One of the top available talents in the 2027 NHL Draft is off to a hot start in his KHL career.
Sergei Skvortsov, a left winger for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, scored his first KHL goal in his debut game in the league at just age 17 on Saturday. Skvortsov is widely projected to be a top-five pick in next summer’s draft, despite concerns about his slight 6-foot, 154-pound frame.
Sergei Skvortsov’s first KHL goal
Skvortsov scored the milestone tally with 2:08 remaining in the first period of Torpedo’s 1-0 shutout victory over Spartak Moscow. After picking up the puck behind Spartak’s net, Skvortsov attempted a pass to a teammate in the crease and got a lucky bounce off a defender and into the net.
According to RG’s Daria Tuboltseva, Skvortsov, who is 17 years and 178 days old, is the second-youngest Torpedo player ever to score in the KHL. He sits behind just New Jersey Devils prospect Anton Silayev, who scored when he was 17 years and 158 days old.
Skvortsov played the 2025-26 season exclusively with Torpedo’s junior MHL team, where he was an alternate captain and led the club in scoring with 43 points (19g, 24a) in 52 games as a 16-year-old. He then added 18 points (9g, 9a) in 17 playoff games.
The Semyonov, Russia native has drawn comparisons to Ilya Kovalchuk for his already well-rounded offensive game, lethal shot, and explosive speed.
Throughout the season, Skvortsov will battle names like Landon DuPont, Nazar Privalov, Carter Meyer, and Alexis Joseph to be selected at the top of the 2027 NHL Draft. DuPont, an incredibly talented right-shot defenseman set to play for the University of Michigan this year, has long been penciled in as the consensus number-one overall selection.
