"We are excited to have agreed to terms with Nikita as we continue to build out our prospect pool and add to our organization's depth in goal," said Allvin. "He provides a combination of tremendous size and skill and has developed well at the professional level the past two seasons in Sweden, serving as one of the more accomplished goaltenders in his league this year."
Tolopilo, 22, recently concluded his second season in HockeyAllsvenskan with Södertälje SK, leading all goaltenders in games played (45) and wins (28). Additionally, he ranked fourth in save percentage (.910 SV%), fifth in goals-against average (2.10 GAA), and was tied for the fourth-most shutouts in the league (4).
The 6'6", 229-pound netminder guided his team to the quarterfinals of the 2023 playoffs, posting a 2.43 GAA and .920 SV% in six games (2-4-0). Last season, Tolopilo played in 34 regular season games (11-21-0) with Södertälje SK during his first season in HockeyAllsvenskan before playing in a best-of-seven relegation series against IF Troja-Ljungby, winning the series 4-2. Appearing in all six relegation games, Tolopilo registered a sparkling 1.57 GAA and .951 SV% to go along with two shutouts.
Prior to spending two seasons in Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan, the Minsk, Belarus product appeared in nine games across parts of two seasons with his hometown Minsk Dynamo, registering a 2-5-0 record and 3.30 GAA. Tolopilo has represented Belarus on a number of occasions on the international stage, including multiple U18 and U20 IIHF World Championships and was named to Team Belarus at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships.
