Danai Shaiikov

September 2026 – Danai Shaiikov is an athletic, high-upside Kazakh goaltender the New York Rangers selected 67th overall, the franchise’s first drafted goalie since 2021 and its highest-drafted netminder in years.

He moved to North America last season and became the workhorse for a rebuilding Gatineau Olympiques team, playing 50 games and posting a .903 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average with one shutout despite an 18-26-2 record on a weak club, then adding seven playoff appearances.

The bet is on athleticism. He is explosively quick with excellent reflexes, challenges shooters aggressively, and Central Scouting ranked him 14th among North American goalies even as some public lists had him far lower. He is raw, prone to overcommitting with positioning that needs work, and he idolized Sergei Bobrovsky but compares his own quick, competitive style to Igor Shesterkin. He returns to Gatineau for 2026-27.

For fantasy he is the most intriguing goalie in this group, a genuine tools-and-upside bet in an organization with a strong record of developing netminders, and how he refines the technique is the tell before any dynasty consideration. Andrew Epps