image courtesy of Telegraph Herald

Fantasy Summary

Tall, volume-shooting centerman who left North America after college


Observations

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June 2025 – Buyalsky played just 11 games in 2024-25, 3 in the KHL and 8 at home in Kazakhstan. He should not be on any fantasy radars at this time. Hayden Soboleski

May 2024 – Buyalsky did not build on the momentum generated his previous season, managing just 11 points in 25 contests for the University of Vermont. In fairness, he is not working with notable linemates (the squad had no one even close to the point-per-game mark) and he has entered the NCAA transfer portal. A change of scenery could give us better insight into what the long centerman can do (and if his future ends up on the wing instead). He missed nearly a month of play on two occasions throughout the season but injuries were not disclosed. Hayden Soboleski

May 2023 – After playing only 3 games in 2021-22 with no public explanation, Buyalsky had himself a nice return to action for the University of Vermont in 2022-23. His 18 points in 34 games as essentially a rookie is not a bad stat line, especially considering that this placed second on his squad and he was not playing alongside any high-profile prospects of note. Now listed at 190 lbs by the university (up from 175), the centerman is approaching a true playing weight which hasn’t appeared to hinder his game so far. Fantasy owners would love to see what he could do on a stronger team with some star linemates, but for now we will wait and see if he can take one more steps forward with the Catamounts in 2023-24 and earn himself a pro contract. Hayden Soboleski

February 2022 – Buyalsky is missing in action from the University of Vermont lineup. He has not played since October but there is no information available from the institution on whether this absence is injury-related, Covid-related, or if he is still present at the school. This is obviously an unfortunate loss of development opportunity and certainly makes him more of a long-term own in fantasy hockey. Hayden Soboleski

July 2021 – The Avalanche have selected Buyalsky in the 3rd round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. This was earlier than he was expected to be called, ranked in the 4th round by publications which included him.

Buyalsky is an over-age prospect; as a 20-year-old he had been passed over in the two previous drafts. Playing in Kazakhstan likely limited his time in front of scouts, but that changed in 2020 when he transitioned to the USHL where (as a 6-3 over-ager) he put up 15 goals and 32 points in 36 contests. His size is an asset especially as a centerman, however he isn’t always assertive with his size and he needs to add weight to his 174lb frame.  His fantasy potential is high thanks to his immediate  point-per-game impact and shoot-first mentality, but the simmer time will be long for this soup. He has committed to the University of Vermont in the NCAA for the 2021-22 campaign. Hayden Soboleski

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 4.0
NHL Certainty 2.0
Country KAZ
Position C
Roster Type Europe
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth August 18, 2000
Height 6‘3”
Weight 190 lbs
Drafted 2021 Round 3; Overall: 92
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025KHLBarys Astana30000-4
2024-2025KazakhstanSaryarka Karaganda8347126
2023-2024NCAAUniv. of Vermont2538118-5
2022-2023NCAAUniv. of Vermont34513186-2
2021-2022NCAAUniv. of Vermont30004-1
2020-2021USHLDubuque Fighting Saints3615173214-1
2020-2021KazakhstanHK Almaty2458136-2
2019-2020WJC-20Kazakhstan U2071012-3
2019-2020VHLSaryarka Karaganda800000
2019-2020Kazakhstan U20MHK Temirtau112302
2019-2020KazakhstanHK Temirtau434162010-7
2018-2019WJC-20Kazakhstan U2061120-3
2018-2019VHLSaryarka Karaganda190002-1
2018-2019Kazakhstan U20MHK Temirtau427987
2018-2019KazakhstanHK Temirtau2546100-6
2017-2018WJC-20 D1AKazakhstan U20500000
2017-2018WJC-18 D1AKazakhstan U18532524
2017-2018Kazakhstan U18Yunost Karaganda U182126325880
2017-2018KazakhstanHK Temirtau1831423
2016-2017WJC-18 D1AKazakhstan U18504423

Highlights