CHL notebook: Ducks prospect Sidorov makes bid for goal of year in WHL

Future NHL stars are developing in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Each week, NHL.com will highlight a few of the top NHL-affiliated prospects in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League and the Western Hockey League.

There's a lot of hockey left to be played this season, but the goal of the year in the Western Hockey League probably was already scored by Saskatoon forward and Anaheim Ducks prospect Yegor Sidorov.

In the first period of a game at Regina on Jan. 5, Sidorov got the puck in the Regina end, skated to his right through the high slot, found a lane to the net, then dropped the puck behind his back and flicked a shot past goalie Austin Elliott for Saskatoon's first goal in a 6-4 victory.

"I watched [Pavel] Datsyuk when he played in the KHL [Kontinental Hockey League] a long time ago, and he scored that way in the shootout," Sidorov said. "So then I started doing that at practice this year. And then when I feel like I should try that in a game, I did it on my first try so that was really great. I'm happy with that."

There's a lot to be happy about with the way the 19-year-old is playing. Tied for second in the WHL with 35 goals in 41 games, he's close to surpassing the 40 he scored in 53 games last season. The Ducks then chose him in the third round (No. 85) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Scoring at nearly a goal per game pace is impressive, but Sidorov said he expected to have this kind of success with the experience he has gained from playing three seasons in the WHL.

"I'm a 19-year-old playing in the WHL so I'm playing pretty much against 16-, 17-, 18-year-old guys, so of course I should be better and I think I am," he said. "I want to score more goals."

The Ducks do as well. But they also want to see Sidorov round out his game. It's a work in progress, but there certainly is progress being made.

"I didn't have a question about his ability to score," Anaheim director of player development Jim Johnson said. "My biggest question was: Can he play a 200-foot game? Can he defend and be in the right position to use his skills offensively? He's got good speed, he's got good acceleration and quickness, he escapes well with pucks. 

"But he's got to be in the right spot in his own end, and in the neutral zone, to get these opportunities and to exploit other people. And I think he's now just starting to learn and understand that and it doesn't take away from his offensive ability."

Sidorov is starting to take as much enjoyment from making a smart defensive play as he is from scoring, because he knows mastering elements at each end of the ice will help him get to where he wants to be.

"I'm an offensive forward, but I need to play a better in the [defensive] zone if I want to play in the pros, especially in the NHL," he said. "So I'm focusing on that right now. I want to fix my [defensive] zone and keep my offensive game as I'm playing right now, and be even better."

Johnson said with the commitment Sidorov has shown so far, there is no doubt he can round out his game the way the Ducks hope he will.

"He's got a really, really high skill level and his puck and hand skills are elite," Johnson said. "Yegor is a wonderful kid to work with. He's attentive, wants to learn, wants to get better, asks for information. And when you give him the information, what I like about Yegor is, he applies it right away. ... The kid is dialed in. Anything we talk to him about, he's willing to make adjustments to his game.

"He's got a lot of good things going for him and he's got the right mentality as a young prospect that he wants to get better. ... I have no question with his work ethic and his habits that he'll get stronger and should have a good chance to play [in the NHL] in the next few years."

OTHERS TO WATCH

Easton Cowan, LW, London: The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect had two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win at Kitchener on Friday to extend his point streak to 11 games (25 points; nine goals, 16 assists) in the eighth multipoint game of his run. Selected with the No. 28 pick in the 2023 draft, the 18-year-old has 53 points (18 goals, 35 assists) in 29 games.

Mathieu Cataford, LW, Halifax: The Vegas Golden Knights prospect had an 11-game point streak end Jan. 13, but bounced back a day later with the overtime goal and an assist in a 4-3 win at Moncton. Selected by Vegas in the third round (No. 77) of the 2023 draft, the 18-year-old has 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in his past 14 games and is third in the QMJHL in scoring with 62 points (26 goals, 36 assists) in 42 games this season.

Andrew Cristall, RW, Kelowna: The Washington Capitals prospect had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 win against Vancouver on Friday to 
to push his point streak to 23 games (45 points; 17 goals, 28 assists), tied for the longest streak in the WHL this season, and the longest by a Kelowna player since Brett McLean had points in 24 straight in 1996-97. A second-round pick (No. 40) in the 2023 draft, the 18-year-old is tied for fourth in the league in scoring with 73 points (27 goals, 46 assists) in 36 games.