Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov terminates contract with KHL team

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Graham Montgomery
August 1, 2024 (9:35 PM)

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Sharks prospect Igor Chernyshov has elected to terminate his contract with his KHL club in order to play in North America next season.

Shortly after the announcement was made, NHL agent Dan Milstein, who represents Chernyshov, revealed that the young forward has signed a standard, three-year, entry level contract with the Sharks. Chernyshov was expected to go in the fist round by most NHL scouts, but somehow fell to the Sharks, who selected him with the first pick on the second day of the draft.

Congratulations to Igor Chernyshov (2024 NHL Draft 33 overall pick) on signing a 3-Year Entry Level Contract with the San Jose #SJSharks ! #WeAreGoldStar!

Chernyshov was immediately considered to be one of the biggest steals of the draft. Many public scouts had him ranked as high as the teens. Even Elite Prospects had him ranked 19th. Some teams may have been concerned about the Russian factor, but clearly those concerns were overblown as he has already agreed to come to California.

Igor Chernyshov falling to 33rd overall makes less and less sense as the days go by.

Another incredible pull by the Sharkies!

Many scouts thought that Chernyshov was the second best Russian in the draft class, only behind Ivan Demidov, who went 5th overall to the Montreal Canadiens. His numbers were not particularly impressive with just 4 points in 34 KHL games, but he demonstrated a solid two-way game and was largely used in a defensive role, limiting his opportunities to create offense. When he did get a chance though, he showed off a lot of skill and finishing ability.

Ivan Demidov is the big name out of Russia this year, but don't sleep on Igor Chernyshov.

A 6-2 finisher who saw KHL action at 16.

He's got juice.

Chernyshov joins a growing Sharks prospect pool that has become one of the best in the entire NHL. Hopefully, he will be a part of the solution for the Sharks as they look to become competitive again in the coming years. He is considered to be close to NHL-ready, so perhaps he could make an impact as soon as this season.

Source: BladeofSteel
Russian prospect terminates KHL contract, heading to North America

Source: EliteProspects
Igor Chernyshov Statistics