Barabanov, Knowling, Pepoy, Shurygin selected on Day 2 of 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft

Buffalo, NY – On the second day of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft, four Spirit players heard their names called. Forwards Egor Barabanov and Brody Pepoy, along with goaltenders Brady Knowling and Stepan Shurygin, were selected by NHL clubs.

Calgary Flames: 4th Round, 100th overall – (F) Egor Barabanov

The OHL’s second-leading assist man was Saginaw’s first player off the board on day two of the 2026 NHL Draft. Barabanov finished the season with 28G-63A—91P, good for fourth in league scoring. He is the fourth Spirit player to be selected by the Calgary Flames, following Zayne Parekh (2024), Ilya Solovyov (2020) and T.J. Brodie (2008).

Barabanov represented the Spirit at the 2026 Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game, and was twice named the OHL’s Player of the Week. He recorded a personal-best six-point game in Sarnia on February 13th.

San Jose Sharks: 4th Round, 127th overall – (G) Brady Knowling

Knowling has spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Last season, he posted a 15-13-3-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .883 SV% with the NTDP’s U-18 team. He also appeared in a game with the U-17 squad, with a 2.01 GAA and .946 SV%. He signed an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement in Saginaw earlier this month.

“I’m speechless right now,” said Knowling. “To actually hear your name called, it’s pretty special. There’s a lot of emotion right now, but having a smile on my face is all I care about. To know that [my family] is here and to share that moment with them and know they’ll remember it for the rest of their lives just like I am, it’s pretty special.”

Last summer, Knowling led Team USA’s U-18 team to a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal with four wins, a 2.35 GAA and .914 SV%. He joined the Americans for the IIHF World Junior Championship in January of 2026 as well.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 6th Round, 169th overall – (F) Brody Pepoy

Brody Pepoy was a free agent signing by the Spirit out of their 2025 training camp. He finished his rookie season with 29 points (16G-13A) in 67 games. His best stretch of games this season came in late November and early December, with a ten-point run (6G-4A) in ten games. He scored his first career hat trick on February 13th in Sarnia.

Pepoy is the second player to be drafted from Saginaw by the Maple Leafs, following Keaton Middleton in the 4th round, 101st overall in 2016.

Tampa Bay Lightning: 6th Round, 186th overall – (G) Stepan Shurygin

Goaltender Stepan Shurygin rounded out Saginaw’s selections at the 2026 NHL Draft. The 6’5” Russian netminder led the OHL with 59 appearances in 2025-2026, which was the fourth-most by a Spirit goaltender in a single season. He claimed 24 victories with a 3.79 GAA and .888 SV%. Shurygin also represented Team West at the Connor McDavid OHL Top Prospects Game.

Shurygin is the second player to be selected from Saginaw by the Tampa Bay Lightning, following Mitchell Stephens in the second round, 33rd overall in 2015.