Ottawa Senators Draft Profiles: Egor Sokolov

The overager out of Cape Breton, Sokolov was a risk the Sens wanted to take at 61

The Ottawa Senators took the QMJHL’s leading goal-scorer with their last pick of the 2nd Round. Sokolov finished with 46 goals in just 52 games and was dominant against the much smaller competition and was also a major contributor on Russia’s World Junior squad. After being passed over twice in the draft, Sokolov showed tremendous perseverance willing himself into getting selected the third go-around.

Biography

Date of Birth: June 7, 2000

Hometown: Yekaterinburg, Russia

H: 6’4″ W: 218

Shoots: Right

Growing up in Russia, Sokolov played in Russia all the way up until he turned 17 and then headed to North America towards the CHL. The Senators draft pick would be selected 35th overall by Cape Breton in the CHL Import Draft and it would be a match made in heaven.

Not knowing the language, just 17-years-old, Sokolov had some adjusting to do, but he confined in a current Ottawa Senator for help. In an interview with High Button Sports, the Senators draft pick credited his billet family along with Drake Batherson for helping him transition to the Canadian lifestyle.

“I was living with Drake Batherson in the same billet family. He helped me around a lot, he was taking me everywhere, basically trying to help me adjust to the team”

This speaks to the character of Batherson and also to that of Sokolov, they seemed to mesh very well together and are still friends to this day.

Sokolov would have a solid first two seasons with Cape Breton, scoring 21 goals in 2017-18 and then 30 in 2018-19, however, those marks weren’t enough for him to be taken in the 2018 or 2019 drafts. All of Sokolov’s hard work would finally come to fruition after a career year last season, scoring 46 goals and 92 points in just 52 games quickly becoming one of the better players in the league. The Senators draft pick also scored 3 goals in 7 games in the World Juniors for the Russian’s, adding to his momentus season.

Getting drafted was a big relief for Sokolov and was quite an emotional time for not just him but his billet’s:

One of the better draft reactions you will ever see, it’s easy to root for kids like this.

Attributes

A power-forward with his 6’4″ and near 220-pound frame, Sokolov uses his body to fend off defenders and break for the net. He relies on his booming shot to produce offence and it has worked well for him. Sokolov was near 240 pounds during the past season but has cut down to just shy of 220 pounds and has significantly improved his conditioning.

One of the bigger drawbacks in Sokolov’s game is his skating, but with his recent weight loss, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Russian forward improve in that category.

If he wants to be an effective NHL player, his shot will have to be at the forefront, especially on the power-play where he could be lethal.

In the clip below he just casually walks in and unleashes his powerful shot right past the goalie, in just a flick of the wrist the goalie has no chance.

What They’re Saying

While a double-overage, most analysts and fans seemed to take kindly to the selection. Ottawa was in a position to take risks with their surplus of draft picks, Pierre Dorion made a solid gamble with this selection.

With skating becoming less and less of a concern because of the concerted effort from Sokolov to improve his conditioning, the pick looks better and better.

On the other side of the spectrum, some like the pick but not at the spot he was taken:

I agree with Bader here that they could have waited a bit to select Sokolov, but I was perfectly content with this “reach”.

2020-2021

The expectation around the Senators staff is that Sokolov will play in Belleville next season while forgoing his overage season in the QMJHL:

It will be very intriguing to see how Sokolov performs versus men.