With their sixth pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames used the 84th overall pick to select Russian goaltender Kirill Zarubin.
Who is Kirill Zarubini?
| Position | Catches | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goaltender | Left | 6’4″ | 179 lbs |
Zarubin is at the older end of the draft class for a first-year eligible prospect, with a September 20, 2005 birthday. The Russian is part of the AKM franchise, playing primarily in the second-tier pro league MHL for the AKM Tula. He also spent time with AKM-Junior Tula Region during this past season and in 2022–23. It is anticipated that Zarubin will return to AKM Tula in the MHL for 2024–25.
Zarubin’s strengths
Zarubin stopped a ton of rubber this year and did so at a high rate. That’s never a bad thing, especially when you consider that the young Russian was playing in a pro league as a draft eligible. AKM Tula finished sixth in the Western Conference Gold Division while the AKM-Junior Tula Region team finished eighth in the Western Conference Silver Division, showing that he wasn’t playing behind a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination.
His combined .927 SV% ranked 17th in the league last season, but it becomes more impressive when broken down. He had a .902 SV%, playing for the lesser team, but posted a .944 SV% in 29 games for the Gold Division team, which would have ranked second in the league for the season.
Zarubin was able to put up these numbers by using his size. Zarubin has a tall frame, that is made even bigger by the way he wears his equipment. His pads and chest protector appear to be oversized, giving him an even bigger presence in net. The Flames prospect does a good job at squaring up to shots and using that frame to block the first shot he faces.
Zarubin’s areas of improvement
The sample size is limited, but there’s a lot that Zarubin will have to clean up as he progresses towards the NHL as a prospect. The biggest component will be his skating. A goalie like Dustin Wolf has super crisp movements, with no wasted effort getting from Point A to Point B.
Meanwhile, Zarubin definitely took advantage of the MHL’s slower pace last season. His movements often involve an extra C-cut and hinge, slowly drifting to the location of the pass. This left him behind the play, ending up sliding and chasing a lot, particularly as the puck approached the net, which happens more often in North America than the primarily perimeter-based style on the big ice overseas. He showed good flexibility and edge work to get a second push from his knees, but this will have to be cleaned up.
The oversliding is particularly concerning given Zarubin’s lack of refinement in his post play. His entries and exits into and out of the post in RVH leave a lot to be desired, as the connections can be clunky, leaving space to shoot at on the short side. The integration with the bottom of the pad does not allow him to efficiently rotate or push when the puck is passed. This will become a bigger issue on the small ice, with NHL teams finding new ways to attack from dead angles.
While Zarubin’s ability to use his body is perhaps his greatest asset as a puck stopper, it appears he over-relies on it. There was a lot of pure blocking on open shots from the Flames’ prospect, leading to rebounds that needed to be cleaned up. This likely contributed to his higher save percentage. Additionally, he is often beaten through his gloves and doesn’t have his hands activated on many shots.
Next steps for Zarubin
Zarubin is expected to return to the MHL’s AKL Tula for the 2024–25 season, who are bringing back the same goalies as 2023–24. This includes Illya Kanarsky, who split the net with Zarubin, posting a .931 SV% in 22 GP and Vladimir Istomin who had a .901 SV% in six games.
An offseason of strength and conditioning should help, but the Flames should be looking for Zarubin to earn more playing time in Russia—and in better leagues. Posting godly stats in the lower league looks good on paper, but until he starts to face the more skilled Russians in the KHL, it will be tough to determine the NHL outlook for the Flames’ draft pick.
Zarubin reportedly has two years left on his current contract, and would likely extend overseas rather than go directly into the AHL without a shot at the NHL if past Russian goaltender behaviour is any indicator.
Russia continues to be ineligible from IIHF competitions in 2024–25, but Zarubin likely would have been a contender for a spot on the team this upcoming December.
Zarubin’s projection with the Flames
As Dustin Wolf graduates to the NHL full-time this year after the Jacob Markstrom trade, Zarubin will join a litany of European goaltender prospects behind him for Craig Conroy.
None of the goalies overseas played in the top division, so it’s tough to say in what pecking order they should be ranked, but Zarubin put up some of the best numbers in comparable leagues as the youngest prospect, which should set him up favourably within the organization moving forward.
