New York Islanders prospect Daniil Prokhorov has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the KHL’s Dynamo Moscow.
The 18-year-old second-round pick (No. 45) by the Islanders in June was with Dynamo on a Professional Tryout, which expired on Friday.
So, what does this new deal mean for Prokhorov?
The Russian forward, who had played the last two seasons in the MHL, a junior league in Russia, had several options for where to play during the 2025-26 season.
He could have played in the MHL again. He could have signed with a KHL team or, after being selected by the OHL’s Sarnia Sting in the second round of the 2025 CHL import Draft, he could have come over to North America.
There was a strong belief that Prokhorov would be coming to Sarnia, but it was also a bit of a shock to see him, at such a young age, with no VHL experience (KHL’s AHL), get the PTO opportunity.
Here’s what Dynamo’s head coach Alexey Kudashov had to say about Prokhorov (translated):
“Everything is going fine. Some of them played matches in the youth team, and some are playing for Dynamo Saint Petersburg. Everyone is in the squad, everyone is preparing, and everyone is in good shape. The question is whether someone will need a little more time, like, for example, Prokhorov. He is a very young guy and is only taking his first steps in adult hockey. It so happened that he practically did not play in the VHL. Everything is new for him now. All the players are ready; the only question is when the dream will start to be realized.” (H/t Dynamo Website)
Due to his role on the PTO as a fourth liner and 13th forward, it is likely that Prokhorov plays a majority of this season, at least, in the VHL. Perhaps next year, he can secure a spot on a KHL team.
Once his contract comes to an end — that would be following the 2026-27 season — Prokhorov will have a choice to come over and join the Islanders organization or stay in Russia.
If Prokhorov does choose to come over, he’ll be 20 and eligible to play in the AHL.
There are ways for players to get out of contracts. Still, the expectation is that he’ll be in Russia for the next two seasons and hopefully, if his development goes well, prove to be a valuable prospect and potentially one of the steals of the 2025 NHL Draft.
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