Scouts and fans alike will get a closer look at one of 2018’s top NHL Entry Draft prospects next year, as 17-year-old Russian phenom Alexander Khovanov appears poised to join the CHL for the 2017-18 season. According to a report from a reputable Russian new source, the “Sport Business Gazeta” (Twitter link in Russian), Khovanov is committed to coming overseas to hone his skills against fellow top prospects ahead of the 2018 draft.
Khovanov, a small, but super-skilled center, has been dominating the youth leagues of the KHL for the past few years, playing for the U-16 and U-18 development squads for Ak Bars Kazan. This past season, he took the next step up to the MHL, Russia’s top developmental league, where he competed against players up to 21 years of age. Khovanov, with just limited play time, still managed to score eight goals and add 14 assists in 29 regular season games, plus another two points in the playoffs. Such output is the mark of a talented young player, as the only point-per-game 17-year-old in KHL history was Nikita Kucherov. Khovanov is smart, shifty pivot who is also a superior talent at the face-off dot. While much more seasoning is needed, he projects to be an elite player in the future.
An interesting story line heading up to the 2018 draft next year will be the relationship between Khovanov and former teammate Andrei Svechnikov. A year out from the 2018 draft, Svechnikov is the consensus top pick of next year’s class. The big winger made the jump to North America a year early, playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL this season and torching the league with 58 points in 48 games, second only in per game production to top 2017 Draft prospect Casey Mittelstadt. Yet, back in 2016-17, when Svechnikov and Khovanov were teammates and frequent line mates at the U-16 level, the pair were equally dominant, with Svechnikov racking up 26 points in just seven games and Khovanov getting 37 points in 13 games. While Svechnikov will almost assuredly be the first overall pick in the 2017 CHL import draft, Khovanov won’t be far behind. Could another season on the same playing field, both in Canada and likely on the Russian World Junior team, decrease the margin between the two Russian star prospects prior to the 2018 Draft?