Nov 9, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov (1) skates his rookie lap before making his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings at PPG Paints Arena. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Another former ECHL player saw his lifelong dream come true on Sunday.
Former Wheeling Nailers goaltender Sergei Murashov made his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday.
While the Penguins ultimately fell 3-2 to the Kings, the 21-year-old netminder accounted himself well. Murashov stopped 24 of 27 shots faced, making several key saves to keep his team in the game.
“I need some time just to watch video and see what more I can do better, where I was good,” Murashov said after the game. “But overall, I just like how I felt for all the game. I enjoyed it. Again, just a huge thanks to my team, because it’s [their] third game in four days, and they were battling.”
One of Murashov’s biggest saves came off a 2-on-1 rush by the Kings in the middle frame. Alex Laferriere took the puck off a Penguins turnover, raced up ice, and fed Quinton Byfield on the doorstep. Murashov stretched his full 6-foot-2 height to make a critical stop and preserve what was then a 2-1 Pittsburgh lead.
Murashov played in the ECHL for the Wheeling Nailers last season and became the 70th former Nailer/Thunderbird to reach the NHL with his debut on Sunday.
Murashov began his North American professional career last season with the Nailers and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL. His first campaign in Wheeling was outstanding, as he went 17-7-1 with a 2.40 goals against average and a .922 save percentage in 26 games.
The Yaroslavl, Russia native etched his name in the Wheeling record books twice, as he set team records for the longest winning streak by a goaltender (13) and the longest point streak by a goaltender (15; 14-0-1). He allowed two goals or fewer in 15 of 26 games and recorded at least 30 saves on 13 occasions.
One of Murashov's most notable performances was his first ECHL shutout, a 42-save effort against the Tulsa Oilers on Feb. 22.
In addition to his success in Wheeling, Murashov has thrived in the American Hockey League with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He is 17-5-0 in 23 career appearances in the AHL, as he went 12-3-0 last season. He is off to a 5-2-0 start this year.
The netminder earned AHL Goaltender of the Month honors for his 5-1-0 record in October, and also earned AHL Player of the Week honors. Those are the second and third league honors for Murashov, who was November's ECHL Rookie of the Month with the Nailers last season.
Murashov’s first NHL save on Sunday came against Adrian Kempe, who scored his 200th career goal earlier this season.
In addition to being the 70th former Nailer/Thunderbird to reach the NHL, Murashov is the 18th to do so as a goaltender, the 20th to debut with the Penguins, and the fifth to debut as a goaltender for Pittsburgh. Prior to Murashov, the last Wheeling player to make his NHL debut with the Penguins was fellow goaltender Casey DeSmith, who did so on Oct. 29, 2017. DeSmith is now the backup goalie for the Dallas Stars.
In a fun twist, Murashov's NHL debut came on the one-year anniversary of his WesBanco Arena debut, as he made 27 saves to lead the Nailers past the eventual Kelly Cup Champion Trois-Rivières Lions, 4-3, on Nov. 9, 2024.
Sunday’s loss was the Penguins’ third in the last four games, but they have to be encouraged by the solid debut of Murashov, who continues to turn heads with each rung of the professional ladder he climbs.
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