NY Islanders' goaltending prospect is shining in one of Europe's top leagues

When the NY Islanders emphasized restocking the organizational depth at goalie in the 2024 NHL Draft, Lou Lamoriello and his scouting department selected Dmitri Gamzin and Marcus Gidlof. 

Gidlof, the latter of the two selected, was the more highly touted prospect entering this season, coming off a phenomenal season in the SHL at 19 years old.

But with Gidlof injured and missing over a month of action, Gamzin has found himself rising through the ranks.

Gamzin is emerging as one of the KHL's top netminders

Selected in the fourth round (115th overall), Gamzin has taken the reins as starting netminder for CSKA Moskva in the KHL. The 22-year-old backstop took over the role from former NHLer Spencer Martin, who recently left CSKA after losing the starting job, signing with the NY Rangers, and is currently playing for the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Despite playing in a low-scoring league, Gamzin’s numbers have been phenomenal. Appearing in 16 games, he holds an 8-6 record, 1.96 GAA (2nd in the KHL) and .927 SV% (6th in the KHL). He has also recorded two shutouts on the season, coming in back-to-back games earlier this month.

Playing for the same organization in Russia as Ilya Sorokin, Gamzin has a similar build and playing style to the current Isles netminder. Standing 6’3” and a slender 172 lbs, there isn’t much to Gamzin in terms of muscle mass, but his flexibility is off the charts. 

Additionally, before Sergei Naumov, the current Islanders goalie coach, joined the organization, he was Gamzin’s goalie coach with CSKA.

Gamzin signed a two-year extension with CSKA before the start of this season, meaning he wouldn’t be eligible to join the Islanders until the 2027-28 season. 

With David Rittich signed to a one-year deal, and Semyon Varlamov’s future unclear despite having one more season remaining on his contract, the Isles could soon be in the market for a second goalie. Perhaps when his contract expires in Russia, he could become part of the Islanders' new two-headed Russian monster in net along with Sorokin.