New York Rangers: Top-10 prospects under 24
By Ed Stein
5. Igor Shestyorkin (23), Goalie
Back in Russia, Shestyorkin was all that and a box of rocks. He’s been playing in the KHL since 2014 when he made his debut as an 18-year-old with Spartak Moscow. It wasn’t until 2015, when he moved to SKA St. Petersburg, that he showed what he could do against some of the top professionals in the world.
In the last three seasons, he’s been lights out. Shestyorkin help lead SKA to a Gagarin Cup in 2016-17, as well as the Kontinental Cup in 2017-18. In total, he’s played in 117 regular-season games with a record of 80-19-15, 1.68 GAA, .935 SV%, and 27 shutouts.
Shestyorkin has been almost as impressive in the postseason. There he has an 8-6 record, 1.91 GAA, and .918 SV%. For good measure, Stestyorkin has also excelled on the world stage. He has several international medals including a gold from the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
When watching Shestyorkin play, anyone who knows hockey can see he’s got star potential. He may have been the best goalie, not in the NHL last year. His lightning-fast reflexes combined with “quick as a hiccup” lateral movement across the crease, make it very difficult to get the puck past him. Shestyorkin had issues with rebound control early in his KHL career but has worked hard to overcome them.
The New York Rangers drafted the 6-1 goalie in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2014 draft. He could be the team’s biggest draft steal since the man he will probably replace, Henrik Lundqvist.