When Seattle Kraken rookie camp opens Friday, Sept. 11, we know one prospect who won’t be attending. He’s not missing – just busy fulfilling his contract 5,300 miles away from Kraken Community Iceplex.
Goalie Semyon Vyazovoi from Ufa, Russia was selected before the Kraken ever played a game, in the 6th round of the 2021 draft. Now 23, Vyazovoi is starting for his hometown Ufa Salavat Yulayev of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), whose season has already begun. In his first two starts, both wins, he stopped 65 of 67 shots.
Because he hasn’t come over to North America, an air of mystery surrounds Semyon. Could he one day join the growing ranks of great Russian NHL netminders like Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Sergei Bobrovsky?
From Backup To Starter
Here’s what McKeen’s Hockey said in June. “A full-fledged KHL starter now, Vyazovoi had a monster season (in 2025-26). A 27-18-5 record was accompanied by a 2.13 GAA and .931 SV%. A 4-5 record in the playoffs wasn’t shabby either – clearly verifying that he was his team’s go-to starter.”
Impressively, Vyazovoi began last season as the backup, but worked his way into becoming his team’s number-one. He even posted a shutout while suffering from a fever. Coach Viktor Kozlov noted his heavy workload. “He himself fit into the role of the first goalkeeper. Let him be full of heat.”
A media outlet that covers the KHL says, “It is difficult to find frankly bad matches in the performance of Vyazov. It is also possible to remember his mature game in the playoffs.” KHL TV analyst Kirill Kornilov noted Vyazovoy’s slow start to his rookie season. “He knows how to rebuild even after not the most successful matches. Semyon leveled his game and continues to progress.”
He progressed sufficiently to be a finalist for KHL goalie of the year. From the league website: “A year ago, Vyazovoy was among the top three rookies of the season, and in his second season, he was among the top three goaltenders. His play was one of the keys to Salavat Yulaev’s success, finishing third among goaltenders in the regular season in wins, behind only the two other nominees.”
Vyazovoi’s Glove-Hand Robbery
An award the 6-foot-3, 178 pound goalie did win was “save of the year.” When the league counted down the top 30 goalie moments, a miracle glove save against powerhouse Ak Bars Kazan topped the list.
Semyon, anticipating a shot, had slid to the left post. Seeing that, a pass went instead cross-ice to Anaheim Ducks prospect Artyom Galimov. So sure were Galimov’s teammates that he’d scored (1), they began to raise their sticks. But seemingly out of thin air, Vyazovoi’s trapper emerged (2) to snare the shot before it snuck under the crossbar. Galimov could only laugh (3) as he was consoled by the referee.
Kraken Prospect Eventually Will Trade KHL for NHL
There are legitimate questions regarding whether success in today’s KHL will translate to today’s NHL. But Vyazovoi can only play against the competition put in front of him, and he’s certainly succeeded at that.
One thing we do know: as with Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer, Vyazovoi is in the final year of his contract. This has increased speculation that if Grubauer departs as expected, the Russian might leapfrog other Kraken prospects to join Joey Daccord tending the twine next year in Seattle.
Kornilov, the TV commentator, does not believe the goalie will have to apprentice with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. “To start his way in the AHL it is definitely not there. Try to go already under the main team. But how much he will succeed depends solely on him.”
Vyazovoi himself addressed this with Russian media, saying he doesn’t have a timetable for jumping to North America. “I decided it was too early for me to leave for the NHL. But I stay in touch with Seattle. They call me often, asking how I’m doing and how the games are going. Some people are ready to leave even at 19. I haven’t set a specific age for myself yet. It all depends on how I feel.”
Note: media sources differ on spelling the goalie’s surname, Vyazovoi or Vyazovoy.
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