Colorado Avalanche Top 25 Under 25: #3 Mikhail Gulyayev

The Top 25 Under 25 is a collaboration by Mile High Hockey staff members. Seven writers have ranked players under the age of 25 in the Colorado Avalanche organization as of September 1, 2026. Now, we’ll count down each of the 25 players ranked.

Our top 25 under 25 is down to the top three players, starting with Mikhail Gulyayev at #3!

Gulyayev is entering his third season with Avangard Omsk of the KHL after inking an extension with the club that appears to push his potential NHL debut back to the 2028-29 season.

Guylyayev broke into the KHL at just 18 years of age, still ranks among our most promising Avalanche prospects, and his experience in Russia’s pro league seems like quality training grounds. Still, as always, the question is when or if he will jump the pond and come to North America.

At his size and given Omsk’s commitment after a slightly underwhelming 2025-26 campaign, it’s probably best to see out the contract and continue the road to the NHL through European channels.

I do believe that Gulyayev will graduate to the NHL one day, and for me, it’s more likely he won’t spend much (if any) time with the Eagles in the AHL if or when he decides to make the trip. That said, another year or two with Omsk will hopefully boost the young man’s confidence and make the Avalanche front office more comfortable offering his ELC.

The Avalanche do have exclusive rights to Mikhail’s services after drafting him 31st overall in 2023 with a pick received in the process of trading Alex Newhook to the Montreal Canadiens.

As for Gulyayev’s style, it’s all about speed. Here’s a quote from Elite Prospects on Gulyayev that I think adequately describes my take:

“Man, can Mikhail Gulyayev fly out there. You give him an inch, and he’s sprinted a mile past you with about as effortless and clean a stride as you’ve ever seen…”

We always say that elite skating ability is among the hardest skills to develop, and one of those have-it-or-you-don’t sort of attributes. Mikhail is also effective at gap control and attentive to protecting the middle of the ice, thanks to his skating ability.

His skating prowess allows him to be a bit more aggressive and crafty than most big-bodied defenders. His savvy defensive play is the foundation for looking beyond his smaller frame, and we see the NHL trending toward sacrificing size for puck-control capabilities.

We’ve also seen a level of creativity that should have Avalanche fans excited. Just look at this tape-to-tape pass that created a break for Omsk.

I do, however, hope we see Gulyayev take a considerable leap in physical engagement this season. The ‘he’s too small and non-physical’ take is one I usually poke holes in, but in this instance, it’s likely valid.

It’s not that Gulyayev’s lack of size shows in him being maltreated, but more in his choices to avoid physicality in general.

To make it in the NHL as an undersized defender, you have to, at a minimum, be willing to stick your nose in there once in a while, and developing mental callousness before being run down by the world’s largest and fastest forwards is a good idea. I’d also like to see a point shot from Gulyayev that has eyes and the power to be dangerous.

Let us know what you think of this prospect in the comments!

2026 Top 25 Under 25

#25 Nikita Novosyolov

#24 Axel Eloffson

#23 Teddy Lechner

#22 Ivan Yunin

#21 Luka Cloutier

#20 Matthew DiMarsico

#19 Shawn Carrier

#18 Domenick Fensore

#17 Tory Pitner

#16 Jake Fisher

#15 Beckett Hamilton

#14 Linus Funck

#13 Alex Gagne

#12 Egor Shilov

#11 Zach L’Heureux

#10 Fabian Lysell

#9 Sean Behrens

#8 Nikita Prishchepov

#7 Francesco Dell’Elce

#6 TJ Hughes

#5 Christian Humphreys

#4 Fedor Svechkov