Draft Profile: Mikhail Sergachev

2016 NHL Draft

LHD Mikhail Sergachev

Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Steve Kournianos  |  03/3/2016 |  New York  |  [hupso]

Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’3 206 lbs
Born: June 25th, 1998, Nizhnekamsk, Russia
The Draft Analyst Ranking: 12th
Obtained: Selected by the Windsor Spitfires in the first round (sixth overall) in the 2015 CHL Import Draft.
Notes: 2015-16: Leads OHL defensemen in goals with 14 in 59 games through March 2nd…His 47 points ranks third among both defensemen and rookies…Recorded two points or more in 13 of his first 59 contests, including a pair of four-point games…Registered 29 points in his 29 games between December 11th and February 28th…Played for Team Orr in the 2016 CHL Top Prospects Game…2014-15: Appeared in 25 games for Irbis Kazan in the MHL, scoring a pair of goals and adding six assists…Played for Team Russia at the World U17 Hockey Challenge, where he picked up a goal in six games…Represented Russia in five games at the 2015 Under-18 World Championship.

The two-player limit the CHL imposes on its clubs in regards to European-born players may seem restrictive, possibly xenophobic. What you can’t argue, however, is how it enables teams to be far more deliberate and selective when adding a player from across the pond. Russian-born defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is one of those fortunate ones, but take our word for it when we say he’s not your classic European-trained blueliner. He plays an aggressive and punishing style, mixed in with offensive flair and a strong enough sense to either join the rush or create one himself.

Sergachev has anchored Windsor’s top pairing since the season began, logging minutes on both the top power play and penalty killing units. He possesses above-average speed, and owns a powerful stride which makes him difficult to stop when in full flight. Additionally, Sergachev is a mobile playmaker from the back end, capable of connecting on and receiving difficult passes, whether up the ice or diagonally through a maze of sticks. Most impressive is his hard shot, which he can fire with substantial velocity from the point’s deepest areas. The pace and complexity of the next level shouldn’t intimidate him, but his slot coverage is one area where he must improve to complete his development.