Roman Kantserov is a Russian forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, drafted in the second round in 2023. He led the KHL with 36 goals for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2025-26, the most in league history by a player under 22, and Chicago announced his three-year entry-level contract on 14 May 2026.
| Fast facts: Roman Kantserov | |
|---|---|
| Current team | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Position | Right wing, also centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| Born | 20 September 2004, Magnitogorsk, Russia |
| Height / weight | 5’9″ (175 cm) / 176 lbs, per NHL.com |
| Drafted | 2023, second round, 44th overall, Chicago Blackhawks |
| Contract status | Three-year entry-level contract announced 14 May 2026, running through 2028-29 at a $1,075,000 cap hit |
| Jersey | Not announced as of September 2026 |
How good is Roman Kantserov?
Roman Kantserov had a record-breaking 2025-26 season in the KHL. His 36 goals and 64 points in 63 games in 2025-26 were the most in league history by a player under 22, according to the Blackhawks, passing Kirill Kaprizov’s 30 goals and Alexander Nikishin’s 55 points. He also matched Kaprizov as the youngest player to lead the KHL in goals, and he played in the 2026 KHL All-Star Game.
In 2025-26 Metallurg won the regular-season title for the first time in club history and scored a KHL-record 251 regular-season goals. Kantserov scored 14.3 per cent of them. “When I’ve watched Kantserov, he’s very high intelligence, very good with the puck, very accountable defensively as well,” Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill told the Daily Herald.
What are Roman Kantserov’s career stats?
Roman Kantserov spent his whole career in Russia with Metallurg Magnitogorsk and its junior team, Stalnye Lisy, and made his KHL debut on 20 January 2023.
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | Stalnye Lisy | MHL | 47 | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| 2021-22 | Stalnye Lisy | MHL | 55 | 29 | 28 | 57 |
| 2022-23 | Stalnye Lisy | MHL | 45 | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| 2022-23 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 53 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| 2024-25 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 47 | 13 | 25 | 38 |
| 2025-26 | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | KHL | 63 | 36 | 28 | 64 |
He won the Gagarin Cup with Metallurg in 2024, with 13 points in 23 playoff games and three game-winning goals, and was a finalist for the KHL’s rookie of the year award, which went to his teammate, goaltender Ilya Nabokov. In the 2026 playoffs he had eight points in 15 games before Ak Bars Kazan beat Metallurg 4-1 in the semi-final. Over his KHL career he had 117 points in 164 regular-season games, after 132 points in 147 games in the MHL, Russia’s top junior league.
How did Roman Kantserov get to Chicago?
Chicago drafted Roman Kantserov 44th overall in 2023 and left him in Russia to develop. On 8 May 2026 Metallurg and Kantserov ended his contract, which was due to expire in June, and the Blackhawks announced his entry-level deal six days later. Metallurg keeps his KHL rights. “It should be hard, but it’s not impossible. I think I can do this,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times about the move to the NHL.
What is Roman Kantserov’s contract?
Roman Kantserov’s three-year entry-level contract carries a $1,075,000 cap hit from 2026-27 through 2028-29. His salary and signing bonus together rise from $1,025,000 to $1,075,000 to $1,125,000, and he can earn up to $3.5 million a season in performance bonuses, according to PuckPedia’s contract data. He is due to become a restricted free agent in 2029.
Does Roman Kantserov speak English?
Yes. Roman Kantserov learned much of his English from films such as the Transformers and Spider-Man series, YouTube and NHL highlights, and he spoke without a translator in his contract talks with Chicago, which impressed general manager Kyle Davidson, according to the Sun-Times. “I think right now English is not bad, but I need to learn (more),” Kantserov told NHL.com in August 2026. He spent the summer of 2026 training in Stamford, Connecticut, with a group of Russian and New York Rangers players, and had dinners with Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight, the Sun-Times reported.
Is Roman Kantserov a centre or a winger?
Roman Kantserov is listed as a right winger, but Metallurg used him at centre in 2025-26, a position he had hardly played before, according to the KHL. “I can play winger or I can play center. (Whatever) Coach say, I can play,” he told NHL.com.
What is Roman Kantserov’s role in Chicago?
Going into 2026-27 training camp, Roman Kantserov was expected to start in Chicago’s top six. Davidson had pencilled him in on Connor Bedard’s wing, according to the Sun-Times, but Bedard had shoulder surgery on 8 July 2026 with a recovery time of about four months, as covered on our Connor Bedard page. On 1 September 2026 The Athletic’s Scott Powers said on a podcast that Kantserov might start at centre alongside Patrick Kane. Anton Frondell is the other young candidate for a top centre job. Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis expected him to play in the top six from the start.
“He has the skill but also the bulldog mentality where he’s going to battle,” Blackhawks assistant general manager Mark Eaton said. The channels and streams for every Blackhawks game are in our guide to how to watch the Chicago Blackhawks.
How does Roman Kantserov compare with Ivan Demidov?
Roman Kantserov and Ivan Demidov both broke KHL scoring records for young players before moving to the NHL. Demidov set the under-20 points record with 49 for SKA in 2024-25, then led all NHL rookies in 2025-26. Kantserov, almost 15 months older and drafted 39 places lower, set the under-22 goals and points records a year later. Neither has played at a World Junior Championship, because Russia was excluded from IIHF events from February 2022. Kantserov has played for Russia’s under-25 team, which won the Channel One Cup in December 2025.
How old is Roman Kantserov, and how tall is he?
Roman Kantserov was born on 20 September 2004 in Magnitogorsk, Russia, and came through Metallurg’s youth system. In Russian his name is written Роман Канцеров, and it is sometimes transliterated as Kancerov. NHL.com lists him at 5’9″ (175 cm) and 176 lbs. He was on Forbes Russia’s 30 Under 30 list for 2026, in the sports category.
