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Fantasy Summary

Energetic forward who plays at a high pace. Has enough skill to grow into an effective middle-six NHL forward.


Observations

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June 2025 – Poltapov started the 2024-2025 KHL season as though he had been shot out of a cannon. With 11 points in his first nine games, he was one of the most added players throughout the first month of the fantasy season as managers hoped the streak continued, and his travel to North America was certain. Things predictably cooled off for him, as he finished the season with four points in 11 games, finishing with a line of 17 goals, 23 assists and 18 penalty minutes in 68 games.

Poltapov is just 22, and currently finds himself without an NHL contract, and will likely remain in the KHL for two more seasons until there is a chance of him coming over to North America. He is more available in leagues now, as managers placed him back in the free agent pool as the season wore on, and you can choose to stash him if you have the room to wait on a player who has several years before coming to North America to be a complimentary middle-six winger- if he comes over at all. Alex Wyatt

July 2024 – Poltapov has completed his second full KHL season with CSKA Moskva, scoring five goals and 13 points in 56 regular season games in 2023-2024. He contributed just one point in five postseason appearances this past spring. The 21-year-old forward has struggled to translate his offensive skill set to the KHL. The pace of the league has been too quick for him at times. He has been slow to make decisions with the puck and is prone to forcing unavailable plays. His tendency to hold on to the puck for too long has been exacerbated at this level thus far. He has one more year remaining on his current contract with CSKA Moskva and will be expected to increase his offensive output to a significant degree next season if he is to remain on the Sabres’ radar. Kevin Wong

May 2023 – Following a year in which he split time between the KHL, VHL, and MHL, 20-year-old Poltapov played his first full-time KHL season in 2022-2023. He scored five goals and 10 points in 55 games, albeit in a small role with CSKA Moskva. He plays with high energy at both ends of the rink, skates with enough agility and quickness to make smooth transitions up the ice, and can be dynamic with the puck. He at times holds on to the puck for too long. Additionally, he sometimes commits to unsuccessful plays such as ill-timed shots when lanes are blocked or imprecise pass attempts when other options might be available. Poltapov is under contract in the KHL through 2024-2025. –Kevin Wong

May 2022 – Poltapov began his 2021-2022 campaign in the VHL, Russia’s second-highest professional league, scoring two goals and six points in eight games. He was subsequently promoted to the KHL for three matches, where he averaged approximately nine minutes of TOI. Between October 16, 2021 and February 1, 2022 he bounced back and forth between short stints in the KHL, MHL, and VHL with CSKA Moscow, Zvezda Moscow, and Krasnaya Armiya Moscow, respectively, before finally being assigned to the VHL for a lengthier, two-week period in early February. With his junior squad Krasnaya Armiya, he played a major first-line role, averaging over 16 minutes of TOI as well as scoring five goals and 15 points in 13 regular season games. In the KHL, however, he was relegated to a mere 5:15 of ice time on average. As a contributor with Zvezda Moscow in the VHL, Poltapov received an average of 13:12 of TOI, although he did not score at all in his eight-game February stint. His time with Zvezda ended on February 17. On March 3, he returned to the MHL, where he would continue to play for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. Krasnaya Armiya, the MHL’s top-seeded team, began their postseason campaign on March 11. With seven goals and 18 points in 19 games, Poltapov led his team in postseason scoring. They reached the MHL Finals against SKA-1946 but were defeated in six games. Poltapov finished sixth in MHL playoff scoring. Kevin Wong

July 2021 – Poltapov was selected in the second round, 33rd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

July 2021 – Poltapov had a big season in the MHL, racking up 25 goals and 27 assists in 61 games with Krasnaya Armiya. He capped off his strong campaign with seven points in seven games for Russia at the U18 World Championships.

Though he doesn’t possess outstanding size or strength, Poltapov plays a game that combines power and skill. He plays an energetic style and pushes the pace as he works to get pucks into dangerous areas in the offensive zone with quick hands and good puck protection abilities. Poltapov doesn’t hesitate to engage physically but he needs to do a better job of picking his spots as he climbs the ranks. He is still a raw prospect, but there are some translatable qualities in his game. Nick Richard

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 6.5
NHL Certainty 5.0
Country RUS
Position LW
Roster Type Europe
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth February 1, 2003
Height 6‘0”
Weight 176 lbs
Drafted 2021 Round 2; Overall: 33
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2024-2025KHLCSKA Moskva681723401816
2023-2024VHLZvezda Moskva552762
2023-2024KHLCSKA Moskva565813126
2022-2023VHLZvezda Moskva301120
2022-2023MHLKrasnaya Armiya Moskva210121
2022-2023KHLCSKA Moskva565510374
2021-2022VHLZvezda Moskva253478-6
2021-2022MHLKrasnaya Armiya Moskva135101563
2021-2022KHLCSKA Moskva1700000
2020-2021WJC-18Russia U18725760
2020-2021MHLKrasnaya Armiya Moskva612527523022
2020-2021KHLCSKA Moskva100000
2019-2020WHC-17Russia U17634740
2019-2020Russia U18CSKA Moskva U18334700
2019-2020Russia U17CSKA Moskva U171154920
2019-2020MHLKrasnaya Armiya Moskva2384121012
2018-2019Russia U18Dynamo Moskva U1811131225140
2018-2019Russia U17Dynamo Moskva U17100000
2018-2019Russia U16Dynamo Moskva U1624273057610
2017-2018WSI U15Dynamo Moskva Selects U1578715180
2017-2018Russia U16Dynamo Moskva U1621111122220
2016-2017WSI U14Russia Selects U1491181940

Highlights