• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
New Jersey Devils

Devils Pick Shakir Mukhamadullin #20 Overall

By Eugene Helfrick October 6th, 2020

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

With the #20 pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Level Draft, the New Jersey Devils have selected Shakir Mukhamadullin from Topar Ufa of the MHL.

About Shakir Mukhamadullin

Shakir Mukhamadullin is that true blue-chip defensive prospect that every franchise wants in their prospect pool. At 6-foot-4, he is a giant on the ice who can skate like the best in the draft.

While many saw Mukhamadullin as a late-first, early second-round pick, his strong play to start the 2020-21 KHL season may have moved him up the draft board for the Devils. In 14 games, he posted one goal and six points, while going plus-4 in the process. This showed huge strides in his development as an all-around defenseman, which is especially impressive against some of the best players in the world in the KHL.

THW Prospect Profile Excerpt

With size, smarts and a great shot, Russian defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin has everything that an NHL franchise looks for in a blue-chip defensive prospect. Over the last season, Mukhamadullin made massive strides in showcasing why he should be considered one of the top defensive prospects at the 2020 Draft.

Most notably, he played 27 games in the KHL for Salavat Yulaev Ufa, giving him meaningful ice time against some of the top talents across Europe. Mukhamadullin also has experience playing in various U20 international tournaments, registering more than 60 games with team Russia since 2017-18.

All of this experience mixed with Mukhamadullin’s intangibles could make him one of the most desirable defensemen at the draft. After all, he is already holding his own playing against men in the KHL, so he may be ready to start taking on NHL ice time far sooner than normal for someone his age.

Despite having many of the intangibles of a first-round defenseman, Mukhamadullin’s draft outlook is murkier than expected. His rankings are all over the board, with some scouts ranking him as a mid to late first-rounder, while others see him falling as far as the third.

Shakir Mukhamadullin Team Russia
Shakir Mukhamadullin is considered to be one of the best prospects coming out of Russia for the 2020 NHL draft. (Russia Hockey/FHR.RU)

With all of this in mind, it would make sense for a franchise with multiple first-round picks, like the New York Rangers or Ottawa Senators, to take a swing on Mukhamadullin during round one in hopes of finding that perfect blue-chip prospect.

Continue reading the full player profile here

How This Affects the Devils Plans

Given that he is already playing in the KHL for the 2020-21 season, it will likely be at least a year or two before New Jersey will get a good look a Mukhamadullin. If he continues to show steady development, however, he could push for a bottom-six role as soon as he is ready to come to North America.

Given that this was the third first-round pick for the Devils, it makes some sense that they decided to take a chance on Mukhamadullin. He has the size and skill to become a key part of their top-four and if all goes right, he could easily be that perfect top-pairing defenseman capable of eating 25-plus minutes each night.

In the short-term, however, Devils fans should just keep an eye on the KHL to see how Mukhamadullin looks after he is tested against men for an entire season. That’s not easy for even the best players, and if he looks good, he could be their next great defenseman.

  • Tags
  • 2020 NHL Draft
  • Shakir Mukhamadullin
  • Top Story
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 22nd 6:25 PM
Column

Winnipeg Jets News & Rumors: Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Ehlers & Connor

Jan 22nd 5:35 PM
Advanced Stats

Kings’ Anze Kopitar Still Has Trade Value, But Big Cap Hit Hurts

Jan 22nd 5:25 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets Held Back By John Tortorella’s Stubbornness

Jan 22nd 5:15 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton Oilers Newcomers Finding Their Roles

Jan 22nd 5:05 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators’ New Third Pairing Paying Early Dividends

Jan 22nd 4:55 PM
Winnipeg Jets

Jets Could Use Heinola’s Offensive Skill & Hockey IQ for Seasons to Come

Jan 22nd 4:45 PM
Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes Must Improve After COVID-19 Pause

Jan 22nd 4:30 PM
Nashville Predators

Predators’ Power Play Lacks A Lot

Jan 22nd 4:20 PM
Women's Hockey

Meet the NWHL’s EBUG: Mariah Fujimagari

Jan 22nd 4:10 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Rewarded Early by New Top Line of Tkachuk, Lindholm & Dube

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

NHL TV Blackouts & Why They Happen?

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information