The 2026-27 NHL season is less than a month away, and by the end of next week, prospects will be gathering at Warrior Ice Arena for camp before heading to Western New York later next weekend for a pair of games against some of the prospects the Buffalo Sabres have to offer.
Who ends up going for the Black and Gold remains to be seen, but one prospect whom the Bruins drafted this past June in the Entry Draft in Buffalo, Matvei Kotkov, had his season begin in Russia. It didn't take him long to make an impression in his first game of the season.
Bruins prospect Matvei Kotkov scored an impressive first goal in Russia
In the fourth round of June's draft, the Bruins selected Kotkov with the 104th pick. The 6-foot-0 forward is playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL this season and scored his first goal of the season; it was a snipe from the slot when a loose puck found him, and he ripped it home 10 minutes into the game. Elite Prospects tabbed him with a nice shot in his pre-draft write-up, and he didn't disappoint.
"Kotkov escapes coverage, plays between defenders, times his routes with the play, and gets passes in the middle of the slot, firing off of him with his quick-draw, hard release. The best tool in his arsenal, his shot, makes him ever-dangerous,'' Elite Prospects wrote.
Last season in the MHL, Kotko missed some time with an injury, but boy, did he make up for lost time when he returned healthy. In 34 games, the impressively talented forward had 14 goals and 31 assists before potting nine goals and six assists in eight playoff games in Juniors. He was at the Bruins Developmental Camp back in late June and early July after the draft. He opened some eyes during his time in the camp, especially with Adam McQuaid, the Bruins' director of player development.
It's really early in Kotkov's time with the Bruins as he was just drafted a couple of months ago; however, for now, he appears to be another gem the Black and Gold found with a good shot and nose for the front of the net. They 18 years old; there is a long way to go in his development, but so far, so good in terms of what the Bruins saw with his first goal of the season. There are likely to be many, many more this season.
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