Position: W, Shoots: L
H/W: 6-foot-1, 187 Pounds
Date of Birth: 09/04/2008
Alan Shaikhlislamov made a name for himself in his D-1 season, scoring 20 goals in 46 games and earning a finalist spot for the MHL rookie of the year award. Alongside his teammate and fellow rookie of the year finalist, Alexander Zharovsky, Shaikhlislamov proved deserving of a KHL call-up early in the 25/26 season. It was a disappointing showing, and he was sent back down to the MHL, where he got off to a slow start this season before missing a couple of months with injury. Since returning from injury, Shaikhlislamov found his form and was on fire in the 2nd half, scoring 20 points in a 10-game span from January 26th to March 7th. The late-season performance caused a meteoric rise in Shaikhlislamov's stock, taking him from an unknown Russian to a consensus 2nd-rounder.
Shaikhlislamov is a very toolys player with strong skating, hands, shot, and physicality. He can flash dynamic skill by creating or finding open space, or by fighting through pressure to get dangerous looks. When he is getting involved in play and feels confident in the offensive zone, it's very noticeable, and Shaikhlislamov can take over shifts at the MHL level with his complete repertoire. What NHL teams would be hesitant about is Shaiklislamov's consistency, IQ, and whether the offensive game will translate to higher levels. He can disappear for stretches of the game, and this was a big reason why he wasn't as effective early in the year. The effort and smarts will come and go, as he puts on blinders with the puck on his stick and floats around or into coverage when he doesn't have possession. Shaikhlislamov can be very perimeter-oriented at times as well, and he's able to score and create from these areas, but he may struggle at higher levels with better pressure and off-puck defense. The projection is all over the place. He could very well turn out to be a high-end KHL player, never leaving Russia. Still, he shows the ability to play in an NHL bottom-6 role with his supportive play and depth scoring ability, and if things go well, Shaikhlislamov might end up as the best Russian to come out of this class playing in an NHL top-6.
Skating
Shaikhlislamov's skating stands out at the MHL level. His stride is long, and his movements are fluid. The top speed may not be high-end, but with a head of steam, he can get by defenders in transition and gain entries through pressure. When there is a lane to the net, Shaikhlislamov can fight through pressure with good balance, leaning into the defenders when driving wide, and will go directly to the crease. He can flash good edges, especially along the boards, to turn away from pressure, and using his crossovers, is adept at finding open space and attacking. Off the puck, Shaikhlislamov can be an effective mover when he keeps his feet going. He does a good job applying pressure on forechecks and has the speed to hunt down opponents in the neutral zone on backchecks. On offense, he is constantly moving along the half-walls and crossing the middle of the ice at the point, looking for passes from his defenders and using momentum to drive into scoring areas with speed.
The only real setbacks in Shaikhlislamov's skating are the lack of high-end traits and his tendency to float or move into areas where he can't get involved in play. While his speed is good, it might look average once he hits the pro level. His edges and lateral mobility are good, but I don't believe anyone would call it dynamic. Early in the season, he had long stretches of uninvolved play because he would just glide around waiting for the game to come to him, and while that improved over the course of the season, he'd still fall back into that style at times. When the motor is on, which it was in the 2nd half, he can really make an impact on the game, but there were whole periods where off-puck, he would skate into coverage or away from the puck and continue to have that inconsistent impact. Continuing to improve his skating, whether that's turning his speed or edges into a weapon, and doing a better job finding open space or moving to areas that allow him to get involved and apply pressure consistently, will help him reach an interesting ceiling, perhaps in a top-6 role.
Showing off his burst and top speed, Shaikhlislamov flies through the neutral zone, fights through contact, and gets a good breakaway opportunity.
Shaikhlislamov is dangerous when he keeps his feet moving. He burns down the half wall using crossovers to get to his man, sends a dangerous pass to the slot, chases down a forward exiting the zone, then gets right to open space to create another opportunity.
With a head of steam, Shaikhlislamov can blow by defenders. He skates past 3 players here and collects an assist on a backdoor feed.
Shaikhlislamov has the strength and balance to fight through pressure and navigate his way to open space.
GRADE: 55
Shot
Shaikhlislamov's shot and goal-scoring ability proved to be a very dangerous aspect of his game over the past 2 seasons. Scoring over half a goal a game this season, he is a threat from anywhere in the offensive zone. His wrist shot regularly beats goalies from the high slot. The release is quick, and he's accurate, seemingly able to slip the puck by the goalie before they can even process the shot. He uses his physical game to battle in front of the net and has the hands and strength to score goals in tight. Shaikhlislamov does a good job finding open space by constantly cycling the zone, and when the opportunity arises, he possesses the ability to fire one-timers to the twine. If Shaikhlislamov can work on his shot selection, he'd be a much more efficient shooter. He opts to hang out by the perimeter working off his defensemen, and is excellent at finding open space in the high slot with traffic in front. Still, he shoots from low danger areas in these situations, instead of taking the space given and stepping up into the middle of the ice.
Shaikhlislamov does a good job cycling in the offensive zone to find open space, but too often he settles for low-danger shots. Luckily for him, his quick and accurate release allows him to score from these areas.
Another goal from the blue line. What makes it work is his ability to recognize when the goalie is screened and to get the puck off his stick quickly.
Shaikhlislamov has a knack for getting into scoring areas, collecting rebounds, and/or finding open space on the backdoor.
Although this goal gets called off for goalie interference, you can see the power and accuracy that Shaikhlislamov gets on his one-timers.
GRADE: 55
Skills
Another area of Shaikhlislamov's game that’s above average but not great. He protects pucks really well, spins off or battles through pressure, and maintains control in tight areas. There is a decent ability to beat defenders 1-on-1 and sometimes make a goalie look silly in front of the net or on breakaways. With speed in transition, he can fake inside before bursting wide along the walls and driving the crease with his protection skill. The hands aren't game-breaking or dynamic, though, just effective when they need to be. There are plenty of times when Shaikhlislamov will overhandle or mishandle the puck, leading to turnovers. He does show flashes of being a decent driver of play with his skill, but the lack of true dynamic talent may limit him to being a more supplementary player at the highest level of hockey. Being a young, late riser could indicate that there is room to take that next step as he develops.
Despite being a shooter, Shaikhlislamov flashes really good deception in his playmaking. He's a big fan of the slap pass, hitting teammates backdoor when he has a lane and is showing shot. He makes quick decisions in the offensive zone, gluing possessions together, and can work give-and-goes from the half wall effectively. In transition, he sees the ice well and can make simple connecting plays through the neutral zone for entries and the occasional breakout pass to lead to a rush. On the rush, Shaikhlislamov’s shot has to be respected. Because of this, defenders are drawn to him, and goalies get set, expecting him to shoot. When he recognizes this, Shaikhlislamov has the skill to thread passes cross-ice or cut through the middle, dropping a pass to a trailer. Again, it's quality playmaking, but it's not dynamic and leaves room to doubt the true upside when you consider the stretches of uninvolved play.
Under pressure, Shaikhlislamov can evade and fight through contact with good hands in tight spaces. He pulls in defenders to the middle and leaves a nice pass to his teammate down low, and picks up an assist.
While the hands are good, there isn't any game-breaking talent. He stays with the puck and avoids pressure, but he's not necessarily creating dangerous plays by beating guys 1-on-1. He does finish the play with an impressive behind-the-back pass for a zone entry.
More of that inconsistent handling ability.
Despite having more goals than assists, I found his playmaking ability to be more translatable than his shot. He has really good vision and is deceptive with his passes, always threatening to shoot the puck. Here are some clips of behind-the-back passes, backdoor feeds, and slap passes causing misdirections and fooling the opposition.
GRADE: 55
Smarts
Shaikhlislamov shines in chaos. He's at his best when the game breaks down, working through pressure and navigating plays on instinct rather than actually processing and making correct reads in structure. In these moments of chaos, Shaikhlislamov uses his tools and deceptions to stay with the puck, find open lanes and backdoor passes, sneak into dangerous areas, and use his physical side to power through and create chances. It's exciting as he shows flashes of brilliance, but when the defense stays structured, there isn't enough in Shaikhlislamov's bag to be consistently effective. He's prone to overhandling, playing with blinders on, making poor reads, and just not getting to the right spots to be involved and make an impact.
In the defensive end and in transition, Shaikhlislamov's effectiveness stems from his effort. His inconsistencies in these areas of the game are caused by a lack of “Hockey I.Q.”. When the effort dips, he can't rely on his smarts to make a read or play positionally sound hockey, and it becomes noticeable quickly. When the motor is kicking, he can be everywhere, causing the chaos that he thrives in. I'm very interested to see him play at higher levels, and to see if he can still play structured defense while maintaining his effort and using his physical tools to stay effective off the puck.
Shaikhlislamov's tendency to stick to the outside and then drive into pressure. Sometimes magic happens, here, it's a turnover.
A good shift where Shaikhlislamov stays involved in play and sees the ice well. He chips the puck in when there is no clear lane to carry over, gets in a good spot to stop the clear, wins a couple of board battles, and cycles with his defenders. The main issue is that it's all very perimeter-oriented.
Shaikhlislamov, when engaged and focused, does recognize when to cover for his defensemen. On this play, one defender pinches on the wall, and the left side defender comes all the way to the right wall to cover for him. Shaikhlislamov gets back covering the center of the ice to support the rush defense, dives the middle lane, gets to the front of the net, and scores with some patience and poise in tight.
Prone to puck watching in his own end at times, here he floats into the corner, leaving the point man wide open to walk into the slot and score.
Shaikhlislamov supports the transition with a clean exit and give-and-go passing leading to a 2-on-1 entry where he passes early to get the defender off balance and opens up room for himself to get a great chance in front.
GRADE: 50
Physicality/Compete
Like the rest of Shaikhlislamov's game, this area was hard to grade because of inconsistency. Coming from a family of boxers, Shaikhlislamov is never one to turn down a scrum. After he returned from injury, he embraced the physical side of his game, recognizing that he could fight through contact and win battles at this level. Along the boards and in front of the net, Shaikhlislamov can outmuscle and outwork opponents to get better body positioning and create havoc. When the engine is on, he is a pest off the puck, running down the opposition and relentlessly throwing stick lifts and checks and throwing the body around. With the puck, he will challenge defenders with a mix of speed and physicality and attack the offensive zone like a tornado.
Problems arise when the compete isn’t there. Despite the strength he shows, Shaikhlislamov can be knocked off the puck or to his feet more than you'd expect. When the feet stop moving, or, in some cases, when they move him to areas away from play, Shaikhlislamov can go through shifts, periods, even whole games, doing the bare minimum. At his worst, he can be lazy with his puck touches, unfocused on defense, and unbothered on backchecks, leading to some bad plays. But these bad moments don't come too often, it's largely just a complete lack of involvement that holds him back. When he's cooking, the floor looks pretty safe as a middle-to-bottom-6 winger with his tools and effort, and the ceiling is interesting; it's just a matter of bringing that consistent effort for Shaikhlislamov.
It's not a staple of his game, but Shaikhlislamov can throw a mean hit every so often.
After flashing his edges, Shaikhlislamov gets knocked down on the entry, but seconds later, he gives it right back and throws a nice hit of his own.
When he wants to be, Shaikhlislamov can be a hound on the puck with aggressive stick lifts and forchecking ability.
When he fights back against the physical contact, he protects the puck well and can make plays under pressure.
A good example of his tendency to flow in and out of play. He gets in on the forecheck, wins the battle, makes the pass, drives the net, but then sticks to the perimeter, almost like he's skating away from the puck and fails to get involved.
Shaikhlislamov gets knocked to his feet a couple of times, but throws a mean reverse hit in front of the net later in the shift. This shift is another good example of Shaikhlislamov floating into areas of the ice, leaving him uninvolved in play.
GRADE: 50
OFP: 53.25
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.