It was an intriguing start for Boston Bruins prospect Kirill Yemelyanov in Russia this season, as his preseason featured an extended look with the KHL team. The 2025 sixth-round pick looked destined to be in Russia's top pro league with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which would've been great for his development and another win for the Bruins in the prospect department.
If not, the thinking was that he would stay in the MHL with the junior team and feature alongside Matvei Kotkov, who became a fellow Bruins draft pick in 2026. The pair still had a long way to go before coming to North America and joining the Bruins, but it would've been nice to have two prospects playing together in a top European system.
Yemelyanov surprisingly failed to become a full-time roster player on the KHL team and has just one game under his belt as a call-up. While this isn't the end of the world, it is an early drop-off in the junior ranks that is a bit discouraging. Despite being over a point-per-game player in the 2025-26 season, he now has just one assist through four games.
Another surprising development is that Kotkov was the Bruins prospect to make Lokomotiv's top team. The 2026 fourth-round pick just turned 18 in August, meaning he could get two full seasons in the KHL before turning 20. Yemelyanov will hopefully join him eventually, but the switch-up after how things looked in the preseason is very surprising.
Kirill Yemelyanov's slow start to the MHL season
Yemelyanov vaulted to the top of some Bruins prospect boards after his 57 points in 55 games in the MHL last season. He won the league championship, led the playoffs in scoring with 10 goals, and even scored the championship-clinching goal for his club. It was a massive development after taking him in the sixth round.
Four poor games in the MHL don't constitute taking him out of the prospect rankings, and he could very well go on a hot streak and get back to a point-per-game pace. It could just be the shock of not making the KHL club and having to play another season in junior that has Yemelyanov going through a bit of a slump.
The hope is that he isn't sulking about not making it and that is why he is struggling, but there is still plenty of time for him to shake off whatever is ailing him. There is a long season before we start worrying about the prospect's development, but it is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
In the meantime, it could be Kotkov that fans need to really start watching.
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