The geo-political climate surrounding Russia has kept some of hockey’s biggest stars out of international tournaments like the Four Nations Face-Off, the World Junior Championships, and the Winter Olympics. Names like Ovechkin, Kaprizov, Panarin, Kucherov, Vasilevskiy — the list goes on. But what’s getting far less attention is how the same dynamics are impacting NHL Draft prospects.
From a handful of scouts we’ve spoken with, getting good views on Russian prospects has been getting more and more difficult over the past five years. First, there was the global pandemic that severely impacted travel. Then, more recently, it’s been the ongoing war with Ukraine. Many scouts felt they could probably get into Russia to watch live games. It was the idea of getting out that had them concerned.
Enter the Sunshine State of Florida and the creative mind of Dan Milstein, the most powerful agent in Russian hockey you’ve probably never heard of.
From a highly successful mortgage business, a role as a film producer, and work as an agent for many Russian hockey players. Milstein runs Gold Star brands, and their Sports Management division is far more than a typical agency.
If you’ve seen the award-winning film titled The Russian Five, he spent four years of his life helping bring that to life.
It’s not all about history; he and his entire team breathe hockey. So much so that over the past four years, Milstein’s group has had more players selected at the Draft than just about any other agency.
And part of their success is tied to an event taking place in Florida this weekend – one where all 32 teams will be well represented, but something virtually nobody is talking about. What makes it so unique and nearly the perfect secret is how it’s part showcase, part combine, and part matchmaker.
If there was ever a perfectly appropriate use of the ‘If You Know, You Know’ label, this just might be it. Nearly all of hockey’s power brokers will be there and/or be well represented.
“After 2022, Russians were either not invited or they couldn’t go to the Draft Combine for a little bit,” explained Milstein, when we asked about the origins of his event. “Going back to 2020 or 2021, I had gone to Russia with well over 10 different General Managers. One-on-one, we would go, we would eat, we would drink, we would talk to players and stuff like that. Scouts from North America, and GMs, they’d go to the top international tournaments — Five Nations, the U-18s and stuff like that. And then it just completely stopped. That’s when we had the idea to do our own combine here. The first year, I think we had over 20 teams. Now scouts from every team are coming, along with more than a dozen General Managers; even a few team Presidents too.”
For this weekend’s edition, more than 20 players eligible for the 2026 Draft are scheduled to participate – including several we’re projecting the Kings to possibly be interested in.
Over the course of four days, there will be on-ice sessions, off-ice workouts, and individual interviews set up with any team interested in specific players.
“NHL Central Scouting is coming, as well,” shared Milstein. “So Dan Marr [Director of NHL Scouting] is coming, and he’s going to measure the guys. There’ll be some medical testing done; we’re basically mimicking an actual, legitimate combine. But we add something very important — because at the combine, there’s no ice. At our event, we’re on the ice every day; with scouts and everyone there able to watch our guys.”
By comparison, Milstein’s group only sent four of their players to the traditional NHL Combine in Buffalo a few weeks ago. Those same four will be in Florida this weekend, along with a few dozen more. And to help them get a peek into what’s to come down the road, around 10 players who will be eligible for the 2027 and 2028 NHL Drafts will also participate in the showcase.
If that’s not enough, a small handful of Russian born players were previously selected by Montreal, Nashville, Florida and Carolina – including 2024 first rounder Yegor Surin – will be there to help show this year’s crop the ropes and help guide them into North American hockey.
“Surin was not projected to be a first-round pick, and when people saw him on ice, his stock went up quite a bit,” Milstein remarked, speaking to the success of this event in years past. “Same could be said about [Artyom] Levshunov, who went second overall the year prior. Same could be said about a number of other guys.”
During our discussion, Milstein was very open when explaining how the showcase often shapes what’s about to happen just a few weeks later.
“The fate of Ivan Demidov and Levshunov was largely decided in Florida back in 2024,” he stated. “The owner of Chicago, as well as their GM Kyle Davidson and many other members of the Blackhawks, came to our event. And this is where they interviewed both Levshunov and Demidov, and they had lunches and dinners with those guys. Then they decided, obviously, how the Draft was going to go.”
In a moment of brutal honesty, Milstein also revealed the weekend hasn’t always netted positive results.
“Igor Chernyshov was projected to be a mid-first-round pick a few years ago,” Milstein recalled. “A day before the showcase, I always take the guys out on a yacht. He was burnt to ashes [with a sunburn]. For the next five days, he did not leave his hotel room because he was hurting. It definitely didn’t help his stock.”
[ed. note: Chernyshov ended up being selected by San Jose early in the second round]
“Now we have the Igor Chernyshov Award — it will be handed out to whoever comes out the darkest this year after their day on the boat, or burnt or whatever,” Milstein said with a bit of a chuckle. “In fact, I was just talking to Mike Grier [Sharks GM], and he basically thanked me and he gave me another name for this year. I’m not gonna tell you which one, but he said, ‘Make sure this guy burns too.’ “
All jokes aside, this is an important weekend for all players involved.
“Some of my guys, like Gleb Pugachev and [Nikita] Shcherbakov, they have over 20 teams that have set up interviews with them,” Milstein shared. “[Dmitri] Borichev, he is my next Andrei Vasilevskiy of this Draft. He already has 24 teams that want to interview him. And the list goes on and on. Scouts and team executives love this atmosphere because it’s more relaxed. At the Combine, everybody’s packed — they can’t really get to know the players as well.”
So knowing how critical this weekend is when it comes to potentially shaping the future and possible fortunes of these young men, what bit of advice does Milstein give them before heading into the weekend?
“Don’t get burnt in the sun like Chernyshov.”
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