Avalanche goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov bids farewell to KHL, headed to USA

Colorado's goaltending is set for now, but top prospect Ilya Nabokov just said goodbye to the KHL and is headed to North America to begin his next chapter

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

May 6, 2026, 1:17 PM

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The Colorado Avalanche have their goaltending figured out right now. Scott Wedgewood, who led the NHL with a .921 save percentage and a 2.02 goals-against average during the regular season, has been Colorado’s playoff rock as the Avs take a 2-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Mackenzie Blackwood, signed through the 2029-30 season, remains the franchise cornerstone between the pipes.

But half a world away, the next chapter of the Avalanche’s goaltending future just began.

Ilya Nabokov, Colorado’s top-rated goaltending prospect, announced this week that his time with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL is over after Metallurg was eliminated in five games by HC Ak Bars Kazan in the KHL playoffs.

“That was my last game for Metallurg. The club where I grew up, studied, took my first steps in adult hockey, became a champion, experienced difficult defeats and enjoyed great victories,” Nabokov wrote on his Telegram channel. “Metallurg is not just a team for me. That’s half of my 24-year life. … There is a new stage ahead. I go into it with gratitude and interest. We’ll see you again.”

The Denver Gazette’s Evan Rawal reported that the “original plan” was always for Nabokov to come to North America at the conclusion of his KHL season.

Even if Nabokov doesn’t see game action this spring — with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs — there is value in simply getting the 23-year-old acclimated to the coaching staff, the rink dimensions and daily life in a new country.

Nabokov, a second-round pick by the Avalanche, No. 38 overall, in the 2024 NHL draft, was the highest goaltender selected in that draft class. He signed a two-year entry-level contract with Colorado in May 2025 and was immediately loaned back to Metallurg for the 2025-26 season.

The KHL campaign was, statistically, Nabokov’s worst. He posted a 22-7-5 record with a .901 save percentage and a 2.74 GAA in 38 games, splitting time with teammate Alexander Smolin. In the playoffs, he appeared in seven games and finished with a 2-4-0 record, a .892 save percentage and a 2.53 GAA.

Still, context matters. A “down” year in one of the world’s top professional leagues that still includes 20-plus wins, a save percentage above .900 and a GAA under 3.00 is hardly a disaster for a 23-year-old — even if it pales next to his rookie campaign, when Nabokov went 23-13-3 with a .930 save percentage and won KHL Rookie of the Year honors.

He was even better in the 2024 KHL playoffs, posting a .942 save percentage in 23 games and becoming the youngest goaltender to win playoff MVP honors as Metallurg captured the Gagarin Cup.

Reports indicate Nabokov has also been altering his style to better suit North American goaltending, a factor that may have contributed to the statistical dip this season.

The Avalanche’s goaltending depth chart at the AHL level presents an interesting logjam. Nabokov, Isak Posch (24) and Trent Miner (25) will all be in the final season of their deals next year before becoming restricted free agents. Wedgewood will also be in the last year of his contract.

At the NHL level, the Avalanche’s goaltending picture has clarity in the short term but questions beyond that. Blackwood is locked up long-term. Wedgewood, who turns 34 in August, has taken over as the team’s starter, for now.

Should Wedgewood test the market after his late-career blossom, Nabokov represents the organization’s most intriguing long-term option in net.

Scouting outlets agree. Sportsnet ranked Nabokov No. 23 among the top prospects not yet in the NHL in April.

For now, the immediate priority is simple: get Nabokov to Colorado, introduce him to the organization’s development staff and let him settle into a new country and a new language.

The Stanley Cup dreams belong to Wedgewood and Blackwood this spring. But the future in net for the Avalanche is on its way to Loveland.