Exactly one month ago, Mikhail Yegorov was between the pipes for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers in a regular-season game against the Waterloo Black Hawks. The 18-year-old Russian who was selected 49th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2024 NHL Draft made 30 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss.

• Subscribe today to watch men's and women's college hockey on FloHockey
• NCAA Men's Hockey Power Rankings
• USHL Power Rankings

Little did many know, that game was going to be Yegorov’s last in Omaha.

Fast forward to one month later and Yegorov has gone through a whirlwind after enrolling at Boston University earlier than expected. Not on campus for even a month, Yegorov already has three NCAA wins and a signature performance in the 72nd Beanpot championship game Monday night.

The St. Petersburg native stopped 43 of 44 shots in TD Garden as the Terriers defeated No. 1 Boston College 4-1 to claim their first Beanpot title since 2022 and 32nd all time.

The goalie who starred on the biggest stage in Boston college hockey wasn’t really supposed to be there at all, as should be made obvious by the fact that the mask he tossed off his head to celebrate the championship still bore the Omaha Lancers colors and logo.

After being drafted by the Devils, the plan was for Yegorov to spend this season with Omaha seeing as BU had three goalies on their roster including returning starter Mathieu Caron. Yegorov had started 43 games the previous season, posting an .892 save percentage and posting just eight wins for the last-place Lancers in his first season playing in North America.

Obviously, things changed.

Yegorov appeared in 19 games with Omaha over the first half of the 2024-25 season in the USHL. Though his talent was never denied, there was only so much he could do to help the Lancers through another tumultuous season that has seen two in-season coaching changes, the departure of the team’s general manager and losses piling up with nary a win since Nov. 19.

Yegorov’s efforts in a dire situation were exemplary. The fact that he had a .912 save percentage despite winning just three of his 19 appearances says a lot about the quality of the player. He faced an average of 32 shots against per game and a litany of grade-A chances. Maybe that only battle-hardened him for the moment he just delivered for his new school and team.

ICYMI: Mikhail Yegorov recorded a new franchise record for your Omaha Lancers with 66 saves in a single game on New Year’s Eve against our rivals from Lincoln!

🧵 pic.twitter.com/xyeItr7xBW

— Omaha Lancers (@OmahaLancers) January 2, 2025

One of the most absurd performances of his junior career came on Dec. 31 when Yegorov set a franchise record with 66 saves in a regulation game, with Omaha losing 4-1 to rival Lincoln. Games like that showed that he might just be ready to make the jump to college earlier than expected.

Yegorov and BU decided that it might be time to bring the prized recruit to town, assuming everything could get squared away with admissions and eligibility. That apparently included Yegorov having to travel to the Bahamas to get his visa on short notice. 

Mikhail Yegorov on his whirlwind of a month, which included a trip to the Bahamas to get his student visa:

"It was a little wild, of course, but I ended up here." pic.twitter.com/nkat0Gk2CM

— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) February 11, 2025

All hurdles were cleared and on Jan. 21, the Terriers made it official that Yegorov was on the roster and he was going to play. Four days later, he made his first collegiate start on the road against Boston College.

His first game got off to an inauspicious start as he went out for warmups too early, due to an apparent misunderstanding. Yegorov took an inadvertent solo lap, taking the ice before even the game officials were out. That was a rules violation and forced BU to start that game against rival BC on a penalty kill. BC scored on the power play and won the game 2-0 despite Yegorov stopping 23 of 24 shots.

Over his first five NCAA starts, including that one with the warmups mishap, Yegorov has been nothing short of remarkable. The 6-foot-5 freshman who plans to major in math and economics has gone 3-2-0 with a stunning .951 save percentage as a collegiate netminder.

Mikhail Yegorov in less than a month at BU:

.951 SV%
137 saves
1.41 goals against average

Beanpot Champion.

📸 @tokenalaskan pic.twitter.com/WprDJvTXRh

— Boston Hockey Blog (@BOShockeyblog) February 11, 2025

Goaltending had not been a strength at BU with senior netminder Caron posting an .898 save percentage through 20 appearances. 

BU wasted no time in throwing Yegorov into the fire, giving him the net at the Beanpot where all he did was post a .972 save percentage after allowing just one goal to each of Harvard and Boston College.

Suddenly, BU looks like a much more serious contender in both Hockey East and on the national stage. Knocking off rival BC on the big stage of the Beanpot with the nation watching and all of Boston paying attention was a massive spot to put Yegorov in just a few weeks removed from getting shelled in the USHL. Yet the big man delivered.

When FloHockey spoke to Yegorov at the 2024 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, you could tell there was something special about this player. 

Yegorov was thoughtful with his answers and talked about his craft like a seasoned veteran. Speaking in his second language, he was assured and confident. The buzz coming out of the combine among NHL scouts was that teams were extremely taken by the player and the person. He was often cited as one of the best interviews among all prospects for the teams.

He even managed to take a shot at future BU teammate Cole Eiserman, who scored a critical insurance goal in Monday night's Beanpot win.

👀 Mikhail Yegorov had something to say about future @TerrierHockey teammate Cole Eiserman 🫣@USHL @OmahaLancers @USAHockeyNTDP #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/ZodCY7GU2j

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) June 11, 2024

Despite the Combine buzz, it was still uncertain where Yegorov would end up going in the draft. New Jersey got aggressive, making him a top-50 pick and the second goalie taken. His numbers weren't going to blow you away, but his size, athleticism and clear mental strength all screamed NHL prospect and as far as the Devils were concerned, one they had to get into their system.

Yegorov seems to have all of the physical tools and certainly has showed an impressive ability to fight through adversity. Now he’s in a brand new setting, with a lot of new responsibilities, and he just keeps delivering. 

Yegorov's ahead-of-schedule arrival appears to actually have been right on time.

NHL Prospect Coverage On FloHockey

Looking for more? The best, and most complete, coverage of the NHL minor league hockey and NHL Draft is found on FloHockey. Don't miss the latest new prospect guides, rankings and more from Chris Peters and the FloHockey staff.

Watch ECHL, USHL And More On FloHockey 

FloHockey is the streaming home to some of the best hockey leagues in North America, including the ECHL and more. Check out the broadcast schedule to watch more hockey.

Join The Hockey Conversation On FloHockey Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloHockey
• Follow us on Instagram @flohockey
• Follow us on TikTok @flohockeytv
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook