The Pittsburgh Penguins had long ago traded away picks in the fourth or fifth rounds at the 2026 NHL Draft, but traded back into each round Saturday. In the fifth round, the Penguins traded up to select Belarusian goalie Matvei Nikonovich from the Ladia Togliatti of the MHL.
Nikonovich will turn 18 on Sunday, one day after his selection. The Penguins traded their 2028 fifth-round pick to the Nashville Predators in exchange for the 160th overall pick (fifth round).
“He was essentially a red-star player by (Director of goaltending) Jon Elkin,” said Penguins vice president of player personnel Wes Clark. “He was high on (Elkin’s) board, and we knew there was a chance he’d be available late.”
Nikonovich has better than average size at 6-foot-2, 187 pounds. In 38 regular-season games in the MHL, he posted an impressive .939 save percentage and 1.96 goals against average. However, he was lit up in a pair of playoff games, posting a GAA over 10 and a .750 save percentage.
The Penguins’ Russian scouts have had recent success in the mid rounds, selecting goalie Sergei Murashov with a fourth-round pick in 2022 and slick forward Mikhail Ilyin, who made his North American debut in April with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, with the fifth-round pick in 2023.
The Elite Prospects scouting report shows him to be an athletic goalie with powerful movements and a good blocker.
Tags: 2026 NHL draft matvei Nikonovich Penguins draft Pittsburgh Penguins
Categorized:2026 NHL Draft Pittsburgh Penguins