Draft rankings are fun. Prospects rise and fall from the preseason to the midseason ranks depending on how the season has gone. The final, pre-draft rankings kind of round things out. This year, however, is a bit different. A Russian skater, Alexander Zharovsky, went unranked in the first two prospect rankings to catapulting to fifth overall in the international skater rankings. How'd he do this? Is this for real, or is this just a guy who busts onto the scene, but will be a bust?
Zharovsky is a 6'1" left-handed winger. He has only 165 lbs on his body, which makes him light and agile. He may be super fast, but his smallish frame does make some people concerned that he could be smashed to pieces against larger NHL competition.
This year was his first year playing for Ufa Tolpar in the KHL's junior league. He lit it up. In 45 games, he scored 24 goals with 26 assists. This was after six points in his first 16 games. Zharovsky had a chance to suit up for seven games in the KHL playoffs as well. As a comparison, Matvei Michkov scored 30 goals with 31 assists for two teams in his final season in the junior league.
The Hockey Writers praised his skills with speed and scoring.
"Zharovsky is a magician with the puck. He is so good at finding openings and using a quick speed burst and incredibly fast puck handling to catch defenders off guard and create an opening to drive the net. His level of control is a rarity among his peers, and he has no problem waiting for those opportunities to present themselves before he attacks."
However, with his limited playing time in the KHL, we don't know what to expect. Is he a late first-round pick? Is he a second-rounder? Would he fall to the third round? Would someone take a chance and draft him high up in the first round? It's all kind of murky.
It's also unclear because he is playing in the KHL. How long would it take before he could come over? His current contract has him signed through the 2026-27 season. He has yet to play regular-season minutes in the KHL. Would it be soon, like Michov? Would it be a struggle like Ivan Fedotov? Who knows?
While he won't be someone selected in the first round due to the unknown, if he is available in a later round, he might make sense as a project piece. He could be someone they select and hope he continues to develop in Russia. If he can slide over to the left wing, he could be a dangerous partner to pair up with Matvei Michkov.