Top prospect Nail Yakupov is focused on playing in the NHL.
The 18-year-old Russian forward said during a press conference at the NHL’s Scouting Combine in Toronto on Thursday that teams had asked him if he thought about playing in the KHL but he made it clear which league he’s committed to right now.
"For me, I think just about the NHL," Yakupov said. "It’s my dream to play in the NHL. I think I have a chance to play in the NHL. I want to make the team for me, for now, it’s just NHL. My focus is just NHL."
Yakupov had 31 goals and 38 assists in 42 games for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting in 2011-12 despite missing a bulk of the season due to a knee injury. He finished first in the NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau rankings among North American skaters and earned the CHL’s Jack Link’s Top Prospect of the Year award.
Yakupov also had 49 goals and 52 assists in his rookie season with Sarnia in 2010-11, earning both the OHL and CHL’s rookie of the year awards.
The 2012 NHL Entry Draft will take place in Pittsburgh on June 22-23.
