Yevgeni Volokhin: Another Contract in Russia for the Canadiens’ Prospect

Jonathan Di Gregorio
Yevgeni Volokhin: Another Contract in Russia for the Canadiens’ Prospect
Credit: Capture d'écran/Twitter

Goaltender Yevgeni Volokhin has just signed a three-year contract extension in the KHL with HK Spartak Moscow.

It's a two-way deal, meaning the goaltender could continue his development in the VHL.

Although the Canadiens retain their rights to the Russian prospect, barring a major turnaround, he may have to wait until 2029 to make the leap to North America.

Volokhin performed well last year in the VHL with Khimik Voskressensk, earning the title of best goaltender with impressive statistics. In addition to his excellent 25-10-5 record, the young goaltender posted a 1.51 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage.

He also played four games with Spartak Moscow, posting a record of one win and two losses, with a 3.45 goals-against average and a .870 save percentage.

It will be interesting to see if the Russian will make the permanent leap to the KHL, or if his club decides he still needs to develop further in the VHL.

The fifth-round pick—144th overall—in the 2023 draft will therefore have to wait a few more years before making the jump to the Habs.

However, this is good news for the Montreal club, which has plenty of prospects in goal, particularly in the NCAA with Alexis Cournoyer, Emmett Croteau, and Quentin Miller.

Allowing a goaltender to develop at his own pace in Russia will help prevent overcrowding in goal in Laval, which could see the arrival of several goaltending prospects in the coming years.

Even though, by 2029, Volokhin will have been drafted by the Habs more than six years earlier, he'll still only be 24 years old.

Given that goalies often take longer to develop, there's no rush in his case and no reason to worry about the young netminder.

In fact, as Raphaël Lafrenière notes on the Tout Sur Le Hockey website, several excellent Russian goalies—such as Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin—made their way to the NHL after long stints in the KHL, and that didn't stop them from dominating in North America.


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