Flyers brass keeping a close eye on Alexei Kolosov

Matvei Michkov’s latest loan to HK Sochi has stolen Philadelphia Flyers prospect headlines, but the team is intently watching another KHL prospect. Belarusian goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov signed his entry-level deal with the Flyers on July 8, and since then, he’s been the apple of the organization’s eye as far as goaltending goes.

Not long after signing his ELC, the Flyers agreed to send Kolosov on loan to KHL club Dinamo Minsk. There, the 21-year-old opened the season as the backup to former NHLer Dylan Ferguson, before impressively recording a 26-save shutout in his first start of the 2023-24 season. Kolosov appeared in 42 games for Minsk last season, going 13-21-5 with a 0.912 save percentage. So far this season, he’s 1-2-0 with a 0.914 save percentage.

According to a translated quote pulled by Hockey News Hub, it appears the Flyers are indeed keeping tabs on who is believed to be their goaltender of the future. The following quote is loosely translated to English, from Kolosov’s own words:

"The Philadelphia Flyers are in constant contact with my agent. We talked recently and said that they were watching all my games and were waiting for me. I’m happy with everything in Minsk! They let me play here, the KHL is a strong league."

So, if the Flyers are truly “waiting” on Kolosov, that sure sounds like he’s a guy that is going to end up playing meaningful NHL minutes when he finally comes over to North America full-time. As far as goaltending in the organization goes, the Flyers have only Cal Petersen and Sam Ersson signed beyond this season, in addition to new draftees Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin who have yet to sign their ELCs themselves.

For Flyers fans, this should be a shot in the arm after a deflating Ivan Fedotov saga that has moved along at a snail’s pace the entire summer. Kolosov is a legit NHL prospect and a stellar athlete who should be able to dominate for Philly for a long time if all the dominos fall in the correct way.