Borichev was selected by the Nashville Predators in the 3rd round (70th) of the 2026 NHL Draft.

Borichev spent his draft year as the starter for Loko-76 Yaroslavl in the MHL, Lokomotiv’s junior affiliate, and posted a 2.25 GAA and .929 save percentage across 24 games. At 6-3 and close to 200 pounds he already has NHL size, but the appeal isn’t the frame. He tracks pucks through traffic as well as any goalie in the class, sets his depth early, and saves with positioning rather than scrambling across the crease. The glove is a real weapon. NHL Central Scouting slotted him first among European goalies, and Elite Prospects has carried him inside its top 30, rare air for a netminder. The honest concern is competition: he has feasted on MHL shooters and hasn’t faced men or top international forwards on any regular basis, so the projection rests on tools more than results. For fantasy, a goalie this far from the NHL is a long-horizon stash, not a near-term asset, and the development runway inside the Russian system adds years. If the technical refinements take and he wins a KHL job, the ceiling is a starter; the realistic middle outcome is an NHL backup, or a goalie who needs his mid-20s to arrive.