- Dima Zhilkin has committed to Michigan for the 2027-28 season, per Scott Wheeler
- Wheeler ranks the Saginaw captain seventh in the 2027 NHL Draft class
- Read below for the Chris Lazary connection that helped Michigan land him
Michigan just added one of the best players in the 2027 draft class.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic reported Saturday that Saginaw Spirit forward Dima Zhilkin has committed to the Wolverines, and Wheeler put a number on him in the same breath. He has Zhilkin seventh on his 2027 board and expects him on Canada’s World Junior roster in December:
Nothing changes for him this season. Zhilkin plays 2026-27 with Saginaw and arrives in Ann Arbor for 2027-28, a full year after he hears his name at the draft.
He will recognize the voice behind the bench when he gets there. Chris Lazary coached Zhilkin for two seasons in Saginaw and joined Michigan this summer as associate head coach. Jeff Marek of The Sheet confirmed the commitment and went straight to that piece of it:
Lazary left the Spirit as the winningest coach in franchise history. He won three West Division titles and the 2024 Memorial Cup there, and 18 of his players got drafted along the way.
Zhilkin’s second OHL season is what pushed him up the boards. He scored 36 goals and added 39 assists in 59 games, tied for 16th in league scoring, and did it all before turning 18. Saginaw named him its 27th captain in January, midway through the run.
His rookie year was shorter. An injury held him to 54 games and he still finished seventh in rookie scoring with 43 points, enough for a spot on the OHL’s First All-Rookie Team. He also had three goals in five games as Canada took bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Take a look at what last season looked like:
Hockey Canada already knows him well. Zhilkin was the youngest player Canada brought to its World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor last month, and assistant coach Drew Bannister called him “the real deal” that week.
Wheeler has him as a likely pick for the December roster, which would put a 2027-eligible forward in a Canadian dressing room where almost everyone else has already been drafted.
