Courtesy of The Draft Analyst

Fantasy Summary

Shifty, dual-threat offensive winger with defensive deficiencies and physical limitations. Great shot and intelligent playmaking give him a high ceiling, but there’s work needed to make him a sure bet at the NHL level.


Observations

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June 2025 – Kisakov missed a good amount of time in 2024-2025 and only managed to get into 13 AHL games. He scored three goals and added an assist. The 2021 second-round pick needed to get in some reps to continue his development in the hopes of earning his way onto the Buffalo roster. He current sits as a Restricted Free Agent after his ELC ended at the end of the season. He was a force in the MHL for the two seasons prior to him coming to North America. Sabres fans and fantasy managers will need to see if he re-ups in Buffalo, or chooses to head back to Russia after a slow start to his North American career. Alex Wyatt
July 2024 – Kisakov’s offensive numbers with the Rochester Americans improved from his previous year’s totals. Compared with eight points in 48 games in 2022-2023, he tallied 13 points in 32 games this past year. After a hot start to the season in which he scored three goals and four points in the first five games of the campaign, Kisakov went nine games without a point. His offensive output has remained inconsistent, although he has at times been able to take more shots. He recorded two four-shot performances during the campaign, scoring a goal in each of those matches. At 21 years of age, there remains some time for him to adapt himself at the AHL level. Kevin Wong
May 2023 – Kisakov’s 2022-2023 rookie campaign with the AHL’s Rochester Americans concluded with just six goals and eight points in 48 games. Despite demonstrating offensive flashes and moments of ability, the 5-10, 150-pound winger struggled to assert himself due to his lack of strength and quickness. He is currently neither a particularly explosive skater nor a deceptive puck-handler, and he generates offense primarily through give-and-go passing plays. He regularly operates in open ice and tends not to provide enough puck support down low. Additionally, the 20-year-old’s defensive game is at times disorganized. He remains playing in a sheltered capacity for now while he continues to adapt to the AHL level and mature physically. Kevin Wong

 

May 2022 – Kisakov had a tremendous 2020-2021 draft-year campaign in the MHL, leading all draft-eligibles and finishing second in league scoring with 73 points in 61 games, 36 of which were goals. Despite his production dropping this season ( 56 points in 51 games), the prospect’s game has matured and he has developed some good surrounding tools to supplement his goal-scoring ability and elusiveness.

While Kisakov was previously a shoot-first prospect with great skating habits and an overall polished hockey sense, he’s added some great playmaking tools to his arsenal in the last year which have bolstered his offensive potential. He looks off his target, hides his intentions with his upper body, and pre-scans regularly to make sure his desired option is the best one. His defensive game is far from polished, however, and playing in the MHL isn’t exactly doing him any favors. He has very few opportunities to develop that side of his game in a league where defense is more of an afterthought. His physical maturity hasn’t reached anywhere near its peak, either — at 150 pounds, there’s a lot of muscle to add to his 5-foot-10 frame.

The good news is that Kisakov will have all the odds in his favor now that he’s signed his entry-level deal with the Buffalo Sabres. He’ll likely report to Rochester in the AHL, where his defensive game is more likely to see its eclosion, and he’ll have a lot more staff surrounding him to monitor training and nutrition to add some muscle to his frame. He’s worth a flyer in a deeper points-only draft, given his refined offensive toolkit and relatively simple weaknesses. Hadi Kalakeche

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 6.5
NHL Certainty 6.0
Country RUS
Position LW
Roster Type Minors
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth November 1, 2002
Height 5‘11”
Weight 163 lbs
Drafted 2021 Round 2; Overall: 53
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025AHLRochester Americans1331480
2023-2024AHLRochester Americans32581312-1
2022-2023AHLRochester Americans4862824-5
2021-2022MHLMHK Dynamo Moskva512630564023
2021-2022KHLDynamo Moskva40000-1
2020-2021MHLMHK Dynamo Moskva613637739042
2019-2020MHLMHK Dynamo Moskva34216182410
2018-2019Russia U18Dynamo Moskva U188369280
2018-2019Russia U17Dynamo Moskva U171981119120
2018-2019MHLMHK Dynamo Moskva502220
2017-2018Russia U18Dynamo Moskva U188246100
2017-2018Russia U17Dynamo Moskva U17453820
2017-2018Russia U16Dynamo Moskva U1615841280
2016-2017WSI U15Dynamo Moskva Selects U15721300

Highlights