The 20-year-old forward has played for Russia at the World Junior Championships, and he became a key cog on a champion, playing a big role for the Avangard Omsk team that just captured the KHL's Gagarin Cup championship.
And now,
after signing a three-year entry-level deal
, Chinakhov is a Blue Jacket. Having won a title for his hometown team, come next year, the exciting winger will take on a new challenge by donning the union blue and trying to make it in the NHL.
So, what do Blue Jackets fans have in store when Chinakhov hits the ice? He tallied 10 times in 32 regular-season games with Avangard and added five goals in 21 games in the postseason, including four in Omsk's second-round series win against Metallurg Magnitogorsk. That's with missing some time this year with a lower-body injury suffered at the World Juniors.
"I think he has a very high skill level, great on-ice awareness, he can see the ice, make plays, he has good one-on-one skills and a tremendous shot," Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said when the pick was made. "He has a lot of different qualities that we think are going to translate to the North American game and the NHL game, and that's why we drafted him where we did and that's why we had him so high on our list."
And a look at some of Chinakhov's highlights from the KHL can show just what he can bring to the table at the NHL level.