Nikita Klepov, RW, Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
Sportsvival is working through the 2026 NHL Draft class the same way we always do, and Nikita Klepov is one of the more intriguing winger evaluations on the board. Klepov is a 2026 draft-eligible right wing for the Saginaw Spirit, listed at 6-foot, 181 pounds, shoots left, was born June 27, 2008, in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and is committed to Michigan State.
Klepov’s path has been a strong one. Before arriving in the OHL, he played for the Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL, where he posted 31 points in 59 games in 2024-25. Saginaw selected him 35th overall in the 2025 CHL Import Draft, and he also helped the United States win gold at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Background and profile
Klepov did not just adjust to the OHL, he exploded in it. In 67 games for Saginaw in 2025-26, he put up 37 goals, 60 assists, and 97 points, finishing as the OHL’s leading scorer. He won the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy as the league’s top scorer and the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the top-scoring right winger, while also becoming the first rookie in his first two years of OHL eligibility to lead the league in scoring since 1974.
That season was loaded with statement moments. Klepov was named OHL Rookie of the Month for January, earned MVP honors at the OHL Top Prospects Game, and finished as a finalist for OHL Rookie of the Year. The production was not a short hot streak, it was a full-season breakout that kept building.
Strengths
Sportsvival sees a highly skilled winger whose offensive game starts with confidence and puck control. Klepov looks like the type of right wing who can hurt teams as both a scorer and a creator. The 37 goals show real finishing touch, while the 60 assists point to vision and feel with the puck. When a winger is threatening defenses in both ways, it becomes much harder to defend him honestly.
There is also real pace and attack mentality in his game. Klepov’s season was built on consistent pressure, not just power-play stat padding or a few big nights. Sportsvival sees an offensive winger who can push play, make something happen off the rush, and keep pressure on defenders with his hands and instincts. His Top Prospects Game MVP and month-to-month production jumps are more evidence that the offense is legitimate.
Areas to improve
Like a lot of young wingers, Klepov still has room to add strength and continue rounding out the details of his game as he moves up levels. At 6-foot and 181 pounds, he has a solid base, but Sportsvival would still like to see him get stronger through contact and become even more forceful shift to shift. That is a normal next step for a first-year OHL player who already carries a major offensive workload.
There is also the usual projection question that comes with junior scorers: how much of the offense will translate when time and space tighten up? That is why continued growth in consistency, strength, and overall detail will matter so much. The good news for Klepov is that he already has the skill, production, and confidence foundation teams want to bet on.
NHL comparison
Sportsvival’s NHL comparison for Klepov is Andrei Svechnikov from a style standpoint, not as a ceiling promise. The comparison comes from the left-shot right-wing profile and the way Klepov can pressure defenses as both a shooter and a playmaker. He is not the same finished product physically, but there is a similar feel in the way he can attack with confidence and create offense from the wing.
Draft outlook
Sportsvival sees Nikita Klepov as a player who belongs in the 13-16 range of the 2026 NHL Draft. The production is too strong to ignore, the offensive skill is obvious, and there is enough upside here to project him as a potential top-six winger down the road. Players who can put up 97 points in the OHL as a draft-year rookie do not stay under the radar for very long.
What keeps him in that mid-first-round range instead of even higher is that there is still physical and all-around growth ahead. But that is also what makes him exciting. Klepov already has the scoring profile, the playmaking touch, and the big-season résumé. If the overall game keeps maturing, Sportsvival sees a winger with a chance to become one of the better value picks in the first round.
Sportsvival summary
Nikita Klepov looks like one of the most dangerous winger bets in the 2026 class. He has size, skill, production, and a season full of proof that the offensive talent is real. Sportsvival views him as a legitimate mid-first-round target and one of the more exciting right-wing prospects available in this draft.