Vladislav Kotkov

Oct 2019 – The Sharks took a good look a the powerful Russian in their development camp this season. Although he was disappointed to be told he would be returning to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens this season, he has not let that put a damper on his play. Kotkov has scored eight goals in as many games with the QMJHL club and continues to make heads turn in the head office. Alex Howes

March 2019 – Kotkov has matched his point total from last season with 49 points. Last season it took him 61 games, this season it took 59. This may not appear to be a big step forward, but keep in mind he has 9 more points than the next highest Chicoutimi skater, and last year he had the advantage of riding shotgun with an 80-point player in Kevin Klima. So while Kotkov hasn’t taken a huge jump on paper, he hasn’t stagnated either. Chris Legg

November 2018 – Kotkov exploded for a hat trick and five points in an early November game against the Saint John Sea Dogs. Kotkov has posted 20 points through 16 games so far for the Sagueneens, easily outdoing last year’s points-per-game average of 0.803. Making his start even more impressive, Kotkov is still 18 years old. He already possesses NHL size. Should the offensive abilities continue to improve, Kotkov is going to make a lot of teams regret letting him go undrafted. Chris Legg

July 2018 – The San Jose Sharks inked Vladislav Kotkov to an entry level deal while he was attending the Sharks’ development camp. Kotkov went undrafted this past June, despite some scouting services having him ranked as high as the third round. The Sharks obviously liked what they saw and felt they had to get him signed, Kotkov attended Colorado’s development camp and was reportedly going to attend their main camp on a tryout. Standing at 6-4 and weighing in at 209 lbs, Kotkov already possesses NHL size, he also has a decent offensive toolkit to complement it. He put up 49 points in 61 games for the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens. These aren’t fantastic numbers and the QMJHL is a notoriously volatile league when trying to measure a player’s worth based on points. However, Kotkov has good hands and playmaking ability. It certainly seems like a smart bet to use a contract spot on Kotkov, time will tell if it was a mistake to let him go undrafted. Chris Legg