Everyone knows that the Calgary Flames like to draft Russian netminders.

Of the Russian goaltending prospects still in Russia, Kirill Zarubin is the best of the bunch. The 19-year-old has an impressive 2024-25 season and should be ready to take on professional action soon. Will he come to North America? That’s anyone’s best guess.

Let’s take a look at the 18th-ranked prospect on FlamesNation’s 2025 summer rankings!

Kirill Zarubin

Goaltender, catches left
Born September 20, 2005, in Penza, Russia
6’4”, 178 lbs
Drafted in the third round of the 2024 draft (84th overall)

Zarubin is one of many players currently in the Flames’ system who are part of the Curtis Glencross trade tree. The pick was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights for Noah Hanifin, and thus far, Zarubin has shown to be one of the Flames’ better netminder prospects.

On our ranking, he finished as the 18th-best prospect, but received a vote as high as 11th. Personally, I had him as my 18th-best prospect, as I liked what I saw from him in my limited amount of time watching the 19-year-old netminder.

Last season in Russia’s junior league (MHL), Zarubin had a .935 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average in 21 games, up from his .902 save percentage and 4.32 goals against average in 2023-24 with their U18 team. He helped the Mikhailov Academy make the post-season, but played just one playoff game, where he saved 45 shots on 47 opportunities.

We reached out to Elite Prospects’ Russian scouting guru Dylan Griffing for his thoughts on Zarubin:

“Zarubin spent his 2024/25 season as the backup on AKM Tula, who finished fourth in the West. In his 21 games, he was lights out with a .935 save-percentage and a season headlined by a 39-save shutout against Loko Yaroslavl on February 9th. He’s one of the most composed and consistent goalies I’ve seen come through the league, a 6-foot-3 frame with quick reactions and strong vision, he isn’t one to make many mistakes between the posts. As of right now, he’s with AKM Tula for training camp ahead of his final season in the MHL. The full-time starting position is open now and it’s Zarubin’s race to lose.”

Expectations for 2025-26

The question for Zarubin is whether or not he’ll see professional action in 2025-26. He’s clearly too talented for the junior level and needs to face older competition. A loan to the VHL, Russia’s version of the American Hockey League, could be in order. For example, 2023 sixth-rounder Yegor Yegorov played four games at the level before returning to play in the MHL.

Mikhailov Academy’s professional team, AKM Tula, is an independent team of the VHL. They applied to be a team in the Kontinental Hockey League, but were denied and will play another season in the VHL. This is a good opportunity for Zarubin to gain professional experience, but avoid riding the bench as the backup for a more experienced netminder in the KHL.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Zarubin for the 2025-26 season. If he does play professionally and performs well, it’s not inconceivable that he could find his way to North America to play in the American Hockey League.

As it stands, the Flames have Zarubin’s rights indefinitely, so he has plenty of time to develop overseas.