The Flames have a thing for drafting Russian netminders, and I have a tendency to write about them. In the 2020 draft, the Flames selected Daniil Chechelev in the fourth round. Then in the following draft, they selected Arsenii Sergeev in the seventh-round, then Yegor Yegorov in the sixth round of the 2023 draft. Their most recent Russian-born drafted netminder was Kirill Zarubin, who the Flames selected with a third-round pick in 2024.

Zarubin is one of many pieces in the extensive Curtis Glencross trade tree. The Flames acquired the pick used to select Zarubin when they traded Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. While the pick used to select fellow Russian Matvei Gridin in the same draft was the main piece coming back, Zarubin is starting to look like the real deal in Russia’s junior league.

In the season before he was drafted, the Penza product played 25 games with Tula Mikhailov Academy’s under 18 team, where he had a .901 save percentage and 3.67 goals against average. Zarubin put up similar numbers in 2023-24 with their under 18 team: a .902 save percentage and 4.32 goals against average, but excelled with their under 20 team.

Over 29 games in 2023-24 with Mikhailov Academy’s MHL team, Zarubin had a .944 save percentage and 1.99 goals against average, which led to the Flames selecting the 6’3” netminder with the 84th overall pick.

Zarubin’s D+1 season wasn’t as strong, only posting a .935 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average in 21 games, with a 12-9-0 record. He’s “regressed” in 2025-26, owning a .933 save percentage and 2.03 goals against average in 37 games, as he’s taken over the starter role. Overall, he has 21 wins, 10 losses, and 2 overtime/shootout losses.

The netminder’s strong play has helped earn Mikhailov Academy a likely post-season spot, as they currently sit sixth in the MHL’s Western Conference Gold Division. Funnily enough, if they hold their position and Yegorov’s JHC Spartak MHA sneak into the third spot in the Silver Division, the two netminders will do battle in the playoffs.

With 12 games remaining, it’s imperative that Zarubin continues his strong play to end the season and beyond. He’s set to turn 21 years old in late September, meaning this will be his final stretch of junior hockey in Russia, as MHL’s rules dictate a player can’t be older than 20 years old in the league.

There’s a strong chance that Zarubin will finally turn professional next season, something that Chechelev, Sergeev, and even Yegorov (albeit briefly) have already done. (He’s recently made his first appearance in the second-tier VHL.) If he can continue his strong play once turning professional, he may just become a netminder to be excited about in the coming years.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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