Newark, New Jersey — Anton Shiraev had only one bright spot on his mind after being selected 10th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2024 NHL Draft on June 28 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
When asked what goal he would like to achieve, the 18-year-old defenseman responded, “To win a Stanley Cup.”
It may seem a little premature, but the left-hander from the Kontinental Hockey League's Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod is programmed to hit the ground running, and that's music to the Devils' ears.
“We're excited to have him on our team. What could you not like about a player who's 6-foot-7 and skates like a ballerina?,” New Jersey's director of amateur scouting Mark Dennehy said. “This guy is special, and when you look at our defense, I'm confident we'll have one of the best defenses in the NHL one day.”
Shiraev (6-foot-7, 207 pounds) is considered to have incredible mobility for a player his size and a great physical presence, something the Devils desperately needed in their prospect pipeline.
“He's an aggressive, skating defenseman who, despite his young age, has already shown he can prioritize physical defense,” New Jersey assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon said. “This guy seems committed to this style of defense and this team is going to benefit from that going forward.”
In his first season in the KHL, Silaev recorded 11 points (three goals, eight assists), 103 shots and 74 blocked shots in 63 regular season games while leading the team with 98 hits. Coach Igor Larionov played 14 seasons in the NHL, including the 2003-04 season with the Devils, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008 and won three Stanley Cup championships with the Detroit Red Wings.
Silaev is the player in KHL history who has scored the most points as an under-18 player, trailing only Vladimir Tarasenko in second (10 points with Novosibirsk in 2008-09).
