The Blue Jackets selected five players in the 2020 NHL draft, a list headlined by another KHL sniper in first-round pick Yegor Chinakhov.
The 19-year-old winger with Chemyshev Division-leading Avangard Omsk was scoring almost at will when we last checked in on him, though as one might expect for a teenager playing in one of the best leagues in the world, his scoring pace has slowed down a little bit. Chinakhov snapped a six-game goalless streak Nov. 26 with a tally against Amur and now has an 8-7-15 line in 27 games, still impressive totals given the quality of the competition. He leads all U-20 players in scoring in the KHL this season.
Chinakhov also has gained experience in the Russia sweater at the international level in November. He took part in the Karjala Cup with his homeland earlier in the month and posted a pair of goals in three games as Russia posted an unbeaten record in the four-team international event.
The tournament for Russia was a prelude to the upcoming World Junior Championships scheduled to take place as usual this December and January in Edmonton. The Russians used their U-20 roster to compete in the event, and Chinakhov also has been announced as being on Russia's camp roster for the World Juniors, though the final team is still to be announced.
Among the other CBJ 2020 picks:
- Third-round pick Samuel Knazko continues to showcase a solid two-way game with TPS U-20 team in Finland, as the 18-year-old defenseman from Slovakia has four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 22 game as well as a plus-16 rating.
- His teammate Mikael Pyyhtiä, a fourth-round pick, also boasts impressive offensive numbers for the dominant Turku side, as the 18-year-old has a 9-10-19 line in 16 games. He also has played two games for the senior TPS outfit but did not score in either game.
- Fifth-round pick Ole Julian Bjørgvik-Holm, 18, spent last year with Mississauga of the OHL but is back home in his native Norway this year, with the defenseman posting a 2-6-8 line in 12 games with Manglerud of the Norwegian top division.
- Sixth-round pick Samuel Johannesson has spent his entire season in the top level of Swedish hockey, as the 19-year-old defenseman has skated 14 games with Rögle BK and has a goal and an assist.