The NY Islanders select goaltender Dmitry Gamzin 115th overall in the NHL Draft

The NY Islanders decided to go off the board with the 118th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, selecting goaltender Dmitry Gamzin.

Gamzin is a 21-year-old netminder honing his craft in Russia, splitting time between the VHL (Russia's version of the AHL) and the KHL with CSKA Moscow. A member of the CSKA organization since 2016, Gamzin put up some solid numbers in the VHL, posting a .922 SV% while allowing 2.42 goals per game.

What makes Gamzin stand out are his numbers in the KHL. In 13 games with CSKA this season, Gamzin allowed only 1.98 goals per game to go along with his .937 SV%. However, he struggled in the Gagarin Cup Playoffs, posting a 4.05 GAA and .905 SV%.

Ilya Sorokin, who signed an 8-year extension with the Islanders last season and a former third-round pick, played with CSKA during his time in Russia, with the two likely crossing paths at some point.

This off-season with the departure of goalie guru Mitch Korn who's now reunited with Barry Trotz in Nashville, the Islanders hired Sergei Naumovs to take over as goalie coach with the Bridgeport Islanders. Naumovs most recent job was as the goaltending coach with CSKA.

There's no doubt that Naumovs spoke with Lou Lamoriello regarding Gamzin, as the two have spent countless hours together in Russia.

Gamzin is 6'3" and weighs 173 lbs - similar to that of Sorokin.

With Russian goalies like Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, and Andrei Vasilevskiy becoming some of the top netminders in the league, teams across the NHL have been turning to KHL to find their netminder of the future.

As is with most Russian prospects, a timetable for Gamzin's arrival in North America is unknown. He could remain with CSKA, or maybe the arrival of Naumovs in Bridgeport expedites his transition to the North American game.