Vladimir Proskurin
By Anni Karvinen
June 21st, 2026
Observations
Final Rankings: Proskurin made the biggest climb in my rankings. Once viewed primarily as a speedy but erratic goaltender, he has made significant strides in controlling his movements and remaining precise without sacrificing his elite physical tools. Quick feet, crisp edges, and high-end athleticism define his toolkit. He also plays with more confidence and structure than earlier in the season, making him one of the most improved prospects in the class. He should hear his name called somewhere around the third round. – Jean-Francois Rioux
Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin Scouting Reports
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TBone
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Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin Scouting Reports
Last edited by TBone on 27 Jun 2026 13:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TBone
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TBone
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Evaluating the Crease: 2026 NHL Draft Goaltender Spotlight
Jean Rioux
May 16, 2026
Vladimir Proskurin, Atlant Mytishchi
Vladimir Proskurin is one of the goalies who has made the biggest jump in my rankings throughout the
season. Once viewed as a speedy goalie with some erratic tendencies, he has made tremendous
progress controlling his movements and staying precise without sacrificing his elite traits.
And the list of elite tools is long: quick feet, crisp edges, high-end athleticism. He also plays with an
aggressive but controlled approach that makes him look much bigger than he actually is. That says a lot
about how efficiently he covers angles.
His puck tracking was also very good and he used active hands to catch and control pucks, limiting
dangerous rebounds.
The main thing I’d still like to see more of is his awareness of backside threats and peripheral options. He
often reacts after the pass and relies heavily on athleticism to cover the distance.
I really like both the upside and progression curve with Proskurin. He checks a lot of boxes for what
modern NHL teams look for in a goalie and he should be one of the first goalies selected in the next NHL Draft.
Jean Rioux
May 16, 2026Vladimir Proskurin, Atlant Mytishchi
Vladimir Proskurin is one of the goalies who has made the biggest jump in my rankings throughout the
season. Once viewed as a speedy goalie with some erratic tendencies, he has made tremendous
progress controlling his movements and staying precise without sacrificing his elite traits.
And the list of elite tools is long: quick feet, crisp edges, high-end athleticism. He also plays with an
aggressive but controlled approach that makes him look much bigger than he actually is. That says a lot
about how efficiently he covers angles.
His puck tracking was also very good and he used active hands to catch and control pucks, limiting
dangerous rebounds.
The main thing I’d still like to see more of is his awareness of backside threats and peripheral options. He
often reacts after the pass and relies heavily on athleticism to cover the distance.
I really like both the upside and progression curve with Proskurin. He checks a lot of boxes for what
modern NHL teams look for in a goalie and he should be one of the first goalies selected in the next NHL Draft.
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Francis Park Thug
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Sounds good. Thanks!
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LuvthaBlues
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Great pick! Hes gonna be a good one
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TBone
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Film Room: Vladimir Proskurin's talents may make him the 2026 NHL Draft's hidden gem
2026 NHL Draft
May 15th, 11:34
Max Lee
Goalie Scout
If you look back at previous NHL drafts, you will likely find a big‑name goaltender hidden away in the often-overlooked later rounds.
Stanley Cup Champions, Olympic Gold Medalists, Vezina Trophy winners, or even just solid starters have come from anywhere. Connor Hellebuyck, Jeremy Swayman, Dustin Wolf, Sergei Bobrovsky, Karel Vejmelka, Logan Thompson, and Igor Shesterkin are all current high-end NHL goaltenders who were passed on by every team multiple times over.
Goaltending is a notoriously difficult position to scout and project. Talent is bound to slip through the cracks, and there’s almost always upside to be captured at any pick. Vladimir Proskurin is my bet to be that hidden gem, late-round steal at the 2026 NHL Draft.
That’s if he even gets drafted.
Across North America and Europe, 55 goaltenders appeared in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings. Proskurin was not one of them. In fact, no outlet has ranked or even mentioned him outside of Elite Prospects, where we ranked him 73rd overall in April.
Proskurin’s circumstances are likely to blame for why he hasn’t appeared on radars this season. He plays in relative obscurity on one of the weaker teams in the weaker silver division of the Russian junior league. MHK Atlant Mytishchi has only ever had one player drafted to the NHL in its 17-year history. He also hasn’t been selected to the Russian U18 team for any of their tournaments. On top of that, being listed at 6-foot-1, the drawbacks before he even steps on the ice have been too much for many scouts to consider him an NHL prospect.
This isn’t surprising. There aren’t many goalies like him, but goaltending is a position of peculiarities and one-of-a-kind individuals. It's part of why so many love the position.
Proskurin will face significant challenges in making the NHL someday, and it is certainly bold to claim that he is among the best goaltenders in this draft. But as you’re soon to see, he has every reason for why NHL teams should take a bet on his potential.
Elite athleticism and body control
Proskurin’s athleticism is top of the class. His out-of-nowhere big-save ability is simply astounding at times. His quick-twitch burst allows him to unleash staggering explosive power into his pushes in an instant and spread into wide extensions or the splits.
While Proskurin has both elite explosiveness and flexibility, his true separating trait is his body control.
It is exceptionally difficult to control your body while pushing as hard as you can and stretching out as far as you can. Being in the upper ranges of your mobility naturally causes your body to lock up. Many goalies will collapse, but Proskurin has an extraordinary ability to keep his chest up and hands in position as he flies across the ice in full extension. Staying vertical ensures that he meets the shooter while taking up as much net as possible. Since he does this so well, he’s able to take up more net on these plays than the average goalie despite his slightly undersized frame.
At the end of his save sequence, he can also better keep his structure afterwards. Instead of falling into a compromised position, he can recover rapidly and be ready for follow-up chances. He’ll even control his fall on top of pucks to get freezes.
Play reading, speed, and details
Despite his extensive highlight reel, Proskurin isn’t just a one-dimensional athletic goalie; much of his game from shot to shot is based on his intelligent play-reading ability, which allows him to leverage his athleticism in several less obvious ways.
It starts with his diligent scanning of the ice. He times his shoulder checks with lulls in the play, knows what he’s looking for, picks up threats, and integrates what he sees into his decision-making.
A collection of small details builds his resume as a smart goaltender. When he reads a passing option, he flattens out his angle to make his pivot easier and loads his outside leg to get it ready to push. If he doesn’t see a passing option as a threat, he’ll play the shooter with confidence. At times, Proskurin will even manipulate shooters to play to his strengths by challenging to force a pass and leaning on his prowess in lateral coverage to make the save.
I love Proskurin's emphasis on angle before depth. He takes deeper routes to ensure he gets his angle right before taking depth. Another great habit is how he leads every motion with his head, which better visually connects him to the puck.
Proskurin’s quick processing of the game synergizes with his physical speed. Being so explosive gives him an advantage in how he can approach a play. He knows he can beat dangerous passes while sliding, and has the read to know when he can and cannot do it. So, rather than sell out for a save, he can remain composed and look for other ways to gain an advantage.
He often pops up after a slide to take a shot on his feet. This allows him to both have an edge to work off of and gain depth if the shooter hesitates. Proskurin will also stay tight in the butterfly, giving him better access to his edges. With that access, he can quickly change directions, control his slide, or adjust his angle and square.
Proskurin has a lot of great details to his game, little things he does to maximize his chance of making each save. These are indicative of a goalie thinking the game at an elevated level. At times, he might be doing a bit too much, but it’s promising to see a young goaltender with such a multifaceted game.
Technique, framing, and flashlights
Just as maintaining a large presence in the net is vital for Proskurin's athletic saves, maximizing net coverage is a key part of every play. With the speed of NHL shots, goalies have little time to react, so cutting down the angle and forcing shots into your body is essential.
First, Proskurin’s smart hand and chest placement set him up to make easy saves in the upper half of the net. He’s excellent at both projecting his hands out at the puck and framing them within the net. Projecting the hands, or holding them out in front of your body, makes them take up more net from the puck's perspective. Framing is ensuring that the hands are placed accurately to take up the open net, without covering space outside the net's frame or overlapping with your pads or chest. At the same time, his body control keeps his chest up to take up more of the upper areas of the net.
Second, he makes it extremely challenging to beat him along the ice. Utilizing his wide, low stance, Proskurin both covers the lower areas of the net and facilitates a quick drop. When he drops down, his butterfly is staggeringly wide. He’s able to flare his feet out super far and hold them there, which isn’t easy, and give the puck nowhere to go. Plays often end with shooters not being able to find the net to shoot at, holding onto the puck too long, and simply firing a shot into the pads when they run out of time.
Proskurin also diligently maintains the five flashlights technique. This is the concept that a goalie's head, two hands, chest, and stick are always pointed, as if they’re flashlights, at the puck.
Edgework
Beyond sealing off the bottom areas of the ice, having a wide butterfly allows a goalie to bring an edge down and move off it much quicker. With that edge, Proskurin can make a flurry of cuts to make micro-adjustments to his square and positioning, tightly pursue a puck in tight, or quickly route back to his posts.
Proskurin’s edges all around are very strong. He’s super fleet of foot, can make tactful and rapid adjustments, pivots with ease before explosive movements, can slam an edge into the ice to halt his momentum, and has great recoveries. He goes from standing to butterfly, up and down, with incredible fluidity that makes him dynamic when the puck is in tight.
Critiques
The goaltending room at Elite Prospects has been divided on Proskurin all year long. Our scouts have raised issues of over-aggressiveness, over-activeness, not setting his feet, and bad rebound control, along with concerns about the level of play.
He is very eager to attack shooters, aggressively gaining depth rather than setting his feet. This leaves passing options uncovered, recovery efforts even more daunting, and the save more difficult at times. Although there is some context to these tendencies. His defensive core, to put it lightly, isn’t a very talented group, and he is frequently forced to resort to unconventional tactics to bail them out. Speaking from personal experience as a goaltender, these scenarios motivate aggressive play, and I view this as an adaptation to his team more than a real problem. If he were to play behind a more even-keeled team, considering his cognitive strengths, I think he would adjust his game.
The issue that can’t be disputed is his bad rebounds. A drawback of the wide butterfly is a lack of rebound control off the pads. With a wider stance, you can’t kick out your legs to fire rebounds into the wall. Amplifying the issue, Proskurin doesn’t involve his stick nearly enough in controlling shots along the ice. Better controlling low shots is a vital change that needs to be made before a move to pro hockey, where bad rebounds don’t go unpunished.
Projection and elevating qualities
It is undeniable that projecting a goalie from an obscure MHL program in the weaker division of that league is far from an exact science. Yet, the story of an unknown goalie who bursts onto the scene in their early twenties isn’t uncommon. Goaltending is a volatile space. While skaters are only a couple of years out from making their NHL debuts, goalies still have five to seven years of development ahead of them.
If he doesn’t gain NHL interest, it may be hard for him to get the best opportunities to advance his game. Atlant Mytishchi doesn’t have a KHL or VHL team, so he will have to transfer to programs that may prefer their home-grown players. If he gets NHL interest, the CHL Import Draft may be his best bet with an NHL program to vouch for him. The CHL-to-NCAA route would be perfect for a talented but inexperienced goalie, such as Proskurin, who needs time to marinate.
Recent history has shown that Proskurin getting picked isn’t all that far-fetched. Just last year, Montreal drafted Arseni Radkov out of Tyumenski Legion in the third round. Colorado picked Ivan Yunin out of the Russian U18 league the year before. Radkov took the CHL route, as he just finished his first season in the QMHJL and is committed to play for the University of Massachusetts in the NCAA.
Proskurin isn’t a top prospect, at least not to anybody but a couple of our scouts. He’s a player who, if he is drafted, is a late-round selection. Within that range of the draft, the risk profile is more than acceptable relative to the upside. In the middle rounds, there will be few, if any, players left on the board with as much talent as him.
Proskurin isn’t just another one-dimensionally athletic goalie out of Russia. He has ceiling-raising traits both athletically and cognitively that give him a real chance to be a starting NHL goalie. His elite athleticism, keen perception and play‑reading, and mature technique justify announcing the name of this unranked, unknown, and underappreciated goalie at the draft in Buffalo this June.
2026 NHL Draft
May 15th, 11:34
Max Lee
Goalie Scout
If you look back at previous NHL drafts, you will likely find a big‑name goaltender hidden away in the often-overlooked later rounds.
Stanley Cup Champions, Olympic Gold Medalists, Vezina Trophy winners, or even just solid starters have come from anywhere. Connor Hellebuyck, Jeremy Swayman, Dustin Wolf, Sergei Bobrovsky, Karel Vejmelka, Logan Thompson, and Igor Shesterkin are all current high-end NHL goaltenders who were passed on by every team multiple times over.
Goaltending is a notoriously difficult position to scout and project. Talent is bound to slip through the cracks, and there’s almost always upside to be captured at any pick. Vladimir Proskurin is my bet to be that hidden gem, late-round steal at the 2026 NHL Draft.
That’s if he even gets drafted.
Across North America and Europe, 55 goaltenders appeared in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings. Proskurin was not one of them. In fact, no outlet has ranked or even mentioned him outside of Elite Prospects, where we ranked him 73rd overall in April.
Proskurin’s circumstances are likely to blame for why he hasn’t appeared on radars this season. He plays in relative obscurity on one of the weaker teams in the weaker silver division of the Russian junior league. MHK Atlant Mytishchi has only ever had one player drafted to the NHL in its 17-year history. He also hasn’t been selected to the Russian U18 team for any of their tournaments. On top of that, being listed at 6-foot-1, the drawbacks before he even steps on the ice have been too much for many scouts to consider him an NHL prospect.
This isn’t surprising. There aren’t many goalies like him, but goaltending is a position of peculiarities and one-of-a-kind individuals. It's part of why so many love the position.
Proskurin will face significant challenges in making the NHL someday, and it is certainly bold to claim that he is among the best goaltenders in this draft. But as you’re soon to see, he has every reason for why NHL teams should take a bet on his potential.
Elite athleticism and body control
Proskurin’s athleticism is top of the class. His out-of-nowhere big-save ability is simply astounding at times. His quick-twitch burst allows him to unleash staggering explosive power into his pushes in an instant and spread into wide extensions or the splits.
While Proskurin has both elite explosiveness and flexibility, his true separating trait is his body control.
It is exceptionally difficult to control your body while pushing as hard as you can and stretching out as far as you can. Being in the upper ranges of your mobility naturally causes your body to lock up. Many goalies will collapse, but Proskurin has an extraordinary ability to keep his chest up and hands in position as he flies across the ice in full extension. Staying vertical ensures that he meets the shooter while taking up as much net as possible. Since he does this so well, he’s able to take up more net on these plays than the average goalie despite his slightly undersized frame.
At the end of his save sequence, he can also better keep his structure afterwards. Instead of falling into a compromised position, he can recover rapidly and be ready for follow-up chances. He’ll even control his fall on top of pucks to get freezes.
Play reading, speed, and details
Despite his extensive highlight reel, Proskurin isn’t just a one-dimensional athletic goalie; much of his game from shot to shot is based on his intelligent play-reading ability, which allows him to leverage his athleticism in several less obvious ways.
It starts with his diligent scanning of the ice. He times his shoulder checks with lulls in the play, knows what he’s looking for, picks up threats, and integrates what he sees into his decision-making.
A collection of small details builds his resume as a smart goaltender. When he reads a passing option, he flattens out his angle to make his pivot easier and loads his outside leg to get it ready to push. If he doesn’t see a passing option as a threat, he’ll play the shooter with confidence. At times, Proskurin will even manipulate shooters to play to his strengths by challenging to force a pass and leaning on his prowess in lateral coverage to make the save.
I love Proskurin's emphasis on angle before depth. He takes deeper routes to ensure he gets his angle right before taking depth. Another great habit is how he leads every motion with his head, which better visually connects him to the puck.
Proskurin’s quick processing of the game synergizes with his physical speed. Being so explosive gives him an advantage in how he can approach a play. He knows he can beat dangerous passes while sliding, and has the read to know when he can and cannot do it. So, rather than sell out for a save, he can remain composed and look for other ways to gain an advantage.
He often pops up after a slide to take a shot on his feet. This allows him to both have an edge to work off of and gain depth if the shooter hesitates. Proskurin will also stay tight in the butterfly, giving him better access to his edges. With that access, he can quickly change directions, control his slide, or adjust his angle and square.
Proskurin has a lot of great details to his game, little things he does to maximize his chance of making each save. These are indicative of a goalie thinking the game at an elevated level. At times, he might be doing a bit too much, but it’s promising to see a young goaltender with such a multifaceted game.
Technique, framing, and flashlights
Just as maintaining a large presence in the net is vital for Proskurin's athletic saves, maximizing net coverage is a key part of every play. With the speed of NHL shots, goalies have little time to react, so cutting down the angle and forcing shots into your body is essential.
First, Proskurin’s smart hand and chest placement set him up to make easy saves in the upper half of the net. He’s excellent at both projecting his hands out at the puck and framing them within the net. Projecting the hands, or holding them out in front of your body, makes them take up more net from the puck's perspective. Framing is ensuring that the hands are placed accurately to take up the open net, without covering space outside the net's frame or overlapping with your pads or chest. At the same time, his body control keeps his chest up to take up more of the upper areas of the net.
Second, he makes it extremely challenging to beat him along the ice. Utilizing his wide, low stance, Proskurin both covers the lower areas of the net and facilitates a quick drop. When he drops down, his butterfly is staggeringly wide. He’s able to flare his feet out super far and hold them there, which isn’t easy, and give the puck nowhere to go. Plays often end with shooters not being able to find the net to shoot at, holding onto the puck too long, and simply firing a shot into the pads when they run out of time.
Proskurin also diligently maintains the five flashlights technique. This is the concept that a goalie's head, two hands, chest, and stick are always pointed, as if they’re flashlights, at the puck.
Edgework
Beyond sealing off the bottom areas of the ice, having a wide butterfly allows a goalie to bring an edge down and move off it much quicker. With that edge, Proskurin can make a flurry of cuts to make micro-adjustments to his square and positioning, tightly pursue a puck in tight, or quickly route back to his posts.
Proskurin’s edges all around are very strong. He’s super fleet of foot, can make tactful and rapid adjustments, pivots with ease before explosive movements, can slam an edge into the ice to halt his momentum, and has great recoveries. He goes from standing to butterfly, up and down, with incredible fluidity that makes him dynamic when the puck is in tight.
Critiques
The goaltending room at Elite Prospects has been divided on Proskurin all year long. Our scouts have raised issues of over-aggressiveness, over-activeness, not setting his feet, and bad rebound control, along with concerns about the level of play.
He is very eager to attack shooters, aggressively gaining depth rather than setting his feet. This leaves passing options uncovered, recovery efforts even more daunting, and the save more difficult at times. Although there is some context to these tendencies. His defensive core, to put it lightly, isn’t a very talented group, and he is frequently forced to resort to unconventional tactics to bail them out. Speaking from personal experience as a goaltender, these scenarios motivate aggressive play, and I view this as an adaptation to his team more than a real problem. If he were to play behind a more even-keeled team, considering his cognitive strengths, I think he would adjust his game.
The issue that can’t be disputed is his bad rebounds. A drawback of the wide butterfly is a lack of rebound control off the pads. With a wider stance, you can’t kick out your legs to fire rebounds into the wall. Amplifying the issue, Proskurin doesn’t involve his stick nearly enough in controlling shots along the ice. Better controlling low shots is a vital change that needs to be made before a move to pro hockey, where bad rebounds don’t go unpunished.
Projection and elevating qualities
It is undeniable that projecting a goalie from an obscure MHL program in the weaker division of that league is far from an exact science. Yet, the story of an unknown goalie who bursts onto the scene in their early twenties isn’t uncommon. Goaltending is a volatile space. While skaters are only a couple of years out from making their NHL debuts, goalies still have five to seven years of development ahead of them.
If he doesn’t gain NHL interest, it may be hard for him to get the best opportunities to advance his game. Atlant Mytishchi doesn’t have a KHL or VHL team, so he will have to transfer to programs that may prefer their home-grown players. If he gets NHL interest, the CHL Import Draft may be his best bet with an NHL program to vouch for him. The CHL-to-NCAA route would be perfect for a talented but inexperienced goalie, such as Proskurin, who needs time to marinate.
Recent history has shown that Proskurin getting picked isn’t all that far-fetched. Just last year, Montreal drafted Arseni Radkov out of Tyumenski Legion in the third round. Colorado picked Ivan Yunin out of the Russian U18 league the year before. Radkov took the CHL route, as he just finished his first season in the QMHJL and is committed to play for the University of Massachusetts in the NCAA.
Proskurin isn’t a top prospect, at least not to anybody but a couple of our scouts. He’s a player who, if he is drafted, is a late-round selection. Within that range of the draft, the risk profile is more than acceptable relative to the upside. In the middle rounds, there will be few, if any, players left on the board with as much talent as him.
Proskurin isn’t just another one-dimensionally athletic goalie out of Russia. He has ceiling-raising traits both athletically and cognitively that give him a real chance to be a starting NHL goalie. His elite athleticism, keen perception and play‑reading, and mature technique justify announcing the name of this unranked, unknown, and underappreciated goalie at the draft in Buffalo this June.
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moose-and-squirrel
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Wedgewood comp??
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TBone
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
2026 NHL Draft: Top 15 goaltenders
By Steven Ellis
Jun 20, 2026, 09:30 CDT
Many scouts really liked the goaltending crop for the 2025 NHL Draft last June. So it wasn’t surprising to see two guys taken in the first round.
It’s unlikely we’ll see anyone taken in the first 32 this year, but there’s a very good chance we’ll see a massive goalie run from rounds two to four instead. From talking to scouts at NHL Draft Combine, as many as 10 names were thrown out as potential backups at best, with a few names near the top of the list below being suggested as potential starters.
NHL teams have been more aggressive when it comes to carrying three goalies on the roster. And goaltending depth seems to be more important than ever before. Look at Carolina and Vegas, for example: the two teams combined to have eight goalies dress this season. You simply want as many bullets in the chamber as necessary if you’re going to go the distance.
It’s good practice to draft at least one goalie a year. With how fickle the position can be – and with the much slower development time compared to their skater counterparts – it’s never a bad thing to use a pick on the toughest position to scout.
So, if that’s what you’re aiming to do, here’s a look at the 15 best goalie prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft:
- clip -
10. Vladimir Proskurin (MHK Atlant Mytishchi, MHL)
Playing on a weak MHL club meant Proskurin was bound for some ugly starts. He was busy, facing 35 or more shots in 20 of his 41 games played. Despite that, the 6-foot-1 keeper showed tremendous athleticism at times, allowing him to pull off some of the most impressive saves of any goaltender in the draft. Proskurin skates well, and is actually quite impressive with his play reads. I wonder if he looked good this year because he was legit, or because the team in front of him was so bad. I think he’s closer to the first option, because the fundamentals are all there – the skating, the stance, the vision, everything. Scouts want to see it more consistently in an environment where he doesn’t have to be a megastar.
By Steven Ellis
Jun 20, 2026, 09:30 CDT
Many scouts really liked the goaltending crop for the 2025 NHL Draft last June. So it wasn’t surprising to see two guys taken in the first round.
It’s unlikely we’ll see anyone taken in the first 32 this year, but there’s a very good chance we’ll see a massive goalie run from rounds two to four instead. From talking to scouts at NHL Draft Combine, as many as 10 names were thrown out as potential backups at best, with a few names near the top of the list below being suggested as potential starters.
NHL teams have been more aggressive when it comes to carrying three goalies on the roster. And goaltending depth seems to be more important than ever before. Look at Carolina and Vegas, for example: the two teams combined to have eight goalies dress this season. You simply want as many bullets in the chamber as necessary if you’re going to go the distance.
It’s good practice to draft at least one goalie a year. With how fickle the position can be – and with the much slower development time compared to their skater counterparts – it’s never a bad thing to use a pick on the toughest position to scout.
So, if that’s what you’re aiming to do, here’s a look at the 15 best goalie prospects for the 2026 NHL Draft:
- clip -
10. Vladimir Proskurin (MHK Atlant Mytishchi, MHL)
Playing on a weak MHL club meant Proskurin was bound for some ugly starts. He was busy, facing 35 or more shots in 20 of his 41 games played. Despite that, the 6-foot-1 keeper showed tremendous athleticism at times, allowing him to pull off some of the most impressive saves of any goaltender in the draft. Proskurin skates well, and is actually quite impressive with his play reads. I wonder if he looked good this year because he was legit, or because the team in front of him was so bad. I think he’s closer to the first option, because the fundamentals are all there – the skating, the stance, the vision, everything. Scouts want to see it more consistently in an environment where he doesn’t have to be a megastar.
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John Cocktoastin
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Dude is athletic, for sure.
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STL fan in MN
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
I’ve got nothing on him. Not one of the goalies I chose to research and watch tape on but I will now.
But he had good numbers in Russia’s top Jr league. It’s hard to evaluate that league though as the caliber of play is super wide. But Russia clearly knows how to develop goalies, it’s currently really hard to scout Russians bc of the war and he’s decently young for this draft - May ‘08 b-day. That’s absolutely the sort of player you take a shot on and see what happens.
Interesting he’s only 6’1” though. That’s pretty short by today’s goalie standards. It’s not ideal but those guys are often unfairly overlooked too IMO. I recall back when I worked for a Jr team, our starter was 6’0”. There was pretty much zero interest in him from college programs. Our backup was 6’5”. Not remotely as talented but we’d get calls about him all the time. He got the college scholarship and flamed out. Not surprising. Size matters but so does talent!
But he had good numbers in Russia’s top Jr league. It’s hard to evaluate that league though as the caliber of play is super wide. But Russia clearly knows how to develop goalies, it’s currently really hard to scout Russians bc of the war and he’s decently young for this draft - May ‘08 b-day. That’s absolutely the sort of player you take a shot on and see what happens.
Interesting he’s only 6’1” though. That’s pretty short by today’s goalie standards. It’s not ideal but those guys are often unfairly overlooked too IMO. I recall back when I worked for a Jr team, our starter was 6’0”. There was pretty much zero interest in him from college programs. Our backup was 6’5”. Not remotely as talented but we’d get calls about him all the time. He got the college scholarship and flamed out. Not surprising. Size matters but so does talent!
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zamadoo
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
Anytime the Blues draft a goaltender, I don't even need to read about him. The last time I was disappointed was Fitzpatrick, and he might've been the last one I really looked into with any effort. Otherwise keep pumpin em out!
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stljrs
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin Scouting Reports
One of the Canes writers profiled him and said he was 6'2"
The smallest goalie out of the bunch, standing at 6’2, but also the one who’s played the most games this year with 41. He posted a respectable 2.97 goals against and a .921% save percentage in those games.
The smallest goalie out of the bunch, standing at 6’2, but also the one who’s played the most games this year with 41. He posted a respectable 2.97 goals against and a .921% save percentage in those games.
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IsDurbanodoingtime
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin Scouting Reports
One of the better Russian goalies we evee drafted was konstan barulin who never came over and had a solid European career. Also came out of the Russian jr. league.
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IsDurbanodoingtime
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin
I am for athleticism. But there are also seems to be a shying away from the giant (over 6'6") . Not every goaltender at that height is sam errsson.STL fan in MN wrote: ↑27 Jun 2026 13:37 pm I’ve got nothing on him. Not one of the goalies I chose to research and watch tape on but I will now.
But he had good numbers in Russia’s top Jr league. It’s hard to evaluate that league though as the caliber of play is super wide. But Russia clearly knows how to develop goalies, it’s currently really hard to scout Russians bc of the war and he’s decently young for this draft - May ‘08 b-day. That’s absolutely the sort of player you take a shot on and see what happens.
Interesting he’s only 6’1” though. That’s pretty short by today’s goalie standards. It’s not ideal but those guys are often unfairly overlooked too IMO. I recall back when I worked for a Jr team, our starter was 6’0”. There was pretty much zero interest in him from college programs. Our backup was 6’5”. Not remotely as talented but we’d get calls about him all the time. He got the college scholarship and flamed out. Not surprising. Size matters but so does talent!
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STL fan in MN
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin Scouting Reports
Proskurin was drafted by the Victoria Royals in the CHL Import Draft today. That’s very good news IMO. It’s not a guarantee that’s where he’s going to play next season but I’d say it’s pretty likely. His jr team in Russia isn’t even connected to a KHL or VHL team so he had no obvious path upward there. The WHL would be an excellent spot for him to develop. And would get him over here to N.A. as well.
https://chl.ca/draft/
https://chl.ca/draft/
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STL fan in MN
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Re: Blues Pick 4.27 - G Vladimir Proskurin Scouting Reports
Here’s an article on him I came across that breaks down his game quite well.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/news/20 ... idden-gem
He’s not super tall and doesn’t come from a traditionally strong development program but it seems he’s very athletic, very technically strong for a 17/18 yr old and Feltrin talked about how much they were impressed with how well he understood the position, his own game and what he needs to work on to get better. So he may be raw but the goalies that make it tend to be the ones that have talent, are smart and disciplined.
It’s near impossible to accurately project goalies at age 17/18 as they mature so much later than skaters on average (thus why teams rarely use 1st rd picks on them even though it’s probably the most important position in the game) but I’m always in to take a stab at a kid that’s talented and smart. Even better if he’s willing to come over here and play in the Dub.
https://www.eliteprospects.com/news/20 ... idden-gem
He’s not super tall and doesn’t come from a traditionally strong development program but it seems he’s very athletic, very technically strong for a 17/18 yr old and Feltrin talked about how much they were impressed with how well he understood the position, his own game and what he needs to work on to get better. So he may be raw but the goalies that make it tend to be the ones that have talent, are smart and disciplined.
It’s near impossible to accurately project goalies at age 17/18 as they mature so much later than skaters on average (thus why teams rarely use 1st rd picks on them even though it’s probably the most important position in the game) but I’m always in to take a stab at a kid that’s talented and smart. Even better if he’s willing to come over here and play in the Dub.