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Russian goalie Leo Lazarev finds way around CHL’s European goalie embargo, is eligible for OHL draft

Neate Sager

Of all the subplots to Saturday's Ontario Hockey League, few are more intriguing than seeing which team will take the plunge on Waterloo Siskins goalie Leo Lazarev. While many teens have gone to the length of migrating to North America while still in minor hockey — such as Sarnia Sting centre Nikita Korostelev — Lazarev will be the first to do so since he's ineligible for the CHL import draft due to the embargo on selecting European goalies.

Lazarev has a had a boffo first season with the Waterloo (Ont.) Siskins. The 16-year-old captured conference rookie-of-the-year honours in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League, a very competitive Junior B league where some late bloomers (the Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele for one), have blossomed during their age-16 seasons. The Moscow native has also helped Waterloo reach the GOJHL conference final against the Stratford Cullitons. As Josh Brown reported, now that Lazarev has 'naturalized' by establishing residency, he's good to be drafted on Saturday.

Here is Brown (@BrownRecord)

Lazarev qualifies as a Canadian resident since his family — dad Slava, mom Anna, sister Jessie and his cat Vasya — now call Waterloo home. And the designation has made the netminder a hot commodity for Saturday's OHL draft.

"It's so good," said Lazarev, who learned the news from agent Igor Larionov one week ago. "The OHL is the best league for juniors."

... Scouts have the goalie pegged to go in the second or third round of the OHL draft. Siskins coach Chris Lazary thinks it will be earlier.

"I think he'll be gone in the first two rounds," he said. "You can't find a goalie like him. He's exceptional. He's the best goalie in the league." (Waterloo Record)

Projecting a priority selection's pick involves a lot of guesswork, especially with goaltenders. Over the past seven drafts, the first selection spent on a goalie has ranged from 16th to 32nd. That is too small a sample for jumping to any conclusions about the wisdom of taking a goaltender early. That list includes bona fide prospects such as Detroit Red Wings pick Jake Paterson (32nd to Saginaw in 2010) and Colorado Avalanche pick Spencer Martin (18th to Mississauga in '11). Others have merely panned out as capable OHL goalies.

It is tough to get a gauge on a goalie who might not be tested severely on a regular basis in minor hockey. A difference here is Lazarev has a body of work in a decent junior circuit. He might also be slightly closer to stepping in for an OHL team than a 16-year-old chosen out of minor midget. The OHL wasn't exactly deep in goaltending this season, which might increase the pressure to select for need.

Whatever one's opinion on the import goalie ban, it will take more than one year to judge if it has any positive effect on Canadian goaltending stock. The OHL has several other initiatives in place to help train goalies. All of them could have been implemented without phasing out European goalies, but that's a moot point.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.