The NHLPA on Tuesday morning (Aug. 26) announced the roster for the upcoming 2025 NHLPA Rookie Showcase that will be held on Sep. 3 at Medstar Capitals Iceplex Arena. It is the Washington Capitals’ practice facility. The showcase will run from 10 am to noon.
One name to keep an eye on is Carolina Hurricanes’ rookie sensation, defenseman Alexander Nikishin. What does it mean for the Russian rookie to showcase his skills before his upcoming rookie campaign in 2025-26?
Showcasing the Rookies
Nikishin joins the likes of Bradly Nadeau, who participated in the 2024 Rookie Showcase last offseason to represent the Hurricanes. He will join the following players in Arlington, VA:
Frederic Brunet (BOS), Zeev Buium (MIN), Berkly Catton (SEA), Trevor Connelly (VGK), Ben Danford (TOR), Sam Dickinson (SJ), Karsen Dorwart (PHI), Jordan Dumais (CBJ), Jack Finley (TB), Marc Gatcomb (NYI), Konsta Helenius (BUF), Quinn Hutson (EDM), Tij Iginla (UTA), Joakim Kemell (NSH), Ryan Leonard (WSH), Oliver Moore (CHI), Jani Nyman (SEA), Zayne Parekh (CGY), Gabe Perreault (NYR), Francesco Pinelli (LA), David Reinbacher (MTL), Axel Sandin-Pellikka (DET), Gracyn Sawchyn (FLA), Matthew Schaefer (NYI), Beckett Sennecke (ANA), Jimmy Snuggerud (STL), Cam Squires (NJ), Matthew Wood (NSH), Brayden Yager (WPG), Carter Yakemchuk (OTT)
After the completion of the 2024-25 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) season for SKA St. Petersburg, where he tallied 17 goals and 46 points in 61 games, Nikishin joined the Hurricanes for their playoff run. He managed to play in four games, tallying one point, in his first taste of hockey in the NHL.
Nikishin was considered one of the best defenseman in the KHL, and there is a ton of excitement around the young Russian defenseman going into his first full professional season in the NHL.
There will be some massive learning curves thrown at him this upcoming season for the Hurricanes. Not just the playing style Rod Brind’Amour and his staff runs, but the smaller ice surface as well, when compared to the KHL. That doesn’t include a language barrier either. Thankfully, he has teammates Andrei Svechnikov and Pyotr Kochetkov to help him learn some English and, of course, translate.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes 2025-26 Roster Projection 1.0
Apparently, he has been working on his English during the offseason. Nonetheless, it’ll be exciting to see how Nikishin showcases his skills at the Rookie Showcase before the start of the 2025-26 season for the Hurricanes. It’s one more step in the journey for him to prove that he has what it takes to be an everyday NHLer and make a name for himself with the Hurricanes.
