Finally: Gleb Pugachyov scores his first goal of the season

Marc-Olivier Cook
Finally: Gleb Pugachyov scores his first goal of the season
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

Gleb Pugachyov has had to miss games since the start of the season due to a concussion.

As a result, he has played only two games in the KHL during the 2026–27 season. But today, he was in action with his MHL club and (finally) scored his first goal of the season.

And it was a beautiful goal, too.

The Canadiens prospect managed to slip unnoticed into the slot, allowing his teammate to find him when he was practically alone in front of the goalie. Pugachyov then followed up with a beautiful one-timer that found the back of the net.

This marks the first goal of the season for the player who was selected 26th overall in the last NHL Draft. Congratulations:

It's worth noting that Pugachyov was playing his eighth game of the season in the MHL this morning. He has one goal and one assist so far.

The fact that he hasn't been able to play in more games hasn't helped him. He looked a little rusty upon his return to action in recent weeks, but let's hope today's goal helps him regain some confidence… because that hasn't necessarily been the case since the start of the season.

In '25–'26, he still managed to score 13 goals (and 19 assists) when combining his games played in the MHL, VHL, and KHL. He's producing less in '26–'27 (two points in 10 games in the KHL and MHL), but I tend to think that his offensive output isn't too much of a concern for the Canadiens' management, in a way.

Because the reality is… Pugachyov isn't likely to arrive in North America with the reputation of a player who's going to rack up points like crazy in the NHL. He was selected in the first round because of his physical style of play… unlike Ivan Demidov and Alexander Zharovsky in recent years.


Quick Thoughts

– Makes sense.

– Insane.

– Wow. I love it!

– That's Cole for you.

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