According to an official news release, top Philadelphia Flyers goalie prospect Egor Zavragin will play for KHL club HC Sochi on loan from SKA St. Petersburg during the 2024-25 season.
The release confirms Zavragin’s words in a May interview, where he revealed he would be playing for Sochi in the upcoming KHL season. You can see Sochi’s news release here.
“I think it’s no secret that I will start the season at Sochi. With all due respect to Yugra, this is already an opportunity to play at the KHL level,” Zavragin said to MatchTV. “Sooner or later, from Khanty-Mansiysk, I needed to take a step forward. And if there was such an opportunity now, refusing is stupid. Yes, I could have boiled in the VHL for another year, but for my own development it is better to take a step sooner than later.”
Zavragin, 18, was drafted 87th overall in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft and, to this point, has played his hockey exclusively in the MHL and VHL leagues in Russia. In the VHL, Russia’s minor league equivalent to the AHL, Zavragin was virtually unbeatable last season, ripping off a 13-1-0 record to the tune of a 1.60 GAA, a .943 save percentage, and three shutouts in 17 appearances.
Those are what we call ‘video game numbers.’
The young Flyers prospect was just as good in the postseason, too. Although Zavragin’s 4-4-0 playoff record wasn’t as good as the regular season record, he still managed a 2.11 GAA and a .933 save percentage.
All that said, proving himself in the KHL is an important next step in Zavragin’s development, and the Flyers are probably desperate to see the teenager excel after further Alexei Kolosov news came to light on Tuesday. And, while the Kolosov news may or may not be something the Flyers knew already, it leaves them one goaltender shorter in the organization.
The Flyers are already putting all their NHL eggs in the baskets of Sam Ersson and newcomer Ivan Fedotov, and who knows what the future holds for Zavragin and Carson Bjarnason? Outside of those four and Kolosov, that’s it for the Flyers in the system. No, really!
“With NHL, I don’t want to guess at all. How it turns out, it will turn out. In due time, everything will be visible,” Zavragin said of his NHL prospects in May. “Anyway, you will need to consult with everyone: both with the agent and with the trainers, and with parents. If I once go there, it will be a very thoughtful and balanced decision.”
Zavragin has a three-year contract with SKA that runs through the 2026-2027 season. His one-year loan to Sochi will be effective until May 31, 2025.
