The future of the Battle of New York will also be the battle of two Russian goalie phenoms.  Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin are considered to be among the NHL’s best goalie prospects.  Seeing both of them face off against each other for years to come can help revive the epic rivalry.

New York Islanders: Ilya Sorokin

Islanders fans are hoping to see the talented Ilya Sorokin in 2020-2021.  The native of Mezhdurechensk in south central Russia was selected 78th overall in the 2014 NHL draft.
In nine seasons in the KHL, the 24-year-old goalie was among the league’s best.  In 2015-2016, he posted a 17-7-4 record.  That’s good enough on its own, but his .953 SV% and 1.06 GAA that year make it unbelievable.  It’s obvious why he was that season’s goalie of the year.
In fact, after starting play with CSKA Moscow in 2014-2015, his worst GAA over a single season was 1.50.  He was terrific in the 2020 KHL playoffs (before they were cancelled due to COVID-19). He was 4-0-0 with a 0.73 GAA and .966 SV%.  Last season, he won the Gagarin Cup and was named playoff MVP.

In 2017, Sorokin signed a three-year deal to stay in the KHL.  SNY reported then that the Islanders were hoping he would join them after the 2017-2018 season when his original contract expired.
At that time, it still looked like Linus Soderstrom was still the better of the two Islanders goalie prospects.  He has struggled since coming to America, bouncing between the AHL and ECHL.  Injuries didn’t make things easier for the Swedish netminder.
So the Isles kept tabs on their Russian stud.  They signed Russian Semyon Varlamov over fan favorite Robin Lehner.  Isles GM Lou Lamoriello said he had been trying to trade for Varlamov since he arrived in New York.  When things didn’t work out with Lehner, he made his move.
Amid the signing were reports that said that Varlamov was a role model for Sorokin.  Playing on the same team as your role model?  Sign me up!  Lo and behold, Sorokin has stated his intentions to sign with the Islanders for the 2020-2021 season.
With Thomas Greiss’ contract expiring after the season, it looks like the two Russian comrades will man the Isles’ crease next season.

Scouting Report

There is high praise for Sorokin.  Dobberprospects.com referred to him as a “young Sergei Bobrovsky,” referring to his excellent pushes and reflexes.  In February 2020, Mark Allan said he was “the best goaltender not in the NHL.”
KHL highlights are are hard to come by, but we’ve seen some incredible saves from Sorokin’s time in Russia.  He is incredibly flexible, and he uses that to make strong pushes across his crease.  He also has superior reflexes, with many desperation saves to prove it.

Despite this, the Islanders reportedly tried to trade Sorokin’s rights earlier this year.  False rumors swirled in February that the Islanders traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks.  Still, it looks like he’ll sign with the Islanders before next season.

New York Rangers: Igor Shesterkin

Later in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, the Rangers selected Igor Shesterkin 118th overall.
Shesterkin’s KHL numbers weren’t Sorokin’s, but the latter set the bar pretty high.  He had at least 20 wins in his last three KHL seasons.  His peripherals were also impressive in those three seasons, with a GAA below 2.00 and SV% above .930.
This season, he made the proverbial jump to North America.  With Henrik Lundqvist and Alexandar Georgiev already having jobs in the NHL, Shesterkin started the season with Hartford in the AHL.  The transition was seamless.  He had a 17-4-3 record with a .934 SV% and 1.90 GAA.
Then in January, he got his shot on Broadway, and the fans loved it.  In no time they were chanting “Igor” “Igor!”  As a hockey fan, it was sad to see King Henrik be robbed of his job in broad daylight.

But it was time for a changing of the guards.  Lundqvist, now 38, ended the season with 10-12-3 with a .905 SV% and 3.38 GAA.  Both of those numbers have been trending in the wrong direction since the 2014-2015 season.
Shesterkin had the AHL numbers to warrant a call up, and he excelled in his first NHL season.  He had a 10-2-0 record with a 2.52 GAA and .932 SV%.

Scouting Report

His arrival at the NHL level has allowed NHL analysts to understand why Shesterkin is having so much success.
Steve Valiquette broke down some great plays from Shesterkin.  He mentioned that he “closes” on pucks.
In cross crease situations, he will move both side to side and forward to muffle the shot.  He does the same things on rebounds.  He moves in the same direction as the puck moves off his body so that when the rebound is close, he is able to cover the puck and force a faceoff.  These qualities are great to see in a young goaltender.

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.