The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by members of the Die By The Blade community. It was a combination of staff writers and over 200 readers that ranked Buffalo Sabres players under the age of 25 as of August 1, 2023. Each participant used their own metric of current ability and production to rank each player. Staff votes counted equally with reader votes.
Prokhor Poltapov
Drafted: 2021 – 2nd Round (33rd Overall)
Position: Right Wing
Born: February 1st, 2003 – 20 Years Old
2022-2023 stats: KHL – 56 GP – 5-5-10, Playoffs – 19 GP – 2-3-5 / VHL – 3 GP – 0-1-1 / MHL – 2 GP – 1-0-1
2022 T25U25 Ranking: Not ranked in the Top 25
Kevyn Adams turned some heads in 2021 when he drafted Prokhol Poltapov with the first pick in the second round. Poltapov was the first Russian player selected by Buffalo since 7th rounder Vasili Glotov in 2016. Since his draft year, Poltapov has earned a full-time role in the KHL and won the Gagarin Cup with CSKA Moscow this past season.
Poltapov has quick feet and slick hands. More importantly, he utilizes his skill to attack the center of the ice to create offense. He’s not afraid to go into the dirty areas and is a formidable forechecker. See a couple of examples from this past season:
As the playoffs wore on, he continued to earn a larger role. Even showing some flashes of pure dominance:
As he enters his second full season with CSKA Moscow, Poltapov will be looking to step into a bigger role with the defending KHL champions. In a July interview, he seemed eager for the added responsibility and has increased the intensity of his offseason workouts. See the full quote below courtesy of Kris Baker:
Poltapov’s KHL contract goes until 2025, giving him a minimum of two more years of seasoning in the 2nd best league in the world. This works to the Sabres advantage as they will likely have an NHL contributor on an entry level deal when they are able to sign him. This can help a contending team inject youth into the lineup without needing to play cap gymnastics to fit everyone. There is always a risk that Russian players will remain in the KHL, but Adams has proven successful in the past couple of years in signing his Russian draftees (Neuchev, Kisakov, Novikov). If Poltapov can improve his consistency and increase his strength, Buffalo may have an exciting middle six forward on their hands.