Nashville Predators Top-5 Prospects with superstar potential in NHL

#4- Yegor Surin, Center, 2024 1st Round Draft Pick by Nashville Predators

The next player on the superstar potential list also comes from the 2024 NHL draft and that Yegor Surin. The player with a high motor and turning heads in the KHL after his rookie year in that very difficult league.

Surin really took off and put things together in the KHL playoffs just recently by scoring five goals in what was a 19-game playoff run.

Surin likes to hit people first and foremost, so he should feel right at home eventually in Nashville. He's got a long ways to go, both figuratively and literally, when it comes to making it to the Music City and wearing the Predators sweater in Bridgestone Arena.

Surin is still under contract for one more year with his KHL squad, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, who just won their league's championship the Gagarin Cup.

It's no secret that it's not always a foregone conclusion that a Russian prospect is going to even choose to come to the NHL. Sometimes they decide to stay in their home country and continue playing in the KHL.

But taking the hypotheticals out of it and just judging the player on the ice, it's hard to not get really pumped up about the possibilities of Surin in the NHL. His rugged style of play as a physical true center who can also score goals is a rare combination.

As we're already seeing against grown men in the KHL, Surin will have an easier transition to the Norther Americans professional ranks thanks to him not shying away from physical play.

If Surin does eventually make it over to North America, hopefully as soon as 2026-27, then I can see his progression to the NHL happen fast after that. Maybe one year with the Milwaukee Admirals and a quick call-up.

My realistic expectations for Surin is to eventually hit a ceiling as a second line center in the NHL who plays a two-way game, kills penalties and plays the power play while being a leadership guy every locker room wants to have.