Vadim Shipachyov.
The second-round pick by Montreal at the 2025 draft has already played two games since the KHL schedule got underway this weekend, and Monday’s outing was the kind that shows why the Canadiens are watching him closely. He was a key piece of Ufa’s attack, and the stat line backed up the impact.
Zharovsky’s summer in Montreal already offered a glimpse of what he can bring. He spent weeks training with fellow Russian Ivan Demidov, got to know the city, and attended his first development camp with the organization after visa issues kept him out in 2025. He also made one appearance in the three-on-three LSHL, where he flashed the hands that have made him such an intriguing prospect with a few spectacular breakaway goals.
Those hands are the calling card. Zharovsky can slip passes through defenders with ease, and his touch stands out. Now in the final season of his contract with Ufa, he’ll be eligible to move to North America at the end of the season.
In Other News...
Brendan Gallagher Sent Canadiens Fans A Clear Message After His Exit
Brendan Gallagher is already framing his next stop in familiar terms after his move from Montreal to Vancouver. In a recent interview, the longtime Canadiens winger said he wants to bring a steadying presence to the Canucks, with an emphasis on helping younger players and reinforcing the habits that make a team function beyond the box score.
Gallagher also spoke about the value of culture, and how his years in Montreal left a lasting mark on the way he views leadership. His comments pointed to an approach built around patience, accountability and setting a tone in the room, a reminder that even as he changes organizations, the lessons from his Canadiens tenure are coming with him. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Fans Will Recognize Who Stepped Into Logan Cooleys Scuffle
Summer hockey can still carry a little bite, and Logan Cooley found that out in Pittsburgh during an IC Hockey 3v3 Elite League game. What started as a confrontation with Artem Kulakov escalated quickly, turning into a brief scuffle that brought a familiar face into the mix for Canadiens fans keeping tabs on former Laval Rocket players.
Peter Laviolette III stepped in once the gloves came off, adding a Montreal connection to an otherwise routine summer skirmish. Cooley was the player who set things in motion, but he did not stay involved after the fight between Kulakov and Laviolette broke out, leaving the moment to unfold without any further escalation. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Rookie Camp Has Two Names Fans Should Track Closely
The Canadiens will open rookie camp on Sept. 11 with 23 players headed to the CN Sports Complex in Brossard and the Slush Puppie Arena in Gatineau, where the first real look at this prospect group will come in exhibition games against the Jets and Senators. It is the sort of stretch that can quickly separate the names with a path from the long shots, especially for a club that is always watching for the next player to make himself useful in a hurry.
Two of the players worth tracking are Tyler Thorpe and Luke Mittelstadt, each bringing a different kind of intrigue. Thorpe arrives as a big winger with a year of pro experience under his belt, while Mittelstadt comes in as a defender with a long college rsum and the kind of two-way profile teams like to test in a setting where details matter as much as highlight plays. [Read more 🡒]