Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2021 Top 25 Under 25, No. T-24: Ivan Fedotov

No. 25: Ivan Fedotov

2020-21 League/Team(s): Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL)
2020-21 Statistics: 14-7-3, 2.21 GAA, .925 SV% in 26 GP
Age: 24
Acquired In: 2015 (NHL Draft)
Ranking in Spring 2020 25 Under 25: n/a

How did Fedotov’s 2020-21 hockey season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?

Fedotov had his second straight plus season as a goalie in the KHL — generally considered the second-best hockey league in the world — and as such it looks like he’s trending in the right direction. It’s been a slow path to prospect relevance for Fedotov, which is maybe not shocking given that he was a seventh-round pick from 2015, but he’s established himself as, at worst, a good timeshare goalie in the KHL. He’s in the jumble of Flyers goalie prospects other than Carter Hart that could someday get a shot, and while that’s not exactly ringing praise for a soon-to-be-25-year-old, he’s certainly pronounced himself here more than he had two or three years ago.

What are we expecting from him this season? What should we be looking for from him?

Well, Fedotov’s season has actually already started, and it’s off to a good one — as of this writing, he’s only allowed 3 goals in 3 games with CSKA Moscow, and has a .969 save percentage. My guess is that’s not going to continue indefinitely, but hopefully it’s the start of more good things to come. This is his third straight season in at least a timeshare role in the KHL, and the expectation if he still has designs on the NHL is that it should be his best one yet. It would be ideal to see him really grab the reins with Moscow and excel while getting a majority of the starts, which still hasn’t really happened yet even with his successes in limited time.

How does Fedotov fit into the Flyers’ long-term plans? Where does he stand in the Flyers’ organizational depth?

It’s tough to say where Fedotov stands in the long-term organizational goalie depth the Flyers have. You would think that he’s behind at least Felix Sandstrom and Kirill Ustimenko, both of whom are currently playing for the Flyers’ minor-league affiliates in North America, but … is he, really? Sandstrom’s stock in the organization does not seem to be trending upward, and you could probably flip a coin between Fedotov and Ustimenko, who was solid for Reading in the ECHL last year. Fedotov does, however, probably sit behind Samuel Ersson (who we’ll get to later in this series) in the Flyers’ Potential Goalie Of The Future (Non-Carter Hart Edition) Rankings, and it’ll take a really strong year in the KHL for him to get much attention from this fanbase. Even so, the Flyers have his NHL rights indefinitely, so if there’s ever mutual interest in him coming across the pond, there’ll be an opportunity.

What do we think Fedotov’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Given that he’s a bit of a late bloomer, it seems overly optimistic to think the ceiling is real high here. He’s in his third year in the KHL and has been solid, but it doesn’t seem like there’s a future star here. Nonetheless, he’s held his own in the KHL; it’s possible that there’s NHL backup-level upside here. Whether that’s of appeal to him is anyone’s guess; it’s possible he’d prefer just staying home if the path to a starter’s job in the NHL isn’t really there. All in all, you probably have to squint to see a future where Fedotov is playing for the Flyers, but it’s within the realm of possibility, and that’s about as much as you can ask for at this point from a seventh-round pick.

Anything else?

He’s very tall.

How We Voted: Ivan Fedotov

How We Voted: No. 25

Previously in Flyers Summer 2021 Top 25 Under 25:

• Introduction/