The New Jersey Devils wanted a second-round pick specifically to take a goalie. They ended up traded defenseman John Marino for two second-round picks, including 49th overall this year. They used it to take goaltender Mikhail Yegorov.
Yegorov was selected to fill a need at goalie. I had scouted him very closely in the USHL this past season because 2023 Devils draftee Chase Cheslock was on his team. It was out of curiosity that there was a young phenomenal goalie who played well on a lackluster defensive team in Omaha. But some games should not have been wins or close games, and Mikhail Yegorov was the star on that team.
Mikhail Yegorov appreciation post! We’re still knotted at 0! @USHL pic.twitter.com/mBDN6NT6TX
— Omaha Lancers (@OmahaLancers) January 20, 2024
His lateral movement and skating edges are very strong, but he needs to be a bit more fluid and shorten his lateral strides. When Mikhail Yegorov moves up and makes sprawling saves, he looks like a star-studded netminder. The Russian netminder is very hard to beat low and on the pad sides. He is gonna post phenomenal numbers if Omaha ends up moving him to a more defensive team where he could track the puck better and play lights out consistently with less of a burden on his shoulders. He is committed to playing at Boston University in the 2025-26 season as their goalie.