Rating: 89
Height: 184cm/6'0"
Weight: 78kg/171.6 lb
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Right
Born: 1990-05-25
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Scout 1: A flashy, exciting winger with excellent skating abilities…has already declared that he wants to play in North America as soon as possible…is fluent in English…effortless skater with great acceleration and excellent top-speed…is agile on skates, with or without the puck…avoids physical play, but is improving…has enough strength to play against men, even if he could and should gain some mass…he can play hard if he wants to, just this isn’t his style…works hard all the shifts…has to work on the defensive side, but is not one dimensional…doesn’t avoid to play through the traffic…great hands, fine stick handling…good puck carrier through the neutral and offensive zone…great acceleration with the puck on the stick, very effective on counter attacks and breakaway…extremely good hockey sense, he effectively move on the ice and sees well his line mates…good passing ability, not a playmaker, but can give the puck right on the tape…quick, strong wrist shot, snaps the shot very well too…doesn’t use too much the slapper…has all the tools to be a NHL star winger, his suitability to the North American play his one of his best assets

Scout 2: A talented scoring forward who is capable of creating offensive chances for himself and his linemates. Possesses excellent skating ability and a very quick top gear. An above average puckhandler, but is not as effective in traffic and this is something that he has been working and improving over the past season. Hasn’t yet filled in his 6’0 frame, though has gained about 7-10 pounds of bulk over the past season. Does not have a strong physical presence and will likely continue developing and becoming more capable of handling physical pressure, but will not likely ever be able to dish it out at the same level due to his size limitations. Has a very dangerous wrist shot and very soft hands – capable of making very precise passes. Defensively tries to help, but is marginal in his own zone, preferring to break out into an offensive rush. Overall a very talented forward who continues to improve every year and doesn’t hesitate to take on challenges.

Nikita Filatov is the product of the CSKA Moscow hockey system. The talented young forward has been one of the club’s shining young stars, excelling within the system since he was 13 years old. 2005-06 season: Filatov made his debut on CSKA’s junior farm club CSKA 2 at just the age of 15 during the 2005-06 season. That same season he shined for CSKA’s 1988-89 born squad. That same season Filatov made his national team debut, skating on Russia’s newly formed 1990 born team. He didn’t start off strong, but it was the start of a strong and successful international career. 2006-07 season: During the 2006-07 season, Filatov further showed his dominance in Russia’s junior hockey league, averaging more than 3 points per game. He also came into his own on Russia’s 1990 DOB national team, becoming the team’s leading scorer on many occasions. Finally, he then helped Russia earn the gold medals at the U18 World Junior Championships, leading the squad in points and only being second on the team in goals to Alexei Cherepanov. This was especially impressive when considering that he joined the team one year early and will again skated for squad the following season. 2007-08 season: Filatov continued his dominance at the junior levels, performing well with CSKA 2 and on Russia’s U18 and U20 squads. His performance on the U20 squad was especially impressive, since Filatov was one of the youngest players and that did not prevent him from being one of the brightest stars. He again finished as Russia’s top point getter and second sniper just a goal behind Viktor Tikhonov. In Russia, Filatov made his Super League debut to fill in on the fourth line, but he did not stick with the already established high powered squad and only skated 5 games for CSKA’s main club team.

Nikita Filatov is eligible for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. The young prospect has impressive array of skills and is also a technical skater with a high top speed. His offensive potential have made him one of the top draft eligible players and he has all but backed this up with impressive performances at the U18 and U20 World Junior Championships. His lack of Super League experience is a bit concerning in regards to his long term potential, as he has not yet been tested against veteran adult players, but this does not seem to discourage NHL clubs from picking promising young players early. Filatov has talked about coming over to North America this coming summer and if he commits to this statement, he will likely also not be hurt by the lack of a transfer agreement between Russia and the NHL. Still, considering the rift, he will likely be a 10-15 selection rather than a top ten pick where he belongs. Ruslan Bashkirov did not help matters, since he skated a season prior to the draft in the Canadian juniors, but then left just after the draft to play in Russia, despite promises of sticking it out in North America. Filatov is different though, since he is fluent in English and has no apparent problems acclimating to the North American culture or ice surface.
RP Draft Projection: #10-15 overall section