Yegor Korshkov has all of the attributes you would expect from a Russian prospect — solid skating, excellent puck skills and excellent awareness on the ice. Turning 20 in July, Korshkov falls at the older end of the draft class. While he has good size in terms of height, he will need to fill out that frame from the lean 179 pounds he carries at present. Here’s the tale of the tape:
Position: RW
Current Team: Lokomotiv Yarolsavl, KHL
Date of Birth: July 10, 1996
Place of Birth: Novosibirsk, Russia
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 179 lbs
Shoots: Left
Korshkov had an outstanding tournament at the World Junior Championships in December, notching eight points in seven games, and proudly announced that “several” NHL teams had approached him during the tournament to express interest. However, he also indicated that his primary focus was to increase his ice time for Yaroslavl, and that he planned to remain in Russia for the next couple of years, as his contract with Yaroslavl runs through 2018.
Korshkov is ranked #7 among European skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Rankings , which represents a big jump from his #45 position last year. That’s particularly impressive when you consider that those rankings include Matthews, Laine & Puljujarvi. However, the usual issues exist for Korshkov as exist for many of the Russian players over the past few years. How will his game translate to the NHL and the small ice? How committed would he be to play in North America? What is his development path, considering that he will be at least 22 before he sets foot on North American soil?
Probably not. It is tough to risk a high draft pick on a guy that may never come to North America. Teams might be inclined to wait until he is a free agent in 2018, and then move to sign him, as the Blackhawks did with Artemi Panarin, but if he proves to be that good, it’s likely that he’ll pare his choices down to a few elite teams. From where I sit, I pass on Korshkov unless he falls to the third round. At that level, it might be worth the risk to lock up his rights.
Korshkov in Action