Anton Slepyshev

History

2009-10: Anton Slepyshev skated for Dizel Penza’s second men’s team in his eastern Russian hometown of Penza. In 39 games he scored 12 goals with 9 assists and had 10 penalty minutes as Dizel-2 finished seventh in the 13-team league. Slepyshev  scored 1 goal with 1 assist and had 4 penalty minutes in four playoff games. In six games of Povolzhie regional youth hockey with Dizel Penza’s 1994’s, he scored 16 goals with 9 assists and had 4 penalty minutes.

2010-11: Slepyshev played a second season with Dizel-2 and represented Russia at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship, the U17 Four Nations Tournament in Illinois and U17 European Youth Olympic Festival. In 20 games for Dizel-2 he scored 8 goals with 4 assists. Slepyshev scored 3 goals with 1 assist and was minus-one in six games at the U18 WJC. Russia defeated Canada in the bronze medal game. He had two assists in four games at the Four Nations Tournament and scored three goals in three games for Russia at the EYOF. Slepyshev was the first overall pick in the 2011 KHL Draft; selected by Metallurg Novokuznetsk.

2011-12: Slepyshev appeared in 39 games for Novokuznetsk as a KHL rookie, splitting the season between the KHL and Metallurg’s MHL (junior) squad Kuznetskie Medvedi. He was the captain for Russia at the 2012 U18 World Junior Championship. He averaged just under nine minutes of ice time per game with Metallurg and was minus-eight with 4 goals and 3 assists. In 13 games with Medvedi he scored 7 goals with 2 assists and was plus-11 with 6 penalty minutes.  He had 1 goal and was an even plus-minus in three playoff games. Slepyshev was ranked 10th amongst European skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Slepyshev played in Russia’s KHL as an 18-year-old and represented Russia at the 2013 World Junior Championship in Ufa. After skating in 15 games for Metallurg Novokuznetsk, scoring 3 goals while finishing -5 with 2 penalty minutes, he was obtained by Salavat Yulaev in a mid-season trade. He scored 4 goals with 2 assists and was +3 with 2 penalty minutes in 11 regular season games. Salavat reached the East Conference semifinals and Slepyshev played in 14 playoff games. He was -2 with no points nor penalty minutes. In seven games at the WJC he had 1 assist and was +4 with 4 penalty minutes. Russia defeated Canada, 6-5, in overtime to capture the bronze medal. Ranked 20th amongst European skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings, he was selected by Edmonton in the third round (88th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Slepyshev skated in 36 of 54 regular season games for Ufa Salavat in his first KHL season and was a team captain for Russia in the 2014 World Junior Championship. He scored 3 goals with 5 assists and was +5 with 4 penalty minutes; averaging 10 minutes of ice time. Ufa finished second in the Chernyshev Division behind Astana Barys and lost to Gagarin Cup champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Eastern Conference finals. Slepyshev scored 2 goals with 1 assist and was +2 with 6 penalty minutes in 18 playoff games, averaging nine minutes of ice time. In seven games at the WJC he scored 2 goals with 5 assists and was +6 with no penalty minutes. Russia defeated Canada, 2-1, in the tournament’s bronze medal game. 

2014-15: Slepyshev skated for Ufa Salavat as a 20-year-old in his second KHL season. Among the team’s leading goal scorers despite averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time, he scored 15 goals with 10 assists and was +1 with 12 penalty minutes in 58 games. Ufa finished fourth in the Chernyshev Division and lost in the first round in the KHL playoffs. Slepyshev had 2 assists and had an even plus/minus with no penalties, averaging 16 minutes of ice time in five playoff games. In four games with the UFA junior team during the MHL playoffs he was +3 and scored 5 goals with 3 assists. Slepyshev signed a three-year entry-level contract with Edmonton in May 2015.

Talent Analysis

Slepyshev is a big winger with great hands and a blazing top speed. When combined with his strong hockey sense in the offensive zone, he is tough to catch. His physical game needs a bit of work and he sometimes does not dig as deep into tough areas as he should.

Future

Slepyshev made the Oilers' out of training camp in 2015-16 — seeing limited ice time in 11 games before being assigned to the AHL's Bakersfield Condors. Slowly acclimating to the game in North America, he continues to score goals but has had the struggles in the other parts of his game not uncommon for a first-year AHL player at his age. Talent-wise his high skill level and skating ability suggest a bright future once he puts things together.