Afanasyev, 19 (1/23/01), tied for second on Russia in points at the 2021 World Junior Championship with five (2g-3a) in seven games, helping his country to a second-place finish in Group B and an appearance in the bronze-medal game. The 6-foot-4 forward has appeared in four KHL games for CSKA Moscow this season, posting three points (2g-1a), including two (1g-1a) in his professional hockey debut on Nov. 14 vs. Sochi. He has also scored two goals in two games for Krasnaya Armiya of the Russian junior league.
Originally drafted by the Predators in the second round (45th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, the Tver, Russia, native spent the 2019-20 season with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires and tallied 67 points (31g-36a), tied for the most on his team. Afanaysev, who previously spent two seasons with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks from 2017-19, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators on Oct. 19, 2019 and featured in both the 2019 NHL Prospects Showcase at Ford Ice Center Antioch and NHL preseason action with Nashville.
