Senators Prospect Dmitry Isayev on His Development, Pavel Datsyuk, & NHL Aspirations

At 19, Dmitry Isayev is one of the most productive young forwards in the Russian junior league. As such, the Ottawa Senators called his name at the 2025 NHL Draft, selecting the Russian forward in the fifth round, 149th overall. Isayev has backed up that investment with strong production in Russia’s Junior Hockey League (MHL): he scored 45 points in 44 regular-season games in 2024-25, then raised his total to 61 with 28 goals and 33 assists in 44 games the following season. He added 12 points in 15 playoff games as Avto reached the Kharlamov Cup semifinals.

He is still working toward a permanent place in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Isayev began the 2026-27 season with Gornyak-UGMK, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg’s affiliate in the Russian second tier league (VHL), before earning another call-up. On Sept. 30, he returned to the KHL lineup against Lada Togliatti — the club from the city he was born in.

In this translated interview, originally published on sports.ru, Isayev talks about his family, his rise through Russia’s junior hockey system, his inspiration from Pavel Datsyuk, and his ambitions on and off the ice.

** You can read the original article in Isayev’s native Russian on sports.ru by Daria Romanova clicking here **

A Sporting Family and a Meaningful Number

Isayev grew up in a real sporting family. His father, Yevgeny, is a four-time world champion in sambo, a Russian martial art and combat sport. Isayev practiced sambo with his father when he was young, and says those sessions helped him develop strength in physical battles and around the boards. Hockey, however, was always his first choice: he started skating even earlier, and the game quickly captured his imagination.

Born in Togliatti, Isayev began developing in Perm after his family moved there shortly after his birth. He initially struggled to stand out with Molot, but coaches Alexander Ageyev and Gleb Orekhov helped improve his skating and shot. He soon became one of the team’s leading players.

In 2020, Avtomobilist came calling. Isayev attended a tryout without expecting to earn a prominent role. “I didn’t think I’d play higher than the third line, but after two weeks they moved me to the first line, and I stayed there,” the forward recalled.

Isaev also keeps a connection to his birthplace through his jersey number. He has worn #63 for much of his career, a nod to the regional code for Samara Oblast, where Togliatti is located. “I thought it would be symbolic to take that number,” he explained.

Finding His Footing With Avto

Isayev joined Avto, Avtomobilist’s MHL junior team, during the 2023-24 season, shortly after turning 16. His debut was not an easy one: in a 3-1 loss to Traktor Chelyabinsk’s junior team, he lost the puck and took a penalty, and the opposition scored the game-winner on the ensuing power play.

He made a better impression in an October game against Reactor. Isayev set up Yegor Kuzmin in the opening minute, then scored the eventual winner in a 4-1 victory. The assist meant more to him than the goal. “It was my first point in the MHL, and I had more emotion from the assist,” he said.

Isayev finished his first season with five points (two goals, three assists) in 19 regular-season games, plus four appearances in the play-in and playoffs. He said the experience helped him adjust to the league’s pace and understand how quickly he needed to process the game. Coaches began trusting him in shootouts, overtime and on the power play.

By 2024-25, Isayev was no longer simply a young player learning the ropes. Coaches expected him and other returning players to help newcomers settle in, and he earned a first-line role with more ice time. The results followed. He recorded his first MHL hat trick in October against Stalnye Lisy and maintained a scoring pace of more than a point per game for much of the season.

Isaev led Avto in regular-season scoring with 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 44 games and added four points in the playoffs. His offensive output, energy and willingness to compete for loose pucks made him increasingly difficult to overlook.

A First Taste of the KHL

Avtomobilist invited Isayev to practice with its KHL team in November 2024, and he made his senior-league debut the following day against Admiral. Avtomobilist won 1-0, and Isayev played in three of the six KHL games for which he was dressed that season. His ice time averaged around two minutes per appearance, and he did not record a point, but he treated the call-ups as a chance to learn.

“I understood there was no time to ease into it. From the first second, I had to prove I was ready for the KHL level,” the forward said.

He also learned from established players, including fellow Perm natives Anatoly Golyshev and Yevgeny Alikin. One connection that stood out was forward Stephane Da Costa, whose game sense and right-handed shot made a strong impression on the teenager, and that has also played in the NHL for Ottawa.

“He’s a right-shot forward with a very high hockey IQ and a great style,” Isayev said. “I take his advice seriously and try to apply it to my game right away. Da Costa gave me pointers on important aspects of hockey.”

The next season brought more KHL opportunities, although Isayev still could not secure a regular role. He played four games in 2025-26, averaging 3:42 of ice time. His most substantial outing came in a 2-1 overtime win over SKA, when he played seven minutes and took part in an extended offensive-zone shift before SKA goaltender Artemy Pleshkov covered his shot.

For Isayev, the biggest difference at the KHL level is the speed of decision-making. Young players must learn not only to keep pace physically, he has explained, but also to read situations and make decisions faster against opponents with years of professional experience.

He gained more experience with Gornyak-UGMK in the VHL, appearing in 16 games and recording three points (one goal, two assists). Those assignments did not slow his progress with Avto. In 2025-26, he set career highs with 28 goals and 33 assists for 61 points in 44 MHL regular-season games. He added 12 points with four goals and eight assists in 15 playoff games, finishing among the top 10 scorers in the 2026 Kharlamov Cup playoffs. Avto reached the semifinals before losing a seven-game series to Spartak.

His season also earned him a place in the MHL Challenge Cup in Yekaterinburg. “I was really happy when I received the invitation,” Isayev said. “I wanted to play at UGMK Arena and experience the atmosphere of the East-versus-West game.”

He saw the showcase as another chance to demonstrate that he could handle higher levels, but remains focused on what he can control. “I need to keep producing in the MHL and play at a high level. Everything else is up to management. My job is to focus on my own game, and how useful I am to Avto will affect whether I get another chance with Avtomobilist.”

Building a Future Beyond Hockey

Isayev’s ambitions go beyond the rink. He completed high school while keeping up with hockey and prepared for Russia’s university entrance exams. He chose the Ural State University of Economics, considering business and public administration programs.

“I want to get a good education. Life doesn’t end with hockey, and anything can happen. Studying has always been important to me,” he said.

Isayev points to former Avtomobilist star Pavel Datsyuk as an example of how a player can remain engaged with life away from the game. Isayev follows Datsyuk’s involvement in Yekaterinburg and his investment in the city. He also admires Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, who played college hockey before becoming a full-time NHL player, as proof that education and an elite hockey career need not be mutually exclusive.

Datsyuk is also a model for Isayev on the ice, as he declared several times. The former NHL star has occasionally joined Avto practices and shared details of the game he learned throughout his own career. Isayev is struck by how those technical lessons remain useful years later. “In my opinion, Datsyuk’s advice will work forever,” he said.

His childhood hockey idol has always been Alex Ovechkin. Isaev remembers wearing #8 in Perm before he even knew that Ovechkin wore it, too. He has followed the Washington Capitals captain’s career for years and would like to meet him one day — not only to talk hockey, but also to ask about adapting to the NHL and building a life as a professional athlete.

Ovechkin remains the player Isayev will always cheer for, but he now studies a wider range of players, looking for details he can bring into his own game. For a prospect already learning from veterans in the KHL, the next step is clear: keep producing in the MHL, learn from every call-up and turn the promise that earned him a fifth-round NHL selection into a lasting professional career.