New Jersey Devils’ Prospect Nikita Shcherbakov on KHL Debut, Alexander Zharovsky, and His Development – The Hockey Writers – Devils Prospects

The blueliner’s first KHL opponent was Torpedo, followed by Metallurg, Avtomobilist, Avangard, and Ak Bars. That’s not exactly the easiest schedule for a debut. “Looking back, I can honestly say that I didn’t even think about who the opposition was,” Shcherbakov recalled. “I wasn’t particularly concerned about the opponents. I understood that this could be my only chance to show what I could do—in the KHL at 17, not everyone gets an opportunity like that. So I didn’t care who we were playing.”

During that month in the KHL, he gained some valuable experience. “It’s important simply to get game experience against grown men,” Shcherbakov said about his path. “I got that kind of experience in the second league with Toros, so now I’m ready to return to the KHL and play there comfortably. At Salavat Yulaev, I saw a more professional approach to games and practices. Everyone prepared for games seriously. All the guys helped me adjust, and Grigori Panin gave me a lot of advice.”

However, he was then sent down to the second league. “I had a conversation with [head coach] Viktor Kozlov before leaving for Toros. He told me to play in the VHL the same way I played in the KHL. I want to get back to the highest level, and my experience with Salavat Yulaev gives me confidence that I can establish myself there.”

Playing With Zharovsky

Shcherbakov entered professional hockey with an impressive frame, but he was only 17, and he didn’t feel like he lacked physical strength. “We were allowed to have physical contact in practice, and that helped me get used to it. In KHL games, I tried to play at full intensity against every team. I’m currently 6-foot-5 and 192 pounds. I’m still working on my size, and it would be good for my confidence to add another ten pounds.”

Despite their history, Shcherbakov never actually played with Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Alexander Zharovsky in the KHL. “We talked beforehand about when we’d finally play together,” the defenseman said. “Zharovsky got injured right before the start of the season and missed the first seven games, which I played.

I remember that after he returned, we were walking back from the gym and joking that he had seven KHL games at that point, including the 2025 Playoffs, and I also had seven. I told him we were even now, but then I wasn’t in the lineup for the next game. He reminded me that I’d jinxed myself. I really want to play with him in an official KHL game.”

Many call Zharovsky’s playing style “hypnotic”. Shcherbakov knows it very well. “I’ve experienced Sasha’s “hypnosis” from every possible angle,” he admitted. “His style is noticeable even when you’re not playing against him personally. Last season only confirmed what a special player Zharovsky is. Sometimes we joke in the locker room that it’s actually worse when the puck comes off his stick during practice, because he can somehow pick it up and do absolutely anything with it. You never know what to expect from him on the ice. Sometimes we don’t even understand how the puck sticks to him,” he added with a laugh.

Shcherbakov made his debut in the Russian junior league at just 16. His size helped him, back then. “Because of my size, it wasn’t difficult for me to adjust to the league. From the first few games, I understood that I could play there comfortably.”

He had one goal and eight points across 40 regular-season games. “I wasn’t focused on scoring goals,” he said when asked about his production. “The most important thing was to play the right way, and I was able to do that. The coaches also told me that when you move to a new level, it’s important to follow the team’s instructions rather than chase personal statistics. I want to be a two-way defenseman: joining the attack but not forgetting about defense. I need to help the team at both ends of the ice.”

In 15 games in the Russian junior league last season, he took more shots (32) than he did during his entire first season (29). Perhaps he was focused on getting that second goal. “No, I always focus only on helping the team win. With experience, I simply realized that every shot toward the net can turn into a scoring chance. The coaches encouraged me to shoot more, so that’s what happened. My ice time with Tolpar also increased significantly in my second season.”

Shcherbakov’s Early Years

Like most other high-level players, Shcherbakov started playing at a very young age. “I first put on skates when I was three at a rink in Chelyabinsk,” he said. “Then I joined Traktor’s hockey school and trained there until I was 12, before moving to Ufa. My parents say that a family friend who played amateur hockey influenced my decision. He showed me his skills, I liked it, and I started skating with a support box, and then without one. My parents also say that when I was little, I didn’t always enjoy practice. Sometimes I’d cry and go sit in the net.”

“Traktor is a great hockey school with a lot of competition. They would have three teams for each age group, and the best players would play. When the coaches asked who we wanted to be, I said, ‘A forward or a goalie!’” he laughed. “In the end, I became neither of those things. I became a defenseman.”

Then, he left his native Chelyabinsk for Ufa. “It was during the COVID pandemic, when everyone went a long time without practicing. The son of Kirill Koltsov, whom I played with, was moving to Ufa with his family and suggested that I move there too. The conditions at Salavat were better. They provided us with everything we needed, unlike Traktor, and there was also a stipend. There was also a difference in the style of hockey. In Chelyabinsk I played against teams from the Urals, while in Ufa we played teams from the Volga region. At Salavat, they taught us a more combination-based, attacking style.”

As he mentioned earlier, Kirill Koltsov, the former KHL star defenseman, was Shcherbakov’s favorite player when he was a kid. “Kirill Koltsov was one of my favorites, so I’ll name him. He always made unconventional decisions and could calmly skate around opponents with the puck like a forward. I liked that style of play. Koltsov didn’t care what the score was—he took risks, and it worked for him.”

Whether he will be as productive as Koltsov was in his career remains to be seen, but Shcherbakov has all the tools to move up in his career to the NHL level, even if his role will be more of a shutdown defenseman.