If the Calgary Flames had waited any longer, they weren’t going to get their guy. Read More
The Flames believe that goalie prospect Kirill Zarubin has ‘a bright future ahead of him.’ How soon could he pay his first visit to Calgary?
The Flames believe that goalie prospect Kirill Zarubin has ‘a bright future ahead of him.’ How soon could he pay his first visit to Calgary?
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If the Calgary Flames had waited any longer, they weren’t going to get their guy.
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That was the feedback that Jordan Sigalet, the Flames director of goaltending, received from his counterparts around the league after selecting Russian netminder Kirill Zarubin with the No. 84 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
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“You get the text messages right after — ’Screw you, we were taking him next!’” Sigalet said with a chuckle. “So then you feel kind of relieved.
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“There were a lot of people that were hoping he was going to slip to the fourth round. I’ve heard a couple teams were going to take him with their next pick in the third round. So I think we got him at the right time.
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“We think we have a really, really good goalie with a bright future ahead of him.”
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And now comes the patience part.
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It’s worth noting that the Flames have not often drafted a twine-minder as early as the third round, especially not of late, so they clearly believe that Zarubin has major upside.
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Many consider him to be Calgary’s most promising puck-stopping prospect, a candidate to someday be Dustin Wolf’s sidekick/understudy at Scotia Place, but even the most optimistic projections would put him a few years away.
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Adding to the intrigue is that there’s a measure of mystery with this 19-year-old masked man.
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Flames fans have been scouring social media for highlight clips, but those can be hard to find.
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While Zarubin is studying English, a sign he is serious about a sooner-than-later move to North America, he isn’t ready for interview requests just yet.
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With the current advisories against travel to Russia, Sigalet wasn’t able to attend any of his games this winter with AKM Tula in the junior-level MHL, although he didn’t miss a single start on the online stream. Since Zarubin will remain with the same organization for another season, it will be a similar setup in the coming months.
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If he is able to secure a visitor visa, Zarubin hopes to attend development camp this summer. That would mark his first trip to Calgary and he’d likely be surprised by how many folks will show up to watch him practise with the other future pieces.
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“His maturity, both physically and mentally, it’s far beyond his age,” Sigalet said of Zarubin, who is 6-foot-3, roughly 200 pounds and turns 20 in September. “He’s big. He’s smart. He’s very, very patient. And he has mature details for a 19-year-old. He’s very calm, very composed. But when he has to get uncomfortable, he can move. He can get to his spots.