Mikhail Yegorov's run with Boston University show he's the New Jersey Devils' goalie of the future

After a rough two seasons in the USHL, New Jersey Devils' goalie prospect Mikhail Yegorov has shown a ton of progression this season. It’s not often that you see a young stud netminder leave a major junior development circuit to enroll early at a D1 Program. Well, that was the case because in the 2024 NHL Draft Class, the St. Petersburg, Russia native committed to Boston University.

Coach Jay Pandolfo (former Devils legend) was key in getting him to enroll early. If you look at Mikhail’s mechanics, you will see that he has already improved his recovery and blocker side from the 2023-2024 season at Omaha. After being drafted by the NJ Devils via the John Marino trade tree at The Sphere in Las Vegas, many were singing his praises, including us here at Pucks and Pitchforks.

In 62 Games in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers, the Russian Monster posted an .899 Save% while posting a 3.61 Goals Allowed Average. He was under an inferior defensive team and had to deal with it. Seguing over to Yegorov getting to play and enrolling with the Boston University Terriers, this has improved his morale, and he has been nothing but a massive improvement in net and a great teammate on and off the ice. When you scout goalies, you should not only look at their mechanics but also their calmness and what their interviews look like.

Seeing his character through multiple interviews, Yegorov can articulate, smile, and laugh on top of playing in pressing atmospheres, which is only going to help “Big Mike” improve his game. Coach Jay Pandolfo has looked wicked smart in adding the young man on and stealing and completely manhandled other D1 teams such as Providence, Boston College, UMass-Amherst, and even Penn State.

The ending in giving up five goals on 27 shots in the NCAA Championship Game should not make people sour on his recent performance. You have to look at his overall performance now in the NCAA D1. In 18 Games Played, he had a 2.15 GAA, a .927 Save%, and one shutout, 11-6-1. In the last two seasons in the USHL, he had two shutouts and an 11-37-6 record. Playing with better players in front of him has made him look far better and improved his blocker, rebound control, and glove side more. 

New Jersey Devils have the future in net, and he came this close to a championship of his own

Suppose there’s something about Mikhail Yegorov that makes him very attractive. In that case, it's his Vasilevskiy style of goaltending, character traits, quirkiness, and ability to make those around him gel, similar to Martin Brodeur's style. It’s rare to use these players in a few sentences, but his ability to not only look big and cut down opponents' angles is not easy to replicate. In today’s NHL, most goalies are usually 6’2”, but having a 6’5” net-minder who is becoming quicker glove side and cutting back on the blocker side shots is a big step forward.

GM Tom Fitzgerald and Head U.S. Scout Scott LaChance should be thrilled in having picked the future in net. It’s a breath of fresh air to see the certainty of goalies with Nico Daws, Jakub Malek, and Mikhail Yegorov move up the ranks on the depth chart in the next few seasons and then some. Now the Devils have a significant weapon in their arsenal to help this organization build something special here in the Garden State of Hockey.