The translation from the NHL to the KHL is rarely apples to apples.
The New Jersey Devils finally signed their top forward prospect out of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on Tuesday, signing Russian forward Arseni Gritsyuk to a one-year entry-level contract.
After he was taken in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL draft, Gritsyuk established himself as an offensive threat overseas, thus luring GM Tom Fitzgerald’s attention and turning pro in North America.
So what can we expect of the 24-year-old left shot forward?
For starters, he’s profiled as a winger who is known to reach top speed easily and has a knack for creating separation between himself and defenders.
Gritsyuk has never eclipsed the 20 goal mark in the KHL, scoring a career high of 19 in 50 games during the 2023-24 season. In 2024-25, he reached a career-high in points, collecting 44 (17 goals, 27 assists) in 49 games.
In each of his last three seasons, Gritsyuk’s point per-game (P/GP) average steadily increased, starting at .606 P/GP, to .760 P/GP, then last season at .898 P/GP, per QuantHockey.
When former Devil, Nikita Gusev made the leap from the KHL to the NHL, he finished his last season overseas with an accrued 1.323 P/GP. Going into his age-27 season as an NHL rookie, Gusev scored 13 goals and 44 points in 66 games. It was a promising first season.
Gritsyuk will turn 25 in March, therefore he is a few years younger than Gusev was when he made the jump.
It’s likely he has yet to reach his peak as a player and still has room to grow.
However, the expectation should be tempered with the Russian forward. It’s unlikely that Gristyuk comes to North America and pots 30 goals, something he’s never done in the KHL.
Look at Maxim Tsyplakov of the New York Islanders, for example.
In his last KHL season in 2023-24, he potted 31 goals and scored .723 P/GP. Yet with the Islanders in 2024-25, he reached just 10 goals and 35 points at 26 years old as a rookie.
Gritsyuk should be measured somewhere between Gusev and Tsyplakov in 2025-26. And it’s likely he should be measured closer to Tsyplakov than Gusev.
Very rarely does a KHL player make the leap and set the world on fire in the NHL like Kirill Kaprizov did, netting 1.088 P/GP in the KHL the season before he skated for the Minnesota Wild.
The Devils are getting a serviceable player in Gritsyuk. How serviceable remains to be seen.
There’s no doubt Gristyuk will play among the most talented group he has in his career thus far in New Jersey. Still, the expectation in his rookie year should be tempered at somewhere between 15–20 goals, and 35–40 points, which equates to a serviceable middle-six forward with the chance to grow into a top-six contributor who could perhaps one day play with Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
It’s better to be pleasantly surprised than certainly disappointed.
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