Roman Kantserov's start has everyone excited about his Blackhawks future

When the Chicago Blackhawks selected Roman Kantserov with the 44th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, there wasn’t a lot of fanfare. In fact, I remember a lot of sentiment being that they added another undersized forward to the mix when they needed more size. Fast forward to November 2025, and nobody is worried about his size as the young Russian forward has become one of the organization’s top prospects.

Kantserov came on late during the 2023-24 KHL season for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He nearly equaled his regular-season totals with four goals and 13 points in the postseason, helping Metallurg win the league championship. He followed that up with 13 goals and 38 points in 47 games the following season. However, he’s making a huge jump this season into one of the best players in all of Russia.

He’s already eclipsed his career-high in goals with a KHL-leading 14 through the first 23 games this season. Kantserov also has 10 assists on the season, the first eight of which were all primary assists, showing that he can set up his teammates just as well as he puts the puck in the net.

Kantserov Scores From Everywhere

There are many reasons why Blackhawks fans should be excited about Kantserov. It isn’t just that he has 14 goals in 23 games; it’s how he’s scoring them. He’s far from a one-trick pony and can score in many different ways.

First and foremost, Kantserov plays bigger than his 5’9 frame. He’s not afraid to go to the dirty areas of the ice to score off a rebound or a redirect.

Kantserov has a great shot, as we’ll see in a minute, but he will endear himself to his teammates, coaching staff, and fans by scoring goals like this.

While Kantserov is willing to take some abuse to score a goal, he’s a sniper at heart. He shows with these two goals that if you give him any space, he will make you regret it.

And, if you don’t give him space, he’ll find it on his own and can beat you from a great distance, as well as from close in.

His latest goal shows that he can find his way through the ice and fire off a shot nearly impossible to stop.

It would be silly to think that Kantserov can jump right to the National Hockey League and immediately expect the same results. First, the defenses he’ll face in North America will make it harder for him to find space and split defenders. Additionally, he has scored 14 goals on 46 shots, for a 30.4 shooting percentage. It’s hard to imagine he sustains that pace for the remainder of the season. But, he’s showing the foundation of being a long-term piece of Chicago’s future.

What Lies Ahead for Kantserov?

So, when will we get to see the 21-year-old bring his traits to the Blackhawks? His KHL contract with Metallurg is set to expire at the end of May. While he hasn’t officially declared he’s leaving for the NHL after this season, it is no secret that there is mutual interest in making that happen.

We’ll likely see him at training camp next fall, but there is a chance that it’s sooner than that. If his season comes to an earlier-than-expected end, negotiations can be made to let him out of the final couple of months of his deal to let him finish the year with the Blackhawks. A lot can happen between now and the spring.

Kantserov has been made even more attractive by moving to center this season after previously playing on the wing. He’s excelling down the middle while averaging nearly 18 minutes a night. The last player under 23 to average a point per game in the KHL was Kirill Kaprizov, so excitement is real.

“I’m comfortable both at center and on the wing, he recently told RG.org. “I think my skill set allows that. I just need to improve a bit on faceoffs and in the defensive zone. I’m very positive about playing center. It’s difficult, but it helps me develop new skills. As a center, you have to be responsible at both ends – helping your wingers, winning pucks, and making plays for teammates.” 

Kantserov revealed that he was invited to development camp this past summer, but elected to stay home and prepare for the KHL season. The Blackhawks have been communicating with him more, now that he’s in the final year of his contract.

“Of course, I follow Connor Bedard. They’re a young team in a rebuild, but they’re doing quite well. As for our communication, it’s normal and professional. They know I’m in the last year of my contract, and I can feel they’re showing more interest now. We have calls roughly every 10 games, go over clips, and discuss areas to improve. Still, the systems in our leagues are very different, so we mostly talk about individual skills.” 

The Blackhawks are a team on the upswing and will be a problem for the NHL in short order. Kantserov appears to be a big part of that, and we can’t wait to see what he does when he gets here.