The NHL’s Next Great Russian Superstar is Stuck in Russia
UNPLUGG’D NHL expert Jacob Neuman breaks down the story and career path of 21-year-old Minnesota Wild prospect Kirill Kaprizov, the next great Russian superstar.
Between Alexander Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, Evgeni Malkin, Vladimir Teresenko, Artemi Panarin, and Ilya Kovalchuk, there is plenty of Russian talent in the NHL. These offensive-minded, natural goal scorers have the ability to transform a franchise and bring their team a championship. As we have seen in the past few years, GM’s are willing to spend quality picks on these young Russian players hoping one develops into a superstar; for example, eight Russians were selected in the first two rounds of the 2018 draft. I say “take a chance” on these Russians because although they typically have a coveted shot, great puck skills, and offensive vision, they often lack the defensive mentality and speed to play top minutes in the NHL. So, which one of these recent top draft picks will be the next Russian superstar in the NHL?
None of them! Rather, the next sure-thing Russian superstar is 21-year-old Kirill Kaprizov, a fifth round pick by the Minnesota Wild in 2015. The only reason he hasn’t reached the NHL yet is because he’s signed by CSKA Moscow over in the KHL (Russian Hockey League) through the 2019–2020 season.
So, if Kaprizov is so good, why did he sign a long contract with CSKA Moscow in the KHL and not come to the NHL right away? Conspiracy theory time: he had no choice if he wanted to play in the Olympics. I think that in order to play for the Russian national team in the 2018 Olympics, Russia forced their players to continue playing in the KHL. Little known fact, Vladamir Putin is very close with the general manager of CSKA Moscow, and they are consistently one of the best teams in the League. When CSKA Moscow acquired Kaprizov to add to their stacked roster, the Olympics were quickly approaching. I think Putin called up his good buddy, the GM, and told him that Kaprizov had to stay in the KHL to play in the Olympics. This explains why the Wild were unable to buy out his contract or get him over to the NHL, and believe me, they want him as soon as possible so he can be the natural goal scorer they have been looking for. And it is no secret that the Russian government places a lot of interest in succeeding at hockey on the international stage with their star KHL players. My theory is that the CSKA Moscow GM, in communication with the Russian Government, told Kaprizov that he needed to sign the three-year contract to play for Russia in the Olympics. It’s Russia, so would anyone really be surprised by this?
Conspiracy theories aside, Kaprizov first broke out on an international stage in the 2017 World Juniors where he led the tournament in scoring with 12 points (9G, 3A) in seven games, outscoring current NHL stars Clayton Keller and Mat Barzal. Kaprizov was absolutely dominant and captained Team Russia to a bronze medal. To lead the World Juniors in scoring is a big deal, and a lot of top scorers in the tournament were early first rounders (Sebastian Aho, Patrik Laine, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid), or go on to be top picks in subsequent NHL entry drafts. Lucky for the Minnesota Wild, they had already drafted Kaprizov a few years prior. This was the first time NHL experts put Kaprizov on their radar.
On top of his stellar international performance in the World Juniors, Kaprizov has been fantastic in the KHL. In the 2016–2017 season, he played for Salavat Yulaev Ufa and he scored 42 points (20G, 22A) in 49 games as a teenager. This, plus his 2015–2016 season (when he outscored Panarin and Tereseknko at that age), gave him the record for points in the KHL as a teenager and earned him a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow. Last season with CSKA Moscow, he again put up great numbers with 40 points (15G, 25A) in 46 games and made it to the quarter finals of the playoffs. This season, Kaprizov is second in the league in goals scored. He has 36 points in 49 games with 23G and 13A, and CSKA Moscow is prepared to make another run at the championship.
The next time Kaprizov revealed his superstar upside was the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he impressed his former NHL teammates and coaches with his offensive instinct and nose for the net. Kaprizov was second in the tournament in scoring with 9 points (5G, 4A) in 6 games played. All of this cumulated in overtime of the gold medal game, when Kaprizov rifled home a one-time pass from Pavel Datsuyk. After this OT goal in the Olympics, Kaprizov got a lot of media attention and became well-known in Russia.
A few months after the Olympics, Kaprizov was back on the international stage, representing Russia at the World Championsips, this time competing with current NHL superstars that had already been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. Kaprizov impressed again, posting eight points (6G, 2A) in eight games, the second best on team Russia. His production helped propel the Russians to the quarterfinals where they came up just short, as his bad penalty gave McDavid and Team Canada the decisive advantage in OT. Despite this, Kaprizov’s continued productivity and electric performance amongst NHL players again showed why he is going to be a superstar in the NHL once his KHL contract expires.
Between his consistent goal scoring in the KHL, his productivity in international tournaments, and his clutchness to score when the game is on the line, Kirill Kaprizov is the next Russian superstar. I am looking forward to seeing him dominate the NHL and transform the Minnesota Wild when he comes to the league.
Jacob Neuman is a leading NHL writer for UNPLUGG’D and NHL podcaster for the ‘Powder Blue Podcast Network’, where he hosts the “Home Ice” podcast.
