Injuries have derailed what was supposed to be a full developmental season in the KHL during the 2024-25 season, but Rykov made the most of what is left in the regular season. Rykov’s anticipation and IQ allow him to be an effective KHL player, even though he lacks dynamic abilities or high-end skating. As well, his responsibility in his own zone makes him a candidate to be a penalty killer at the NHL level. The tools are there for Rykov to be an effective bottom-six NHL player, but it is a fair question to ask if the tools can be translated to North American ice. The 20-year-old forward is playing in the Kontinental Hockey League during the 2025-26 season for Traktor Chelyabinsk.

What a year it was for Alexander Rykov, setting career highs in basically every single category. Playing the majority of the year with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, Rykov had 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points in 29 games. He also spent some time with the VHL affiliate, Chelmet Chelyabinsk, for whom he had 8 goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 27 games. The goal total in the KHL surprises some since Rykov is known more as a playmaker first before a sniper, which is intriguing. Rykov is signed with Traktor until the end of the 2024/25 season, but after that, it’s unknown whether he will come to North America or stay in Russia.

Rykov was selected at pick 100 by the Hurricanes.

Rykov enjoyed a very nice draft season playing 20 games in the VHL, the second-tier professional league in Russia, producing 4 goals and 7 assists in that span, before being shut down the final couple months of the season with an injury. He started out playing a very reserved game trying not to make too many mistakes in his first few games against men but eventually adjusted quite nicely to the pace of the VHL. He has average tools and average size but doesn’t have many holes in his game. A July birthday makes him one of the younger players in this draft, which means he could have more physical development still to come compared to others. He projects as a reliable, yet hard-working bottom 6 player with a bit of skill.

Alexander Rykov is one of the younger players in this draft with a mid-July 2005 birthday, but that doesn’t stop him from being one of the more mature and responsible players in this draft. He’s used his mature game to mostly bypass junior hockey this season and play the majority of his games in the Russian tier two men’s professional league, the VHL. Throughout the season, it’s been refreshing to see the improvement in his game from his first few games to his most recent VHL games.

One thing that stands out with Rykov is his desire to hunt for the puck. Whether it’s chasing a loose puck or trying to strip an opposing player of the puck, his motor is going at 100% all the time. He takes good angles to the puck, uses leverage (at times) to win battles, and will ramp up his speed to beat his opponent in a race to the puck. With general strength and skating development expected over the next few years, he could be a real nuisance to play against.

Rykov doesn’t just play well away from the puck when in pursuit or defending, he’s also a good off-puck player on offense. Rykov has a natural ability to find soft spots in defensive coverage and get open for centering passes. He does this both in the middle of the ice and down around the net, which puts him in good situations to act as the finisher on his line. His shot is just okay for now, and will require work if he’s going to play as a finisher vs. a creator or connector. Rykov’s skating is solid and doesn’t look too out of place when compared to his VHL peers. He does lack the required knee bend required, and isn’t the most creative skater, especially when he carries the puck.

Rykov’s biggest weaknesses are his vision and creativity when the puck is on his stick. Early in the season, he severely lacked pace carrying the puck, but this was mainly due to the pro game being too much for him. As the season has gone on, this has improved a lot. The game has gotten slower inside his head, which means he’s able to act more quickly and decisively. Still, there are other weaknesses when the puck is on his stick. Rykov really doesn’t use much deception to manipulate defenders and often has one track he wants to take to the net. This makes it fairly easy to defend against him when he’s carrying the puck. Another issue is he gets tunnel vision and doesn’t see teammates who are open, instead skating the puck into defensive coverage killing the play. This hasn’t really been much of an issue at the junior level, but has been in the VHL, which makes me think a lot of this will be corrected and ironed out with more experience. If Rykov had played the whole season in the MHL (only six games so far), I don’t think it would have shown up much.

Overall, Rykov plays a very projectable game. He’s an advanced defensive forward with a knack for winning puck battles and taking the puck away. He plays with excellent effort and a good stick to defend. Currently, Rykov is limited to being a finisher on offense, as the playmaking and deception haven’t translated to the pro level just yet. Still, he’s a solid skater and appears to have the work ethic required to improve on his weaknesses. The overall maturity in his game and improvement from the start of the season to now lead me to believe he’s far from a finished project. With proper development over the next few years, I could see Rykov playing as a two-way impact middle-6 winger, who can be tasked with playing against the other team’s better players, while still chipping in some secondary scoring of his own.