Washington Capitals first-round pick goaltender Ilya Samsonov wasn’t a popular pick in June, but he has been outstanding so far in the KHL.

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Capitals drafted goaltender Ilya Samsonov in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft. It was an interesting move considering the Capitals depth at the position and the players who were available at the 22nd overall pick. The Capitals were criticized at the time for spending a first round pick on a goaltender when the prospect system had other pressing needs. Samsonov has been silencing his critics and making the Capitals look smart ever since.

Samsonov was the first goalie selected in the draft because of his incredible skill and raw ability. He has shown off both so far in the KHL. He started off the year in the MHL (equivalent of the minor leagues for the KHL) for Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk. He quickly got called up to the Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL after proving that he was way too good to be in the MHL.

Ilya Samsonov has appeared in 13 games so far for Metallurg. He ranks sixth in the entire KHL in save percentage with a 93.8 percentage. That’s quite impressive considering that Samsonov is just 18 years old and all but one goalie ahead of him is at least 27 years old. He has the fifth lowest goals against average of any KHL goalie (1.66). All but one goalie ahead of him is at least 27 years old. Samsonov is playing against grown men and having success. That’s encouraging, even if it is in just a backup role (he has played just 540:57 this season).

Just how special is what Ilya Samsonov doing? He’s having arguably the best season that an 18 year old goalie has had in the KHL. Ever. He ranks first among goalies with at least 13 appearances in GAA and percentage. In a larger sample size than countryman Andrei Vasilevskiy, he’s outperforming what he did in his age 18 season. Keep in mind that Vasilevskiy was even more hyped than Samsonov.

Below you can watch some highlights from Ilya’s most recent game, a 5-0 victory that featured a hat trick from former Washington Capitals forward Wojtek Wolski.

Ilya Samsonov is doing exactly what the Capitals want him to do. He’s building up his value and he’s developing well. His impressive play should lead to more playing time which should help him develop even faster. For the time being, it makes sense for him to be over in Russia. He’s getting more playing time there than he would be getting if he were with the Stingrays or Hershey Bears. The Capitals will likely try to get Samsonov over here sooner than his originally proposed three years (when his contract runs out) but now is not the time.

Regardless of what part of the puzzle Samsonov will solve down the road (whether that be directly or by trade), he’s likely going to give the Capitals value.