The New Jersey Devils got amazing value last season when they drafted Nikita Popugaev in the fourth round of the NHL Draft. Despite all his skill, he’s going on the wrong path for success.
Nikita Popugaev is a 19-year-old hockey prospect. He once had a first-round grade after a very good season in the WHL. He scored 29 goals and had 68 points between two teams. The Russian forward was proving at a very young age that he could dominated on North American soil.
Something must have happened between the interview process and the draft, because he plummeted down the board. Usually, that happens when teams say there’s no way that they would even take a chance on the player. Sure, that could have something to do with fears Popugaev may end up in Russia for good, but the fact he was already in North America had to have been a great sign.
Popugaev was a prospect I was really excited about. He possessed such amazing talent that he could beat almost anyone one on one. There aren’t many players in the hockey world that can do that, especially at 19 years old. Popugaev is currently his own worst enemy.
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After a decent run in 2017 with Prince George, things got so bad that Popugaev left the team in the middle of the season to go play in the KHL. He did not do well in the Russian league. He played 12 games with CSKA before he was sent down to the VHL. He only lasted 14 games before getting demoted to the MHL.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Popugaev could just be a bad Juniors player, but could be a great NHL player one day. I think the key is getting him in the right opportunities. A good comparison is former Los Angeles Kings star Dustin Penner. He signed out of Juniors after having a ho-hum time. He was cut multiple times by the Manitoba team, yet he still had a wildly successful NHL career.
Popugaev could be the same player. I think the key is getting him signed and playing within the Devils system. Ray Shero needs to get this guy in North America, and under the tutelage of the Devils coaching staff. If he continues to play in Russia, I don’t see him ever coming back. However, if Shero can convince Popugaev to play in Binghamton, then he could just turn his career around in an instant.