Yelesin at 4th or 5th is way too high. Guy still looked incredibly raw at development camp (small sample size in July, of course) and we have no idea how he'll translate to N.A. hockey. I doubt he'll come close to making the Flames, they have, what, eight defensemen ahead of him right now? Nine?
Being a KHL all-star is nice, but even most KHL all-stars aren't anywhere close to NHL talent. Jakub Nakladal was on Yelesin's all-star team this year, which should say a lot.
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2026 World Junior Pool Champion
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