Alexander Zharovsky
Position: RW, Shoots: L
H/W: 6-foot-1, 165 pounds
Date of Birth: 2007-04-10
Alexander Zharovsky has quickly become one of the most intriguing players in the 2025 draft class. Early this season, Alex showed bright flashes of elite hands and high end processing but just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net with any of his choices. After only six points in his first 16 games in the MHL, the dam finally exploded and Zharovsky flooded the league with 44 points in the remaining 29 games. He quickly became one of the most confident players in all of junior hockey and appears to have the potential for many more levels in his development.
Elite puck handling is the focal point of his game. Very few players at any level of hockey are able to pull off the moves that Alex can while making it look so effortless. No matter the situation, 1v1, 1v2, or, even 1v3, Zharovsky has fully escaped with two or three quick moves and has likely set up a dangerous look through his passing.
He is very effective off the rush. He pushes the pace with the puck, beats opponents 1v1, and finds teammates with timely, play-sustaining passes. His skating form and pace will need to be improved to keep this up at higher levels, but he has proven that he can dominate junior competition when given the runway to do so.
Zharovsky has proven himself to be quite the playmaker this season. He truly is a pass first player that enjoys setting up his teammates in clever ways. Each game he seems to find a new way to create chances with a creative blend of fakes to draw opponents to him before firing a perfect no-look pass onto the tape of a cutting teammate.
Despite his immense offensive talent and playmaking abilities, Zharovsky lags behind other top picks in skating and shooting. His skating is quick enough to beat defenders and circle the zone at the MHL level, but improvements will need to be made to his straight-line stride and agility to continue to mimic this production at higher levels. On the shooting front, Alex can pick corners well in tight but anything from distance quickly turns into a weak, wobbly puck that gives goalies little trouble.
Zharovsky’s dominance this season has been impressive to say the least. The most exciting element to his projection is the fact that it still looks like he has many more levels to his game that he can reach. He has been able to stuff the stat sheet with highlight reel passing plays and elite dekes while still looking raw. If all goes well, Alex could easily become a smart and dangerous top six playmaker who makes difficult plays look effortless against the world's best defenders.
Skating
Skating is not necessarily a strength of Zharovsky but he moves more than well enough to succeed at the MHL level. When given enough runway in transition, he can pick up enough pace to push play up ice and force opponents to turn to keep up. I would not describe him as a very agile skater, but he is able to pull off quick directional cuts to explode into space and escape pressure combining his hands with well-timed accelerations.
His stride is a bit awkward, moving up ice with notably short strides and far too many crossovers. This gives him just enough speed and control to beat opponents wide but not enough to create real separation against top defenders. He seems to like to move on his inside edges in an A-frame stance after a few strides. When he has the speed, this can be quite effective at the MHL level but it is not likely to work as well once he starts playing against men next season at the VHL or KHL levels.
Skating needs to be a major point of emphasis this offseason. Alex is likely going to be given a great opportunity to play in the KHL to start next season. In its current state, his skating will not be good enough to replicate the success he has had this year at the pro level. I’d like to see him improve his form, explosiveness, and agility to be able to create real separation against defenders. This will be a necessary step to be able to execute many of the moves he has dominated with this season.
Good pace and quick decisions allow Alexander to transition play into the offensive zone. Has enough pace to make a board play around a forward in overtime but this pace will be difficult to use at higher levels.
Good showcase of Zharovsky’s transition talents. He can push up ice with good pace and easily handles the puck through hordes of the defenders with a purpose. Easily makes his way towards the net. Skating is a bit short and choppy.
Decent pace, showing off the ability to work the puck deep into the offensive zone using his feed and some deceptive fakes to pass opponents.
This is the average Zharovsky pace off the rush against one of the MHL’s best defenders, Vadim Lukin. He attempts to push wide but does not have enough speed and gets closed off with physical play after being angled to the wall.
Grade: 50
Shot
Zharovsky’s shot is below average but was good enough to find the back of the net 24 times this season. He has a great touch in tight to the goal, able to quickly reposition the puck and pick small targets and finish his chances. He scored a majority of his goals in tight to the net.
His shots from distance are a very different story. While he possesses a quick release, he is not able to get much power from outside and often misses the net entirely. He will need to learn to use his elite hands to become more deceptive with his looks. He currently telegraphs his shots a bit too much, making goalies' lives far too easy. He has more than enough talent to pull off fake shots, drag releases, and quick repositions but rarely takes advantage of the tools he possesses in shooting situations.
His first instinct is to pass when in the offensive zone but will let shots go when he feels there are no open teammates. This leads to a lot of forced shots from a distance. His shot choices have not been the best, firing into crowds and from poor angles resulting in low danger attempts, easily stopped by the netminder.
As a skilled playmaker, a high-end shot is not a necessity, but I would like to see improvements to this area of his game. At the very least, I’d like to see him selecting better moments to shoot and hit his targets more often.
Attempted move is a bit forced but he recovers by finding the rebound and firing a laser into the top corner.
Shot power and placement need to be a point of emphasis this summer. Good work getting to a spot but not many goalies are going to let that squeak by.
Most of Zharovsky’s goals this season came in tight to the net. He does a great job finishing looks in the crease.
Grade: 45
Skills
Zharovsky’s hands may be the best in the entire 2025 draft class. Very few players can navigate themselves out of the most difficult situations as gracefully as Alex can. He makes every deke look easy and executes each play in the most nonchalant way possible.
Every stickhandle seems perfectly mapped out, moving at the right time to avoid checks and slip through multiple opponents into space to make a play. He is very precise with his moves, allowing him to maintain full control no matter how close or far away he holds the puck from his body, creating an infinite number of options for escapes, passes, and shots.
One of Zharovsky’s biggest positives is his ability to use his elite hands to set up chances on offense. He plans his plays ahead of time, pulling off precise moves that allow him to drag opponents one way before sliding pucks against the grain, right onto the stick of a cutting teammate.
The hands and quick processing abilities that Zharovsky possesses are top of the line even with some rough spots that show up from time to time. The elite talent that shines every single game despite still looking like a young, raw prospect with room to grow, makes me think that we could have a budding superstar on our hands. Alex’s confidence has grown steadily all season and was consistently able to impress me every game that I watched. I can only imagine the moves he will be able to pull off next season.
Elite handling and control around multiple defenders directly leading to a dangerous shot off the bar.
Receives pass on the zone entry and proceeds to embarrass the defender with one quick move, opening a lane to the net.
Very shifty and deceptive. He makes moves with the puck before fully showing his next move. He keeps his head and body moving in the initial direction, deceiving defenders before cutting towards the puck and wide of his man.
Zharovsky sneaks in the background of the play, becoming a perfect back door option when his
teammate could slide him the puck. Without hesitation he jumps into the slot, dangles an opponent with a smooth move to the backhand and snipes, top corner from one knee.
Sometimes you just have to do it all yourself. Zharovsky makes this goal look much easier than it should be.
Skilled drag move and cut to the cage off the rush.
Grade: 62.5
Smarts
Over the course of this season, Zharovsky has proven himself to be a highly intelligent player. He processes the game very quickly, allowing himself more than enough time to create chances, get to spots, and even shut down plays in his own end.
Alex consistently executes on difficult passing plays that directly lead to high danger looks. He has the ice mapped out perfectly in his head and uses a smooth combination of elite handling and deceptive look offs to hide his motives and hit targets with remarkable accuracy. He is an elusive player that uses his talents to open up space for every one of his teammates and reads developing plays well, allowing him to set up dangerous looks nearly every time he steps on the ice.
His off-puck play has also been very impressive this year. He reads the ice well, allowing him to see opportunities before they fully develop. He times his cuts into space at the perfect time, becoming a target just as teammates have the ability to move the puck. He sees developing opportunities moments before they fully form, allowing him to cut to spots where he can be the best available option
On the defensive side of the puck, he completes consistent scans and works to position himself in areas where he can prevent scoring chances. He positions himself well to shut down lanes and break up passes with his stick. He can cheat for offense at times but if a turnover does occur, he is always in a ready position to quickly transition into the offensive zone.
Love the battle for possession on the rebound and just ridiculous vision to set up his teammate with what was essentially a spinning no-look pass, directly on the tape. Gross.
Head up reading options, quickly repositions the puck to take advantage of open triangle on the defenseman and hits his teammate with a perfectly timed pass to spring a breakaway chance.
Kucherov-esque shot pass here to create a goal. Already knew where he was going to pass the puck next allowing for no hesitation to create a great look.
Doesn’t get a full look here but I think this is a good example of Zharovsky’s ability to quickly spot and exploit defensive lapses. The second defender begins cutting too strong towards the middle and rather than wait for him to get there, Alex makes an early cut in the opposite direction, opening up a much larger lane and look.
Grade: 60
Physicality and Compete
Zharovsky is not too physical but his effort and compete levels have definitely grown over the course of this season. He has created some nice clips without the puck, hunting opponents down and getting involved in dirty areas. He should not be considered a game changer without the puck. He is not a player that you can describe as a dog along the boards, but he does his part on the defensive end to help attempt to shut down plays.
As a player who will likely get his first taste of professional hockey next season, it is abundantly clear that he will need to add strength and some more grit to his game to be able to replicate the growth from this season. He has shown that he can play through some contact, able to skate through checks and push play into the offensive zone, but heavier hits and larger players seem to be an obstacle for Alex.
Good hustle and a little physicality to create separation leads to
Strong forecheck forces a turnover and continued effort allows for teammates to set up and Alex nearly creates a chance with skilled handy work and a well-timed pass.
Grade: 50
OFP: 53.5
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.