SCOUTING REPORT
was playing with NAHL Shreveport and had a great foundation to go with his size. But seeing him in person was nearly impossible due to travel restrictions. Luckily, then-Flames AHL goalie coach Thomas Speer (now with San Jose) was already in the U.S. for the world U-18s in Texas, so he watched Sergeev live and confirmed Sigalet’s assessment. The Flames drafted Sergeev in the seventh round (205th overall) in 2021, then watched him flourish with USHL Tri-City en route to goalieof-the-year honors. Sergeev now begins his freshman year with the University of Connecticut. Here’s how Sigalet breaks down his game.
PUCK TRACKING
“ON CLEAR SHOTS, HIS tracking is a strong point of his game. Through tra c, it’s something he still needs to work on. He can get a little busy in tra c or get a little low and wide. With his size and skill set, sometimes looking over tra c would help him more. It’s just a sign of a young goalie learning the game, and hopefully that learning translates to the college level.”
FLEXIBILITY/ATHLETICISM
“HIS ATHLETICISM IS HIS biggest strength. He’s a unique goalie. I haven’t seen many goalies like him that just have instincts for the game, to find where pucks are. He’ll get any part of his body to get a piece of the puck. That’s what stuck out for me in his draft year, his ability to know where pucks are and do whatever it takes to get in front of it, even if it’s not pretty. That compete level combined with that athleticism is elite with Arsenii.”
LATERAL MOVEMENT
“THE STRENGTH OF HIS lateral movement is his power and flexibility. It’s a strength, but right now it can be a weakness, where he’s almost too explosive, overblowing his posts at times. He’s got the power and the quickness to get across, but it’s about getting a little more control over those movements, not relying on the splits to get across where he could put himself in a bad position for a second shot. The power and quickness are elite, it’s just about refining that movement.”
GLOVE HAND
“ARSENII HAS GOOD hands and tracks pucks really well. He has active hands, he catches pucks clean. He reminds me of some Finnish goalies who can catch pucks at all heights to eliminate rebounds.”
POISE
“THAT’S AN INTERESTING ONE, he was suspended twice last year in the USHL. That’s an area he can work on. He can be a little erratic at times, and that’s where he needs to calm his game down. He makes some saves look a lot more di cult than they actually are, and that will be big when he turns pro, and even in college, in calming that game down so he’s in position for second shots and letting the game come to him more.”
PUCKHANDLING
“THAT’S AN AREA I’D like to see him improve on. A lot of times in the USHL, he would let pucks go or just set pucks; he didn’t look comfortable moving them. But when you watch him skating around in practice, he’s hammering pucks and shooting them. He looks confident. It’s just being confident in games, making strong plays and having communication with his back end.”