Klepov has chance to 'fast-track to the NHL' with Ducks

IRVINE, Calif. -- The Anaheim Ducks may have entered the 2026 NHL Draft without a first-round pick, but they were more than willing to acquire one in order to select the right player.

That happened when forward Nikita Klepov was still on the board as the first round neared the midway point. So Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek decided to make a splash and trade forward Mason McTavish to the St. Louis Blues for the No. 15 pick, which they used to select Klepov, as well as the No. 29 pick.

"When Klepov was there, that really helped us make the decision," Verbeek said at the time. "If he wasn't there, we wouldn't have made the deal."

Klepov, who was No. 8 on NHL Central Scouting's final rankings of North American skaters, had only met with the Ducks once prior to the draft, but when they called his name on June 26, one day before his 18th birthday, he felt as if he landed in a prime spot.

"I didn't think I was going to get picked by them, but I'm really happy the way it worked out," Klepov said at the team's development camp, which was held from June 29 to July 1 in Irvine.

“It’s obviously nice to realize (that Anaheim traded up to select him), but you have to put in a lot of work to get here. It’s a great organization with a lot of good players in here, and you’ve got to do everything that you can and work really hard for the opportunity to get here.”

Klepov led the Ontario Hockey League with 97 points (37 goals, 60 assists) in 67 games for Saginaw last season, shattering the franchise's record for points by a rookie, which was held by Cole Perfetti (74 points in 2018-19).

Verbeek said he was impressed with Klepov's goal-scoring and playmaking abilities, something he generates through a combination of skill and unpredictability.

"We just like his compete level," Verbeek said. "We like the drive that he has to score goals, and right now, it's just a matter of getting him stronger (6-foot, 180 pounds), because there's a lot of really top-notch athletic ability with this player as well."

Giving up McTavish to acquire Klepov wasn't easy, though.

The Ducks had used their highest draft pick in 16 years to select McTavish with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and they had signed the 23-year-old center to a six-year contract on Sept. 27, 2025.

McTavish had 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 75 regular-season games last season, and six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"We want to keep pushing ahead and address some spots where we can make improvements in our roster," said Verbeek, who was hired as Anaheim's GM on Feb. 3, 2022. "(Klepov) might have a chance to fast-track to the NHL."

Klepov has strong ties to both the United States and Russia.

He was born in Deerfield Beach, Florida, while his parents were visiting relatives, but he spent much of his youth in Moscow.

Klepov returned to North America in 2023 to further develop his hockey skills and initially settled in Pennsylvania, where he played one season for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League before heading to the Midwest to play another season for Sioux City of the United States Hockey League.

Klepov then transitioned to Saginaw, where he won the Emms Family Award as the OHL's rookie of the year, the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league's top scorer, as well as the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the top scoring right wing. Klepov is the third player in OHL history to win rookie of the year and lead the league in points in the same season, joining Patrick Kane (2006-07) and Jack Valiquette (1973-74).

Klepov will play at Michigan State next season.

"The highest compliment I can give Nikita is that he spent so much of the season making people forget he was a rookie at all," Saginaw GM Dave Drinkill said.

The Ducks are hoping Klepov can make that same impact in the NHL sooner rather than later, especially considering their salary structure has changed dramatically since the draft.

Anaheim signed center Leo Carlsson to a five-year, $90 million contract on July 9 after matching an offer sheet tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers on July 3. The contract has an average annual value of $18 million, the richest in NHL history.

"The increased cap space has certainly lent to different circumstances," Verbeek said on July 10. "Certainly, we are going to have to do business in a different type of manner moving forward. ... The nice part is we've drafted well, and we have more support coming up underneath from the players that we have currently on our roster. Certainly you're going to have to look for different ways on how to build the team."