Romanov receives high praise from Eastern Conference executive
The Montreal Canadiens made big news when it was announced they had signed their top prospect Alexander Romanov to a three-year, entry-level contract. Romanov has said he will come to North America and play wherever the Habs see fit, whether in the NHL or in the minors.
“I'm ready to play in the AHL, I'm ready to play in the NHL, I'm ready to play in North America,” said Romanov.
However, after hearing the praise heaped on him from an Eastern Conference executive yesterday, it seems like a near guarantee that Romanov will immediately play in the NHL.
“He's more of a Drew Doughty type. At the world juniors, a lot of the GMs and AGMs were comparing him to… they said he plays the way Drew Doughty plays,” the executive said. “To hit the nail on the head, the comparison with Doughty is to say Romanov wants to take command of the game. He wants to be involved in every facet of the game, and he can be with his skating ability.
“I think he's got way more offence to offer than what you see reflected in his KHL numbers,” the executive said. “You release him and let him be involved, and I think he's really going to surprise. I can't say for sure, because we haven't seen it in the KHL, but we saw it at the world juniors.”
The Doughty comparisons have to excite Canadiens fans, as he has been known as one of the best defencemen in the NHL for the last decade. As for Romanov's offence, the stats the last two seasons certainly won't blow you away, as he has recorded just 11 combined points over 86 games. However, he is just 20-years-old, which is very young for to play in the KHL.
In the IIHF World Juniors, as the executive said, his numbers were much more impressive. In the 2019 and 2020 tournament combined, he put up two goals and 12 assists over 14 games. The young defenceman certainly seems to have all of the tools to become a stud NHLer.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 16, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jack Quinn | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Evans | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Konsta Helenius | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zach Metsa | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Arber Xhekaj | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Bowen Byram | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Michael Matheson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||