Each and every New Jersey Devils prospect in Europe has begun their respective seasons, including highly-touted prospects like Daniil Orlov and Nikita Shcherbakov, who have gotten off to hot starts themselves.
Two players within the Devils' system, Lavr Gashilov and Daniil Rusakovich, both of whom were selected in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, have been playing in the MHL, Russia's equivalent to the CHL (which includes the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL). For context's sake, the MHL includes teams that both align closely with the talent of the CHL and who look far worse than those leagues.
Regardless, both players have gotten off to blisteringly hot starts in the league.
The Devils have two Russian prospects worthy of fans' attention
Let's start with Gashilov, who was the Devils' fourth-round selection. He was not expected to drop as far as he did -- 119th overall -- and was a consensus top-100 pick entering draft day. Talking points about his game leading up to the draft were centered around his playmaking game, with superb vision and excellent passing chops fueling his all-time MHL draft-year production.
Now, through the early stages of the MHL season, Gashilov is tied for first in the league in points, with 10 in just six games. It should be noted that the player Gashilov is tied with, Alan Shaikhlislamov, has played two more games than his counterpart. Expectedly, nine of Gashilov's 10 points are assists, which are handily the most in the league. Over the course of a full MHL season, this is a 78-assist pace, which would beat the single-season record by 12. Six of Gashilov's points came in a single outing, a September 15th game in which he had his lone goal and five assists in just over 15 minutes of ice time. By all accounts, he looks like the best player in that league.
Elsewhere in the MHL is Daniil Rusakovich, a netminder who was picked by New Jersey one round after Gashilov, at 149th overall. Already, the 18-year-old has been one of the MHL's best goaltenders.
In six starts -- one shy of the league-high number -- Rusakovich remains undefeated while saving an astounding 94.4% of the shots he has faced. He has allowed only nine goals across those six appearances and posted a 24-save shutout this morning.
Again, the MHL is a low-level league, so the real test for both Rusakovich and Gashilov will come when they are promoted to the VHL. For now, knowing that the Devils have the top skater and one of the top goaltenders in the league should certainly perk up some ears.
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