The Hurricanes have signed forward prospect Gleb Trikozov to his three-year, entry-level contract, according to Trikozov’s agent, Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. In a press release Saturday, the team confirmed that his contract begins in the 2024-25 season and carries an $862.5K cap hit, broken down into a $775K base salary and $87.5K signing bonus each season. Trikozov will earn a $82.5K salary when assigned to the minors or overseas.
Carolina selected Trikozov, 19, with their first selection in the 2022 draft, coming late in the second round at 60th overall. They parted with their first-round pick as compensation for signing then-RFA center Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet in September 2021, although it later changed hands multiple times and eventually ended up with the Sharks. San Jose used it on Swedish pivot Filip Bystedt, who recently made his North American debut for their AHL affiliate.
The 6’1″ Russian winger spent time with three different clubs in the Avangard Omsk system in his home country this season but closed out the season on assignment to the MHL, Russia’s top junior league. He was electric in regular season play throughout the year, scoring 12 goals in 10 games while totaling 18 points. He also added nine points in seven playoff games as Omskie Yastreby was eliminated last month.
He only appeared in two games in the top-level KHL, spending most of the year on assignment to the VHL, the top minor professional circuit. There, with Omskie Krylia, he was the team’s leading per-game scorer, notching 11 goals and 21 points in 39 games on a team that was nowhere near playoff contention.
Trikozov remains a high-ceiling yet unpolished prospect and could stand to get more comfortable in puck battles and improve his defensive awareness, although that’s the case with most mid-tier prospects his age. Those concerns led to some rather polarizing rankings in his draft year, as multiple public scouting sites believed Trikozov’s raw shooting ability made him worthy of a late first-round selection.
The Hurricanes still don’t have a full-time AHL affiliate on the books for next season, a situation that’s proven challenging for prospect development in 2023-24. The lack of consistent playing time and organizational ethos has completely derailed the development of some, such as 2019 second-round pick Jamieson Rees, who had just four assists in 37 AHL games split between Charlotte and Springfield before Carolina cut ties and traded him to the Senators a few weeks ago.
Nonetheless, GM Don Waddell said in a statement that the organization is “excited to see how [Trikozov’s] game continues to develop in North America,” implying they won’t be loaning him back to Russia next season. He’s not ready for NHL action, though, so they’ll need to find him a minor-league home if their affiliate situation isn’t rectified.
Trikozov will be 20 before Sep. 15, making him ineligible for an entry-level slide. His deal will take effect next season regardless of how many NHL games he plays, and upon expiry in 2027, he will be an RFA.