Coming in at number 8 on Fear the Fin’s Top 25 Sharks Under 25 is Igor Chernyshov. Chernyshov was 12th on our list last season, and we would not have faulted him if he had dropped down the list, given what he has gone through in the past 12 months. After all, there was a lot going against the forward. Not only was he adjusting to North American ice after playing his entire life in Russia, but he started the season on the injured list. He had shoulder surgery before training camp and spent the first couple of months after the draft healing. There were a lot of factors working against Chernyshov, and it would have been easy for him to write the season off as a wash.
But instead of doing that, the forward had surgery in August and then headed to Saginaw to spend time with his new teammates on the Saginaw Spirit. It was a good plan because he was then primed to jump back into play on Jan. 30, 2025, and immediately made an impact. Chernyshov scored two goals in his first game back and went on to be impactful in almost every subsequent game. By the end of the season, he had 55 points in 23 games played, including three games with five points. He had six more points in five playoff games for the Spirit.
His offensive skill is something that’s been there for a while. In his pre-draft season, Chernyshov was a boy scoring among men. He scored his first KHL goal before he was 17, and had four points in 34 games in his 2023-24 season with Dynamo Moskva in the KHL. He also scored 28 points in 22 games in the MHL as a 17-year-old.
Position: Left Wing
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 205 pounds
Age: 19
Date of Birth: Nov. 30, 2005
Draft Year: 2024 (33rd overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2025-26 Team: San Jose Barracuda
What we like
Chernyshov has incredible skill for a player of his size. What makes him so special is that he’s not about bullying his way with the puck the way so many big men do. Instead, he uses his tool set, which includes high-end puck handling, NHL-level skating and a solid hockey IQ to put himself in the best position to succeed. Yes, he has the size that general managers love, but when you add the skill, he’s a general manager’s dream.
In a testament to his hockey IQ, Chernyshov worked well with Michael Misa and defenseman Zayne Parekh last season, and the NHL draftees seemed to find an almost instant chemistry. Misa and Parekh also think about the game at a high level, and so the way the players were able to play off of one another was a sight to behold. There’s a reason why Misa and Chernyshov were both able to average more than two points per game for the Spirit.
Power forwards like Chernyshov take a little longer to develop, but we would not be surprised if he gets a taste of the NHL this spring. While he’s young and there’s a lot of fine-tuning needed for his game, Chernyshov learns quickly, which means his arrival in the NHL could happen sooner rather than later. He feels like he’s further along than some of the Sharks’ other prospects.
Areas of improvement
While Chernyshov is a big body, some scouts have pointed out that he may not use his size enough. In his most recent prospect report, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman criticized Chernyshov for not attacking the net enough, saying that the winger is sometimes “content” to stay on the perimeter. Chernyshov has an advantage with his size, and coaches will want him to use that size to unlock all of his potential at the NHL level.
It will also be interesting to see what Chernyshov does away from a player like Misa. Admittedly, the two only had half a season together, so he didn’t have enough time for his offense to become “reliant” on Misa, but seeing what Chernyshov can produce with other centers such as Filip Bystedt, Cam Lund, Zack Ostapchuk and Ethan Cardwell will be interesting.
What’s next for Chernyshov?
Unlike his Spirit teammate, Misa, Chernyshov is likely destined to play for the San Jose Barracuda this season, with the potential of being sent back to the Spirit if the Sharks feel like he needs another season in the OHL to develop. Given how well he played and adapted to North American play, even with the half-season in the OHL, we believe that Chernyshov will stick with the Barracuda.
The AHL will be a good test for Chernyshov, where he will play with and against men. The pace will be a good test for Chernyshov.
Better yet, while Chernyshov played on a skill line with Misa last season, this season could see him on a heavier line with players like Zack Ostaphchuk and Patrick Giles this season. Both Ostapchuk and Giles are skilled, but they also have size that can do damage in the corners and in front of the net. These players can teach Chernyshov a new aspect to his game that will add a dimension that will eventually help when Chernyshov is called up to the Sharks.
Highlights
Let’s start with his first OHL goal, an easy tap-in that was assisted by Misa. That’s a combination we could hear a lot of in the near future.
And a ten-point week in February earned him player of the week honors in early February of this year. He split the points evenly, five goals and five assists.
Previous Top 25 Under 25 Posts
9. Quentin Musty
10. Luca Cagnoni
11. Collin Graf
12. Filip Bystedt
13. Joshua Ravensbergen
14. Kasper Halttunen
15. Eric Pohlkamp
16. Cam Lund
17. Ethan Cardwell
18. Haoxi Wang
19. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
20. Jack Thompson
21. Cole McKinney
22. Zack Ostapchuk
23. Mattias Havelid
24. Egor Afanasyev
25. Carson Wetsch
Honorable Mentions: Joey Muldowney, Jake Furlong, Brandon Svoboda, Nate Misskey, Gabriel Carriere
