A Russian Draft Prospect Whom The Flyers’ Should Take A Long Look At

Photo Credit: Verdran Galijas/Just pictures.ch

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Flyers have not had the same success as other teams when it comes to Russian players. Whether it stems from the infamous 1976 international hockey game between Bobby Clarke and his band of ruffians vs. the once thought of unbeatable Red Army Team, I don’t know; But, since then, the Flyers have had a hard time getting any kind of long-term success out of a Russian player they drafted and/or signed as a free agent. The only exception being the team’s current star defenseman Ivan Provorov (who may have been born in Russia but arrived state side at the young age of 13 where he would ultimately play his junior hockey in the USHL and the WHL alike before being drafted by the Flyers). The team’s history with players from this hockey hotbed has been rather grim, to say the least. In past drafts when choosing to select players from Russia early in the draft, the Flyers have been dealt potential busts like German Rubtsov (who the team took with their first-round pick back in 2016), or even when they have seemed to hit with late round Russian selections like goaltender Ivan Fedotov (who the team took with their 7^th round selection back in 2015), they somehow still can’t convince him to sign.    

Then there’s the free agent or trade route when the team tried in the past to bring in some proven Russian forwards like Alexei Zhamnov in ‘03- ‘04 and Nikolai Zherdev in the ‘10- ‘11 season. While both were able to contribute, the team was unable to re-sign or keep them the following season. Who, then, could forget the tribulations the Flyers have had in-net with their past Russian netminders: From the monumental mistake of being too impatient with their then-young developing goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (who would go on to win multiple Vezina Trophies elsewhere after he was dealt away from Philadelphia) to the ever-costly mistake of signing goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov to a then record-breaking deal. It’s true- the Flyers’ luck of betting on Red in the past has rarely ever worked out. 

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But, with that being said, there just might be the right prospect in this upcoming draft worth doubling down on: Kirill Dolzhenkov. If you watch tape on this impressive (still just) 17-year-old prospect, I promise he will be quite easy to spot at all times while out on the ice, mainly because he stands at a towering 6’7 and weighs in at an immense 234 pounds! Now, don’t let the fact that he resembles actor Dolph Lundgren’s character Ivan Drago from the legendary Rocky IV movie fool you into thinking that this player is all about size and strength and can’t skate: On the contrary, Kirill is able to propel himself rather quickly down the ice and I don’t know about you but with that big of a hypersonic missile coming at me I’d move out of his way! 

Beyond his NBA-like size, his herculean strength, and his anomalous ability to get up and down the ice, this prospect possesses a set of hands that are comparable to some of the nimblest players to ever play the game. That’s why, with all these intangibles, it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Dolzhenkov has been named captain of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation’s U-16, U-17, and U-18 teams respectively over the years as he continues to progress his way to his dream of turning pro.

In his U-16 season back in ‘19- ‘20 playing for the junior affiliate of the HC CSKA Moscow (better known to us here in the states as the Central Red Army Team) Kirill netted an amazing 2.34 point-per-game average when he managed to score 30 goals, and 31 assists for a total of 61 points in just 26 games played that year!  

After that kind of season, it was quite easy to see that Dolzhenkov needed more of a challenge in the 2020-2021 calendar year. So, the following season after playing in just 11 games for their U-17 team where he scored 18 goals and 11 assists for 23 points (which, if you are keeping track, averages out to be over a two point-per-game pace (PPG) (more precisely a 2.09 PPG average)), Dolzhenkov was quickly moved up to the U-18 team. Over the course of 13 combined games played for the U-18 team the competition still proved to be no match for Kirill, because he was able to eclipse 21 goals and 13 assists for 34 points in just 13 games played, which averages out to an unheard of 2.61 PPG! He followed that up with a four-game playoff appearance where he was able to tap in three goals and three assists for a total of six points. 

With no ceiling in sight for this seemingly unstoppable force, he has already embarked on his next challenge- This time playing in Russia’s equivalent to the Major Junior Hockey League. Playing for the Krasnaya Armiya which are associated with the Red Army team of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). There, in just three games played so far this season, Kirill already has one goal to his credit. 

While it is still extremely early to nail down just where this promising prospect will project to be taken, one thing is for certain- Dolzhenkov is already considered to be a fast riser on most people’s initial mock draft reports and, therefore, should be considered a real option to try to obtain for the Flyers’ brass early in this upcoming draft. With these kind of attributes at his disposal, Kirill can virtually skate by/through anyone he wants. Having free reign to pick from anywhere he wants to set up on the ice (which is often times right in front of the net and undoubtedly helps to screen the goalie) without fear of anyone removing him from his preferred scoring location, makes him- in this writer’s mind- not only an intimidating force but a premier prospect to further restore the Flyers’ trust in acquiring future Russian talent.