In 2018, a certain Russian defenceman was drafted and just missed out on the Top 25 Under 25 as he placed 26th. However, last year he jumped up to the ninth spot in the list as he had played with the Russian juggernaut CSKA for the full season, as well as dominating in the World Junior Championships and earning an All-Star selection together with the ‘Best Defender’ award.
This year, Alexander Romanov jumps up to the number-four spot after another impressive year in the KHL, and being voted into the World Junior Championship All-Star Team once more (though not repeating as the tournament’s best defenceman).