By: 369 Sports & Entertainment
Mikhail Cherepanov’s road from Yekaterinburg to the Dallas Stars.
Ask Mikhail Cherepanov to sum up the year that took him from an NAHL rookie to a Dallas Stars draft pick, and he doesn’t reach for a long answer. He offers a single word, beginning. It is a fitting summary from a player whose path so far has been defined less by any single breakthrough than by a steady, deliberate accumulation of them.
Hockey wasn’t always the plan. Growing up in Yekaterinburg, it started as something he did purely for fun, skating with friends on the same sheet of ice. The shift toward something more serious didn’t arrive until he was thirteen.
I decided to try to be a professional hockey player only when I was 13, because before that I was just having fun with my friends and enjoying skating with them on the same ice. – Mikhail Cherepanov
That decision landed him in the Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg system, the youth pipeline of a KHL club whose junior affiliate competes in the MHL, the top tier of junior hockey in Russia. He is quick to credit the environment more than himself.
We had the best team in our age group in Russia and the best coaches, so there’s not a lot to say about it. We were very close-knit within the team, and of course we showed good results due to diligent training. I’m lucky to be surrounded by such good people and professionals. – Mikhail Cherepanov
His hockey education came as much from watching as playing. He grew up studying the NHL and KHL closely, and his taste in players shifted with age, from Drew Doughty and Rasmus Dahlin on defense as a kid to Pavel Datsyuk and Anatoly Golyshev on the scoring side, both, like him, products of Yekaterinburg.
The move to North America was a family decision built around a specific target. His parents introduced the idea, and Mikhail took it from there.
My parents showed and told me that this idea was possible, and I began to strive to get there. The immediate goal was NCAA D1. When I was ready to move to North America, we decided to take this step. We knew all the risks and were ready for them. – Mikhail Cherepanov
The adjustment that followed was significant, even if he downplays it now. Everything changed at once: the hockey, the culture, the language. Asked what was hardest, his answer is understated.
Everything changed dramatically, but I was ready. I can’t say exactly what was the hardest part, but it was probably just a little hard for me to be away from home. – Mikhail Cherepanov
His first stop, Team Illinois 16U AAA, turned out to be a soft landing. The organization and coaching staff helped smooth the transition, and Mikhail’s own personality did the rest.
It was a really good experience; the whole organization and coaches helped me a lot. I joined the team pretty quickly, as I’m a friendly and talkative guy myself. – Mikhail Cherepanov
What followed was a breakout season with the New Hampshire Mountain Kings in the NAHL, where he put up 31 points and 99 penalty minutes across 56 games, a stat line that reads like a mission statement. It is exactly the identity he is trying to build on the ice.
It’s funny to say that I always try to stand out on the ice, in all parts of the ice. I like to score goals, make interesting plays, hits, and own the puck. – Mikhail Cherepanov
Scouts have described his game as high-octane, creative, and physical. Put that characterization to him directly, and there’s no hesitation.
Yes, totally. – Mikhail Cherepanov
Even in a breakout year, he points to defensive play and physicality as the areas that took up most of his attention, framing it as unfinished business rather than a finished product.
Draft night itself unfolded far from the cameras and the green rooms. It was 1:30 in the morning in Yekaterinburg, and by then it was just Mikhail and his father, sitting in a dark room, watching the broadcast. His mother had already gone to bed.
I was selected at about 1:30 a.m. my time. So I was pretty sleepy, sitting with my dad in total darkness and watching the draft. My mom had already gone to bed. My eyes were already starting to close, and at one point my dad pushed me, and I was chosen. Of course, there were a lot of emotions, calls, and congratulations. I had to stay awake for about two more hours after that. – Mikhail Cherepanov
The wait through the rounds before that moment is a blur, he admits, less a sequence of thoughts than a state of pure nerves.
I wasn’t thinking about anything at that moment, because I was so worried. I just sat there, looked at different last names, and waited for my own. – Mikhail Cherepanov
Hearing Dallas specifically call his name carried its own weight, and Mikhail is aware of exactly what that means.
I got lucky to get into such a good organization, one that’s legendary enough for the NHL. All hockey players know that defenders have a high status there. It’s pretty special to be a part of this. – Mikhail Cherepanov
From here, the path only gets steeper. A CHL Import Draft lies ahead with no guarantee of destination, and beyond that, a 2027-28 commitment to Lake Superior State that is still two full seasons away. Mikhail treats both as reasons to keep working rather than reasons to look up.
I’m just trying to work on myself as much as possible. It’s going to be very difficult to make this team. There’s a lot of training ahead. I hope everything will work out. – Mikhail Cherepanov
Asked what the next year needs to look like for him to feel on track, he keeps the answer close, the way most competitive eighteen-year-olds do when the goals are still being written.
I have my own goals that I will strive to fulfill. – Mikhail Cherepanov
It leaves the year exactly where he put it at the start: not a peak, not a finish line, just a beginning.
Author of the Article: 369 Sports & Entertainment
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Partner agency:Frontier Sports Group advisory team
Player profile:Mikhail Cherepanov on Elite Prospects
