“Gleb Pugachyov is a one-of-a-kind player”

Jonathan Di Gregorio
“Gleb Pugachyov is a one-of-a-kind player”
Credit: Capture d'écran / YouTube

Ever since he was selected 26th overall by the Canadiens, Gleb Pugachyov has been the talk of the town among both fans and journalists.

The young Russian has promising offensive potential, but it's mainly his toughness and physical play that are drawing attention.

Described as a “unicorn” by some, Pugachyov could become a forward in the mold of Tom Wilson—a player the prospect would love to face in a fight, even going so far as to say he would destroy the Capitals forward.

Pugachyov doesn't seem to be one to shy away from a challenge.

In fact, Louis Robitaille discussed the Habs' new prospect on BPM Sports.

Robitaille, who recently accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Hershey Bears, had a front-row seat to observe Pugachyov, whom he faced several times last year as coach of the Omsk team in the VHL, the Russian equivalent of the AHL.

The assistant coach was very impressed with what he saw from the 6-foot-3 forward, who isn't afraid to use his physicality—both against players his own age in the MHL and VHL, and against older players, as he demonstrated during his thirteen games in the KHL.

Robitaille then adds:

“He's a guy who skates well, has a good sense of the game, and won't move just to deliver a check—but when the time is right, he'll deliver it.”

With Pugachyov, the Habs have a very interesting prospect on their hands, and he's truly one of a kind.

However, Robitaille now believes it will be up to the young forward to continue his development in the KHL, as his team, the Novgorod Torpedo, recently lost its affiliate in the VHL.

Pugachyov is still under contract in the KHL for the next two seasons and may have to wait until 2028 to make the jump to North America.

In the meantime, though, that hasn't stopped him from working extra hard this summer and spending a lot of time at the gym to prepare for the upcoming season.

In short, he's going to be a young player whose development will be really interesting to follow.


In a nutshell

– Any trades on the horizon?

– A “Michigan” move by Matvei Michkov.

– A solid shot over the green monster.

– Bad news for the Jays.

– MLB in brief.

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