After going for skaters with their first four picks, the Flames went to Russia to select netminder Yegor Yegorov. He becomes the second Yegor to join the organization this ofseason, after the Flames acquired and signed Yegor Sharangovich from New Jersey earlier this summer.
Who is Yegor Yegorov?
| Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalie | Left | 6’3″ | 183 pounds |
Yegorov is one of the youngest players drafted this year, born on August 30, 2005. The 17-year-old is large for his age, at 6’3″, but still has a bit of runway to grow and develop.
Yegorov’s on-ice performance
With his age, he has not gotten as much playing time in the Russian MHL, having just played this past season within the Dynamo Moskva system. Take a look at his numbers here:
| Year | Draft Relative | League | Team | GP | GAA | SV% | SOs | Record | Playoff GAA | Playoff SV% | Playoff SOs | Playoff Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | D+0 | MHL | MHK Dynamo Moskva | 15 | 2.29 | 0.915 | 2 | 9-4-0 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0 | 1-0-0 |
Yegorov spent the year in Russia’s MHL, their junior hockey system, playing in the Dynamo Moskva system, one of the better programs in the country. The team ran three goalies this season, with Yegorov splitting time as one of the two backup netminders. This seems fair as he put up the worst numbers of the three, but all three finished with above a 0.900 save percentage.
As with goalies, it really comes down to how the team’s goalie coaches feel about the prospect, and the Flames’ goalie coach Jordan Sigalet liked him. Tod Button noted the following in his media availability this year:
Yegor Yegorov is a guy who Jordan Sigalet (Flames goaltending coach) has been tracking all year. Jordan, it’s unbelievable the goalies he watches out here. His list is extensive, not only guys who were drafted, guys who are going to be drafted, next year’s draft, his list is 50–60 long. So he narrows it down towards the end and he had a couple of the guys who went high, and he said this is the guy if we’re going to take a goalie in the sixth or seventh round this is the guy. He had some intel that other teams liked him too so we decided the sixth round that’s the pick to take him—don’t fool around anymore.
Tod Button
Yegorov’s next steps
Having played exclusively in the MHL, Yegorov will be back in Russia next season, likely starting in the same league. As with most players in Russia, if he performs well, he should get more MHL minutes and hopefully a few games in the VHL. If things go really well, he could even earn minutes in the KHL, but there is still lots of room to grow.
Given his age, if he can become the starter for Dynamo this year and get into a few VHL games, that would be a success. The following season if he spent most of the year in the VHL and a handful of games in the KHL, that would be even better.
Yegorov is under contract until the end of 2024–25, so that point would be a natural time for a move to North America. Yegorov may start in the AHL, but more likely he starts in the ECHL like Daniil Chechelev did this past season. Getting him as many games in North America as possible would be best for his development. From there, assuming all things stay the same, he could earn an AHL look with hopefully growth to being an NHL netminder in time.
Projection with the Flames
Goalie development is voodoo at the best of times, but if all works perfectly Yegorov could be an NHL netminder down the road. He needs to keep growing and getting in more games, but to be taken as one of the youngest players in his year is a big accomplishment as it is. If Yegorov can grow as projected, he may be the next in what looks like a good goalie stable growing in the Flames’ system.
Here’s more information for every player a part of the Calgary Flames’ 2023 NHL Draft class:
Samuel Honzek | Etienne Morin | Aydar Suniev | Jaden Lipinski | Yegor Yegorov | Axel Hurtig
