Flyers’ Teenaged Goalie Prospect Is Dominating Russia

The Philadelphia Flyers turned a few heads during the 2023 NHL Draft. But, it wasn’t just because they drafted Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick.

The Flyers did draft London Knights duo Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk, and those two have been tearing up the OHL this season. However, more speculation was levied onto the future of the Philadelphia Flyers when they selected goalies Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin in the second and third rounds of the draft.

It’s the latter who’s been dominating the competition in his neck of the woods.

Who is Yegor Zavragin?

Zavragin, 18, was drafted 87th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers back in July. At the time, the Russian shot-stopper was just 17 years old, coming into the draft as an August birthday.

Zavragin has played in the MHL for Mamonty Yugry since the 2021-22 season, and currently boasts a career record of 37-11-5 with a save percentage of .929. This season the 18-year-old has been particularly outstanding, with a record of 6-1-2 and a save percentage of .945. Zavragin posted a shutout on Nov. 13, turning aside all 30 shots thrown his way by Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk in the 1-0 victory.

The Flyers‘ third-round pick has also spent some time in the VHL with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, where he’s a perfect 5-0-0 this season. Zavragin recorded another shutout – this coming in the VHL – on Wednesday, stopping 34 shots in a 6-0 thrashing of Dynamo-Altay Barnaul. For Yugra, the teenager has a .955 save percentage and a 1.19 GAA in addition to his flawless record.

Hmm #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/v0gdh5hxkR

— Jon Bailey (@ByJonBailey) November 29, 2023

Although Zavragin is just 18, his numbers suggest that the VHL and MHL are walks in the park. The next stop in Russian hockey? The KHL – the goalie factory in which stars like Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, and Andrei Vasilevskiy were born. Shesterkin and Vasilevskiy, in particular, didn’t become KHL regulars until they were 19 or 20. Zavragin still has time to make the leap, and there’s currently no reason to believe he won’t be able to.

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