Top 5 goaltender prospects Sabres fans must know about in the 2024 NHL Draft

Mikhail Yegorov, Omaha

Mikhail Yegorov turned 18 in March, and with one season of USHL hockey complete, he’s more used to the North American game than the likes of Eemil Vinni and Ilya Nabokov. He also has the desired height of a goaltender at 6’4, and he may not have fully grown into his frame yet. 

Also, unlike Nabokov, Yegorov didn’t have the luxury of playing for a great hockey team, as the Omaha Lancers struggled to a 16-43-3 finish for just 35 points. This put them 14 points behind the next-to-last-place finisher, the USDP, who had 49 points, so Yegorov didn’t just play for a bad team - he played for one that couldn’t have finished any worse. 

This explains why he ended with a 3.86 GAA, an 0.892 save percentage, and one shutout in 43 games. Next season, we will gauge his sample size more, as Yegorov will compete for time in the net at Boston University. 

He’s one of the better goaltenders in this class, and if Adams wants a high-potential prospect in Yegorov, the third round is probably where he’ll need to spend his pick. Yegorov’s prototypical size will attract teams, and if they’re patient and let him play out his college eligibility, they will have something.