The Minnesota Wild made some news Friday morning, May 16, as they signed their rising star, Danila Yurov, to his entry-level contract. He’s easily been their most hyped up prospect since they drafted Kirill Kaprizov, and that hype has a lot to do with Kaprizov as well. Kaprizov came in expected to be the Wild’s first true superstar, and he’s lived up to that expectation, and at times, exceeded it.
Now, to Yurov, he’s similar to Kaprizov, an up-and-coming young star that fans expect to do the same types of things as Kaprizov. He’s a very skilled player, and the Wild are hoping he’ll be someone who can eventually slot in right alongside their other star. In this article, we’ll look closer at Yurov and his importance to the team, starting with his past two seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
Yurov’s Numbers Impress
This past season, he spent time with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the KHL, where he played 46 games and scored 13 goals, plus tallied 12 assists for a total of 25 points. While that doesn’t seem like a lot of points, he was injured quite a bit throughout the season. According to an article from Michael Russo of The Athletic, Yurov entered the season after having shoulder surgery, and then late this season, he had to have ankle surgery (from ‘Wild sign Danila Yurov, bringing top prospect from KHL to North America,’ The Athletic, 05/16/2025).
While the injuries clearly played a part in his lower points, the season prior shows what his true talents are. With the same team, he played in 62 games back in the 2023-24 season, and he recorded 21 goals plus 28 assists for 49 points. That’s just a few points less than what Kaprizov had in his final KHL season before transferring to the NHL, and Kaprizov was 22 years old at the time, while Yurov would’ve been 20 when he put up those numbers.
Yurov likely won’t rack up 50 points in his first NHL season, but he has the talent to get there eventually. The Wild knew what they were doing when they drafted him back in 2022 at number 24, and he’ll just need some time to get acclimated. It’s going to be fun to see what his future looks like.
Yurov Playing Center
With a lot of talk going on about the draft coming up, it was welcome news to see something outside the draft, that the Wild had signed Yurov. It wasn’t unexpected; everyone was aware they were planning to sign him, just maybe not as early as they did. According to the article mentioned above by Russo, the contract is a standard three-year entry-level deal with the exception of an out, where if Yurov doesn’t make the NHL team after training camp, he’s allowed to go back to his KHL team on a loan. That also lasts the whole length of his contract.
Danila Yurov, Minnesota Wild (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Yurov is listed as a right wing, but when the Wild’s general manager, Bill Guerin, spoke with the media shortly after the signing was announced, he made it clear he wants to use him as a center. The Wild are in dire need of a center that can win faceoffs and be a true number one center, but they may have to find that through free agency before Yurov can fully adapt to that role, which is likely their plan.
“I see him as a center. Hey, look, just like any other young player, though, center is a very difficult position to play as a young player. We’d like to start him there, we’ll see how he does, and we’ll go from there. He has the ability to play wing, but we see him long-term as a center,” said Guerin in his Zoom media availability after the signing was announced on if he’ll play wing or center.
Yurov’s Expectations
It’s important for fans to remember, while Yurov is expected and is hoped to do great things with this team, it’ll take time. He still has to make the team out of training camp, and if he does, he has to adjust his game to the NHL. Kaprizov made it look easy, but he had some bumps along the way, and he was a year or two older when he came over. He was 23, turning 24 when he came over, not 21, turning 22. It may not seem like much of a difference, but that is a year or two more of experience as well.
Now, if he makes the team, as mentioned above, his game will need time to transition to the NHL level. The KHL is a very tough, competitive league, but the NHL is different. He’ll have to get used to the speed of the game, the physicality, the size, and get used to his new teammates. There’s a lot that goes into it, and the biggest thing he’ll need is time to adjust to all of it. His game will come; he’ll just need fans and staff to trust him.
On top of all the things listed above, if he makes the lineup, they also plan to use him as a center instead of a wing. That may not seem like a huge change, and if he’s used to playing both, it’s not big. However, if he’s been playing wing most of the time, it will take more time for him to adjust to that as well. He’ll be going through a lot, and he doesn’t need fans giving up on him too soon. The more support he gets, the easier his transition should be and hopefully will be.
Yurov’s Future
Thinking optimistically, Yurov will be everything he is expected to be as the Wild need someone who can play the center position with the skillset he has. Joel Eriksson Ek is a great center, but he needs help, and the team needs someone who can win faceoffs in all situations. Eriksson Ek already has so much pressure on his shoulders with 5-on-5, power play, and penalty kill time; he needs someone else to help out.
Related: Joel Eriksson Ek Is the Wild’s Prized Possession
Kaprizov has been everything the Wild have hoped for and more, and potentially, Yurov can follow in his footsteps. He has a lot of mentors on the team, some who have gone through similar experiences and others who are veterans of the league who can offer advice about having a stable career in the NHL. He’ll be on a strong team that he can conceivably have success with for a long time to come.
