Name: Stepan Shurygin
Drafted: Sixth Round, 186th overall
Bio: 18-years-old, Samara, Russia, 6’3″, 207 lbs.
Position: Goaltender
2025-26 Team: Saginaw Spirit
After a solid season with MHK Molot Perm in the MHL where he posted a .904 SV% and 2.74 GAA in 44 games, Stepan Shurygin crossed over and manned the nets for the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL after being drafted in the second round of the CHL Import Draft.
It was a busy season for Shurygin as he appeared in 59 regular-season games for the Spirit. The numbers weren’t impressive as he had a 3.79 GAA and .888 SV% as Saginaw made the playoffs but were swept by Sam O’Reilly and the Kitchener Rangers. He’ll be back in the OHL this season as a 19-year-old, and it could be a big season for him as he is now more familiar with North American hockey and lifestyle.
Shurygin is a big, athletic goaltender who doesn’t mind playing at the top of the crease. In some ways, his highlights are reminiscent of Jakub Dobes. He can drop down low and cover the ice with his flexibility and long legs. Athleticism can’t be taught, and he has more than enough to be successful in the crease.
When he’s on his game, he can be dominant. However, when he’s a little off, he’s a lot off. There are some concerns with his puck tracking, especially on second chance or deflected opportunities. He relies a little too much on his athleticism to bail him out of situations and that gets him into trouble.
Finding a way to temper the athleticism and becoming more efficient with his movements will go a long way to helping him find his next step. Sharing some ice with, and getting pointers from, one of the most efficient goaltenders in the NHL in Andrei Vasilevskiy should help out quite a bit.
There is a lot of raw skill in the crease with Shurygin, and with the proper coaching he could develop into an organizational goaltender. Is he a future number one netminder at the NHL level? Well, anything is possible, but a lot of things would have to break right for him. The good news is that the Lightning don’t have a lot of goaltending prospects ahead of him on the depth chart right now.
