The Buffalo Sabres might have a future contributor currently plying his craft in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
His name is Prokhor Poltapov.
Poltapov probably isn’t a known name to casual Sabres fans, but the diehards will know about him.
He’s not yet in North America, but the hope is that he’ll show up sometime in the years ahead and be ready to hit the ground running in the NHL.
Who is Prokhor Poltapov?
Prokhor Poltapov is a 23-year-old Russian left wing.
He stands 5-foot-11 and weighs in at 176 pounds.
The Sabres picked him all the way back in the 2021 NHL Draft at the No. 33 overall pick — the first pick of the second round.
Poltapov has chosen to stay in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia since then. When a player stays in the KHL, the NHL club retains their rights in North America indefinitely.
So there’s no actual timeline on when Poltapov has to come to the NHL. It’s anyone’s guess.
Prokhor Poltapov Stats
Poltapov has begun the new KHL season on fire.
He’s playing for CSKA Moscow, and he just scored a power play goal in a 1-0 rivalry win over Dynamo Moscow.
He has scored a goal in four straight games and has seven goals in his last seven games.
Prokhor Poltapov’s heater continues with a PPG in CSKA’s 1-0 win over Dynamo Moscow. That’s goals in four straight games and points in five straight for Poltapov. Seven goals in his last seven games. (And yes, that’s former BUF property Nikita Novikov in the box.) https://t.co/ALdhlAmWBq
— Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) October 14, 2026
Poltapov has played 15 games so far in the KHL season, and he has eight goals and four assists (12 points). He’s already a plus-10.
Poltapov has been playing in the CSKA system since their youth ranks, and when he was drafted, he has just made his senior team debut with one game in the KHL. The Sabres were drafting him mostly based off his performance with the CSKA junior team — with which he had 52 points (25 goals, 27 assists) in 61 games in 2020-21.
In 2021-22, Poltapov played 17 senior games for CSKA but didn’t record a single point.
He upped it to 10 points in 56 games in 2022-23 (five goals, five assists).
It was 13 points in 56 games in 2023-24 with five goals and eight assists.
Poltapov finally started to catch up physically to get on the board more in 2024-25. He had 40 points on 17 goals and 23 assists in 68 games.
He then went for 40 points again last season with 16 goals and 24 assists in 68 games.
Now, Poltapov is trying to up his points pace — both to help CSKA contend for its first title since 2023, and to potentially set himself up to come to the NHL.
The Sabres will keep waiting. Sometimes, the wait is worth it.
Sabres’ Russian Prospect Prokhor Poltapov Dominating KHL