Marc Dumont
There’s some encouraging news on the young forward front, as top-rated Montreal Canadiens prospect Alexander Zharovsky has arrived in town.
The highly-skilled forward has already hit the ice in Brossard, a testament to his affinity for improving his already impressive talent level, similar to the dedication we’ve seen from his countryman, Ivan Demidov.
Zharovsky is in town to participate in the Canadiens development camp, which is usually scheduled after the NHL Entry Draft. This year’s NHL Entry Draft is scheduled for June 26 and June 27, at the KeyBank Centre in Buffalo, New York. In the meantime, he’ll spend time in Brossard practicing alongside Demidov, and almost assuredly, Lane Hutson.
The high-flying forward was voted as the Habs’ No. 3 prospect in our annual fan rankings.
Alexander Zharovsky a patiné quelques minutes tôt ce matin à Brossard.
— DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) June 11, 2026
Il était sur le décalage horaire, lui qui est arrivé hier ✈️
Selon des gens sur place, on peut s’attendre à le voir patiner à nouveau la semaine prochaine, cette fois avec Ivan Demidov. Les deux sont… pic.twitter.com/MY5ECVc13a
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
The development camp gives KHL, NCAA, CHL, and other rookies a fantastic opportunity to set a baseline with the Canadiens, which the team uses to monitor their progress over the course of their development. It’s one of three camps in the summer, followed by the rookie camp in September, and the main training camp shortly thereafter.
However, it’s important to remember that Zharovsky still has a valid contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, which is set to expire on May 31, 2027. In that vein, we’ll get a glimpse of his potential during the summer, but we shouldn’t expect him to participate in the team’s main training camp, as he will be back in the KHL, participating in Salvat’s preparation for the upcoming season.
Before he returns to KHL, Zharovsky is set to participate in Gold Star’s camp, which is specifically put in place so that Russian prospects have a chance to prove their worth ahead of the draft.
Zharovsky, 19, enjoyed a dominant rookie season in the KHL, scoring 16 goals and 26 assists in 59 games, and was consequently named the Rookie of the Year.
Of course, we must guard against suggesting he’s ready for NHL action, as there’s plenty of defensive work left to be done, and the majority of his production in 2025-26 came on the powerplay. That’s not necessarily a terrible sign, as all production is good production, but he’ll need to improve his 5v5 play before he’s NHL ready.
Regardless, considering he was drafted in the second round (35th overall) of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, it must be said that his tree has already started to bear fruit. And now a certain amount of patience is in order before the Montreal Canadiens can rely on Alexander Zharovsky as a consistent source of apples offence.
