Ilya Nabokov

Ilya Nabokov (, born March 27, 2003) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 38th overall, in the second round of the 2024 NHL entry draft by the Avalanche.

Playing career Nabokov first played hockey at the age of five, traveling to play. He started playing as a skater, but switched to playing in goal in his second year, in part inspired by seeing Vasily Koshechkin play for the Russian national team. At 12, he was invited to play in Metallurg. He made his Junior Hockey League (MHL) debut with Stalnye Lisy during the 2019–20 season.

In 36 regular season games in the 2021–22 season, Nabokov recorded five shutouts and a 2.06 goals against average.

In his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut against Kunlun Red Star on November 29, 2022, his lone KHL appearance in the season, Nabokov played less than five minutes and faced just one shot. In the MHL, he was selected for the MHL Challenge Cup at the 2022 KHL All-Star Game, and was nominated for the award for best goaltender.

Nabokov became a KHL regular in 2023–24, taking on a starter role due to the departure of Edward Pasquale and recording a .930 save percentage in 43 games. His first KHL start came on September 9, 2023, a 4–3 opening night victory over HC Vityaz in which he made 23 saves on 26 shots. His first shutout came on October 17, a 29-save blanking of Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. At 21 years and 32 days, he became the youngest playoff MVP in KHL history, beating the previous record of 23 years and 128 days set by goaltender Ilya Sorokin.

On June 29, 2024, Nabokov was selected with the 38th overall pick, in the second round of the 2024 NHL entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche, their first selection in the draft. It was his fourth draft-eligible season.

In the 2024–25 season with Metallurg, Nabokov as the starting goaltender posted a 23-17-6 record with a 2.22 GAA, a .923 SV%, and three shutouts in 49 regular-season appearances. He also appeared in five playoff games, recording a 2.13 GAA and a .920 Sv%. In the regular season, Nabokov ranked 14th in the league in Sv% and 11th in GAA (min 20 GP), and tied for sixth in wins. At the conclusion of the season, Nabokov was signed by the Colorado Avalanche to a two-year, entry-level contract on 31 May 2025. It was immediately confirmed by Metallurg that Nabokov would remain with the club for the 2025–26 season on loan from the Avalanche.

International play Nabokov played for Russia U20 at the 2022 Future Cup. He won the 2024 Channel One Cup with Russia, appearing in all three matches and earning best goaltender honors for the event.

Career statistics Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2019–20 Stalnye Lisy MHL 2 0 0 0 26 1 0 2.26 .917 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 Stalnye Lisy MHL 33 18 10 2 1,778 61 4 2.06 .925 5 4 3 194 12 1 3.70 .905 2021–22 Stalnye Lisy MHL 36 25 8 1 2,034 70 5 2.06 .932 8 4 3 437 19 0 2.61 .921 2022–23 Stalnye Lisy MHL 34 18 9 7 2,018 65 5 1.93 .933 4 1 3 218 11 0 3.02 .903 2022–23 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 0.00 1.000 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 43 23 13 3 2,231 80 3 2.15 .930 23 16 6 1,349 41 4 1.82 .942 2024–25 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 49 23 17 6 2,725 101 3 2.22 .923 5 2 3 310 11 0 2.13 .920 2025–26 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 38 22 7 5 2,121 97 1 2.74 .901 7 2 4 426 18 0 2.53 .892KHL totals 131 68 37 14 7,083 278 7 2.35 .919 35 20 13 2,086 70 4 2.01 .930

Awards and honors Award Year RefMHL All-Star Game 2022 Golden Helmet Award 2024 Gagarin Cup champion 2024 Gagarin Cup MVP 2024