By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Every year, every team is looking to land the steal of the draft. When all 32 teams in the National Hockey League step up to the podium, they’re hoping they find the one player that everyone else has undervalued. This year, that player might just be Nikita Klepov.
A dual citizen of the United States and Russia, Klepov made the switch to the Ontario Hockey League this season, after spending the previous year with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League, and it paid off big time for him. Klepov won the Eddie Powers Trophy for the most points in the OHL, as well as the Emms Family Award for the OHL’s Rookie of the Year. You’d think that’d be enough for him to be in the top 10 conversation, but there’s some debate as to whether he’ll even be a 1st round pick at all.
Background
Position: Left-shot Forward
Birthdate: June 27th, 2008
Hometown: Deerfield Beach, Florida
Height and Weight: 6’0″, 181lbs
2025-2026 Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
2025-2026 Stats: 67 games played, 37 goals, 60 assists, 97 points, 43 penalty minutes, +9 rating.
NCAA Commitment: Michigan State University (Big Ten)
Where is He Ranked?
EliteProspects.com: 18th
Craig Button/TSN: 20th
NHL Central Scouting (North American Skaters): 8th
DailyFaceoff: 19th
Sportsnet/Cosentino: 15th
Sportsnet/Bukala: 13th
Profile and Highlights
When watching film of him, Klepov’s vision and patience with the puck stand out right away. Whether it’s by disguising a pass by looking off a defender or spinning away from one to open up a lane to a teammate, Klepov is incredibly creative in the offensive zone.
On the power play, Klepov is very comfortable on his off-wing. He’s able to generate one-timers for himself, but he’s also able to split the seam and thread the needle to teammates. He doesn’t force passes that aren’t there, and is content to hold onto the puck if nobodies open, and a penalty killer isn’t aggressively pressuring him.
Klepov has the talent to be a top-six forward in the NHL. The question will be, that while he isn’t small by any means, will he be able to get to the inside in the NHL, or will he be a perimeter player? If he’s able to figure out how to get inside, like he has been in the OHL, he will be in the NHL for a long time.
Why Klepov Makes Sense for the Bruins
The Bruins need more skill. Cam Neely acknowledged this at the Bruins’ end-of-season press conference. It’s hard to imagine that there will be a more skilled player available than Klepov at #23. There are some concerns about how Klepov’s game might translate to the pros, but that’s true of the vast majority of prospects. At the end of the day, it’s not often that you’d get a chance to select a 17-year-old kid who lead the OHL in scoring as a rookie in the later stages of the first round.
Why the Bruins Might Go Elsewhere
Again, everybody knows how barren the Bruins’ prospect pipeline is on the defensive side. The team has a variety of solid forward prospects, such as James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, Will Zellers, and Cooper Simpson, but they are definitely lacking on the defensive side. It’s not hard to see a world where the Bruins pass on Klepov for a defenseman.
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