PensBurgh’s 2026 edition of the Top 25 Under 25 countdown rolls on with a look at goaltending prospect Sergei Murashov.
Catch up on the previous entries for this year:
Pensburgh Top 25 Under 25: Graduates and Departed players in 2025
Top 25 Under 25: The best of the rest
#25: Chase Pietila, D
#24: Ryan Miller, F
#23: Finn Harding, D
#22: Peyton Kettles, D
#21: Zam Plante, F
#21 (bonus): Brady Peddle, D
#20: Melvin Fernstrom, F
#19: Tanner Howe, F
#18: Tomas Galvas, D
#17: Pierce Mbuyi, F
#16: Jake Livanavage, D
#15: Owen Pickering, D
#14: Tristan Broz, F
#13: Avery Hayes, F
#12: Ville Koivunen, F
#11: Hendrix Lapierre, F
#10: Markus Ruck, F
#9: Mikhail Ilyin, F
#8: Joel Blomqvist, G
#7: Liam Ruck, F
#6: Will Horcoff, F
#5: Bill Zonnon, F
#4: Rutger McGroarty, F
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#3: Sergei Murashov
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Acquired Via: 2022 NHL draft; fourth round, 118th overall
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Height/Weight: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds
Elite Prospects resume:
Sergei Murashov’s career statistics. | EliteProspects
Sergei Murashov’s 2025-26 season provided both him and Penguins fans an appetizer to what could be the main course in 2026-27.
Murashov entered the 2025 preseason with an outside chance of making the NHL roster, going 2-0-1 in three preseason appearances with a 1.72 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
His preseason performance surely reinforced the belief that he could eventually become Pittsburgh’s goaltender of the future. But that time had not yet arrived. Murashov was assigned to the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Oct. 4.
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In northeastern Pennsylvania, Murashov opened the AHL season by playing in seven games, earning a 5-2-0 record to go with a sparkling 1.73 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and one shutout.
An injury to Tristan Jarry turned into an opportunity for Murashov. He was called up for five NHL games in early November after Jarry was placed on injured reserve.
He made his NHL debut on Nov. 9, saving 31 of 33 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
A week later, Murashov notched his first career NHL win and shutout in a 4-0 victory against the Nashville Predators in Stockholm, Sweden, on Nov. 16.
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Murashov was returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 26 after Jarry was cleared to return. The 22-year-old would remain in the AHL for the remainder of the season, save for one emergency recall on Dec. 13.
Over that brief November cameo, Murashov posted a 1-1-2 record, a 2.56 goals-against average, an .897 save percentage and one shutout.
His NHL sample wasn’t flawless, but these numbers aren’t enough to draw firm conclusions about his ability to translate his AHL success to the NHL.
The bulk of Murashov’s season was spent platooning with fellow goaltending prospect Joel Blomqvist. The Yaroslavl native finished the regular season with a 24-9-4 AHL record, a 2.20 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage, earning an AHL All-Star nod and being named to the AHL’s All-Rookie team.
Murashov’s rise also came at the expense of Blomqvist. Their proximity in the AHL made the comparison inevitable, and Murashov’s stronger regular-season numbers and NHL opportunity ultimately helped separate the two in 2025-26.
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As the Baby Penguins saw continued success on the ice, Murashov served as the team’s top goaltender for the Calder Cup playoffs, helping the Penguins reach the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2014.
In 15 postseason games, he earned an 8-7 record, a 2.11 goals-against average, a .931 save percentage and one shutout.
His .931 save percentage ranked as the fifth-best in the Calder Cup playoffs, providing another indication that his regular-season success was no fluke.
So, what comes next after all the accolades and seemingly reaching his ceiling in the American Hockey League?
Arturs Silovs re-signed with the Penguins on a one-year, $2.8 million contract through 2026-27, while Stuart Skinner, acquired in the Tristan Jarry trade, departed as a free agent this summer.
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That leaves an opening for Murashov or Blomqvist to compete for the backup job behind Silovs.
“My full expectation is that the two of them, Sergei and Joel, will be competing for a roster spot here this year,” Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas recently told NHL.com. “I think they both have earned, over years now, the chance to compete for that.”
All that to say, the time appears to be right for Murashov to make a serious push for a permanent NHL spot, potentially splitting the workload with Silovs this season.
A year ago, Murashov was a promising fourth-round pick trying to establish himself in the AHL. Twelve months later, he enters the season as Pittsburgh’s top goaltending prospect and one of the organization’s most important young players.
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If all goes well, he could become what the Penguins’ front office has long believed he could be: the organization’s long-term answer in net.
Read the full article here