The Roman Candle: The Blackhawks Next Russian Sensation

August 16 | Author: Andrew Nolan

The 2023 NHL Draft was a statement draft for the Chicago Blackhawks and may be their most

influential one yet. The highlight of course being number one overall draft pick Connor Bedard,

but has also featured nice stories in 1st rounder Oliver Moore who helped the USA U-20 team to

consecutive gold medals in the World Junior Championships and 3rd rounder Nick Lardis who

just recently had one of the most impressive OHL seasons in recent memory tallying 71 goals in

65 regular season games and adding another 11 in the 7 playoff games he featured in.

The 44th overall draft pick selected by the Blackhawks might be the most impressive

non-Bedard pick that GM Kyle Davidson has made. 5 foot 9 inch Roman Kantserov doesn’t

seem like the most impressive on paper due to his small stature, yet all Kantserov has done

over in Russia is dominate the competition. Playing for his local hockey club of Magnitogorsk

(which spans from the U-16 team all the way to the KHL) Roman has become a rising superstar

in his hometown that more people need to pay attention to this season.

(Photo: Brian Babineau / NHLI via Getty Images)

His seasons in the MHL (Russian junior league) with Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk during 2021-22

and 2022-23 were remarkable for a 17/18 year old playing against such tough competition. He

produced 101 points in 100 games over these two seasons which included a draft year statline

of 27 Goals and 27 Assists in just 45 games played. This led the team in points and put him top

10 in the league in points despite playing in fewer games than others in the top 10. When you

put it into a different perspective, Roman ranked 5th in the MHL in 2023 in PPG (points per

game) (minimum 40 games played)

After the Blackhawks had selected him in Nashville, he suffered a bit of a down year in his first

full regular season for Magnitogorsk of the KHL. As an 18 year old rookie in the Russian top

league he struggled as he only put up 8 Goals and 7 Assists in 53 games in a sheltered role.

This did not stop him from becoming a frequent contributor to the statsheet when the time

counted. During the course of the KHL postseason Roman put up 4 goals and 9 assists in a 23

game campaign that culminated with Magnitogorsk winning the 2024 Gagarin Cup, the

franchise’s 3rd of its kind. To make it even more impressive in this run for Kantserov, he was tied

for the lead in game winning goals in the postseason with 3. He was the youngest player in the

postseason’s top 10 points leaders, outmatching his teammate and 2022 1st Round draft pick of

the Minnesota Wild, Danila Yurov.

Photo credits: Yury Kuzmin

After an offseason shoulder surgery that would keep him out from the season’s start on

September 3rd, until October 21st, Kantserov picked up right where he left off in his

championship campaign. He tallied 13 goals and 25 assists in just 47 games played in the

2024-25 season which placed him at the top of the KHL under 21 leaderboard in points per

game (0.81 points per game). This was even more impressive considering the fact that he

narrowly edged out 2024 5th overall pick of the Montreal Canadiens, Ivan Demidov (0.75 points

per game).

Roman looks to the 2025-26 KHL season as his potentially last one in the KHL before he signs

his Entry-Level contract with the Blackhawks. His KHL contract ends June 1st, 2026 but with the

example of Demidov and the Canadiens last season getting out of that June 1st contract date

early (April 8th), or Kantserov’s dear friend Danila Yurov (May 16th) and the Minnesota Wild, we

could see Kantserov sooner than expected. The last season of his current contract seems to be

an exciting one. The previous Right Winger has been put into action at center during the KHL

preseason, and recorded 2 assists in his first game under the new role vs Dinamo Minsk on

August 15th.

To say this author is excited for Kantserov to come over to the NHL would be an understatement

and the feeling is mutual with Roman. Someone who is underlooked in the prospect system by

many due to the time difference between Chicago and Magnitogorsk, should be put on many

people’s radars if they have not already. I have personally ranked him as the 2nd highest (4th

overall) prospect not to debut for the Blackhawks yet only behind 2025 3rd overall selection

Anton Frondell. The eager Blackhawks prospect is excited for his new role this season and even

more excited for his future home in Chicago.

Photo credits: Dmitry Loshkarev