Height: 6’0”

Weight: 168 pounds

Date of birth: February 19,2000

Hometown: Moscow, Russia

Position: Left Wing/Right Wing

Shoots: Left

OHL Draft: Round 1, 8^th overall, 2016 Priority Selection

NHL Central Scouting pre-season: B Prospect

NHL Central Scouting mid-term: 75th, North American Skaters

NHL Central Scouting final rank: Not available at this time

Although he is a native of Moscow, Russia, there was no Canadian Hockey League Import Draft for Peterborough Petes winger Pavel Gogolev. Instead, the Petes would select Gogolev with the eighth overall pick at the 2016 Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection.

If the OHL was Gogolev’s preferred choice as a stepping stone to the National Hockey League, then getting to Ontario and playing here early to make himself eligible for the OHL Draft was a priority. And he did just that.

Gogolev first applied his skills in Canada during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons with the Program of Excellence Bantam Prep School in B.C. He made the move to Ontario and joined the Canadian International Hockey Academy where current Petes’ teammate Semyon Der-Arguchintsev and the 11^th overall pick at the 2017 NHL Draft Gabriel Vilardi (Los Angeles Kings) honed their skills.

Pavel Gogolev of the Peterborough Petes. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images

It was during that 2015-2016 season that Gogolev played his Midget AAA with the CIHA White squad and scored 38 goals while adding 30 assists in 46 games. His 38 goals were tops in Hockey Eastern Ontario AAA. OHL Central Scouting had this scouting report on Gogolev:

Pavel is one of the top skilled players in the HEO midget league this season. He possesses a combination of size, skill and skating that not many players have. Pavel is an intimidating presence when he is in full flight flying through the neutral zone and has made many a defender look very average as he blows by them. He is very dangerous when he has the puck on his stick and is always a threat offensively. He has great instincts for the net and has the ability to find open ice well.

As a rookie, Gogolev played in 53 games for the Petes a season ago and scored 5 goals and 6 assists. He also represented Russia at the World Hockey Challenge Under-17, winning a Bronze Medal while scoring once in six games.

When the 2017-2018 season ended for the Petes, Gogolev finished with 30 goals and 17 assists in 66 games. His 30 goals were third among draft-eligible players behind Andrei Svechnikov (40) of the Barrie Colts and Aidan Dudas (31) of the Owen Sound Attack. He finished tied with Svechnikov with three hat tricks on the season and fifth in shots-on-goal. You can find the leaders in stats among draft-eligible players here.

The only downfall to this season is the Petes missed the playoffs. Gogolev really came into his own as the season progressed and started lighting the lamp on a more regular basis and it could have helped his draft stock if he had the opportunity to show if he could raise his level of play in a playoff scenario.

At 6’ tall, Gogolev has the frame in which to build on. Despite his 168 pounds, he is deceptively strong at the necessities such as being strong on the puck, battling for pucks and puck protection although he was fighting to find some consistency in those areas earlier in the season.

Gogolev is a dynamic offensive threat especially on the powerplay where he has more time and space. He has shown to have some very good vision and playmaking abilities although that isn’t reflected in his assist totals. He is a smart player and understands how to provide support and make himself available especially for short passes, which is becoming increasingly important in today’s game. He has an excellent shot with a very good release.

When Gogolev applies himself, he can change the outcome of a game single-handedly. He possesses very good puck skills, even when at top speed. And he is a very good skater with excellent speed. At times, he will drive the net with that speed and puck ability. Continuing to find his consistency and an increase in his overall work ethic – or specifically, applying himself from shift-to-shift, is what will make him successful. If he fails to find that, I’m not sure if Gogolev can project as anything but a goal scorer at the next level.