Sixth-round picks are supposed to be a shot in the dark, that somewhere down the line, earn their chance to play in the highest leagues in the world. For the Boston Bruins 2025 sixth-round pick Kirill Yemelyanov, the trajectory he is on has him earning that opportunity much sooner than most expected.
Yemelyanov's opportunity won't come with the Bruins this season, but his 2025-26 performance in the MHL and his early KHL preseason results have him trending toward his first full season at the highest level in his home country. While he still has a long way to go before making Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the two-way forward centered the team's first line in Blinov Cup action this morning and recorded a goal and an assist.
Bruins 2025 6th rounder Kirill Yemelyanov played 1C today for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in preseason and delivered, big time. A slick deflection off a point shot, and a nice play off the draw. There is a good chance he makes the KHL, too. pic.twitter.com/kZBTsI952A
— Robert Chalmers (@robbatwo) August 26, 2026
It isn't the first impressive performance of the preseason for Yemelyanov, and while the lineup didn't include all the stars, the 19-year-old getting a chance on the top line in Russia is a great sign. The league doesn't always take kindly to young players unless they are the best of the best in their age group, and it's clear that Lokomotiv believes that the Bruins' prospect may be worthy of that honor.
Kirill Yemelyanov building on his breakout 2025-26 season
Yemelyanov likely deserved a better fate in the 2025 draft, as his play in the MHL might've earned him a higher draft selection in most other years. However, with Russia being banned from IIHF competition, it has taken away some massive scouting opportunities for their players. Nevertheless, the Bruins were the benefactors if Yemelyanov looks like as much of a steal as the Bruins think.
The center had a post-draft season in the MHL, recording 57 points in 55 games, which included an impressive 32 goals. Yemelyanov's redeeming quality coming out of the draft was his ability to play a two-way game and commit to the defensive side of the puck, but ripping home 32 goals showed everyone that he has a bit of scoring skill in the toolbox as well.
Yemelyanov followed up the great regular season by leading the playoffs in goals with 10 and scoring the Kharlamov Cup-winning goal for his squad. The goal-scoring growth he showed in just one season was a great sign for his potential growth, and bursting onto the scene in the KHL this season would just take that one step further.
With some other offensively-talented prospects stealing the spotlight in the Bruins' pipeline, we may also want to keep an eye on Lokomotiv this season.
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