The Russian forward spent significant time in the KHL, although he has yet to find his offense in the country’s highest league.
The 2022–23 season is fast approaching. Here at Five For Howling, we’re looking at this year’s 25 best Arizona Coyotes players under the age of 25.
The Arizona Coyotes had three draft picks in the second round of the NHL Entry Draft last year. All three will be on the list this year, with the first being forward Ilya Fedotov.
Ilya Fedotov
2021–22 league: KHL (Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod), MHL (Chaika Nizhny Novgorod)
Regular Season Games Played: 35, 20
Regular Season Goals: 2, 3
Regular Season Assists: 0, 12
Playoff Games Played: 10
Playoff Goals: 6
Playoff Assists: 4
Highest Individual Ranking: 21
Lowest Individual Ranking: Not Ranked
Last Year’s Ranking: 17
Ilya Fedotov may have dropped from his ranking last year, but that doesn’t mean he had a bad season. He split the season between the KHL and the MHL and really came alive in the MHL playoffs, where he was a point-a-game player.
Fedotov is a highly touted prospect, and potentially a big piece for the Coyotes moving forward. Corey Pronman ranked him 11th on his list of players in the Coyotes’ pipeline, noting:
Fedotov is a prospect with a lot of traits that could translate to the NHL. He’s a good-sized winger who skates well and has great individual skill.
Pronman still projects Fedotov to play NHL games and lists all his skills as “NHL average” besides his compete level, which is “Above NHL average.”
Fedotov’s low ranking on this list is likely due to him playing overseas and not getting as much attention. Like Janis Moser, Fedotov made it to the top league last season and competed against some of the highest competition.
Fedotov may have spent more time in the KHL, but he played much better in the MHL. He was limited to just two goals in the highest league, but he was almost a point-a-game player in the MHL. The next big step for Fedotov will be spending a full season in the KHL.
It remains to be seen when and if Fedotov will make the jump to the NHL. He came over for the Coyotes development camp earlier this year, but he will be returning to Russia for the next season.