Afanasyev, 22 (1/23/01), has 26 points (13g-13a) in 55 games for the Admirals this season, his second professional campaign in North America. His career-high 13 goals are the third-most on Milwaukee in 2022-23, and he is one of two Admirals skaters to score both on the power play (2) and shorthanded (1). In addition to sitting third on Milwaukee in shots on goal (123), the 6-foot-4, 211-pound forward has tallied seven power-play points (2g-5a) and owns a +3 rating. Last season, his first in the AHL, Afanasyev led all Milwaukee rookies in assists (21) and was second in goals (12) and points (33), helping the Admirals reach the Central Division final of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Originally drafted by the Predators in the second round (45th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Afanasyev spent the 2020-21 season on loan in his native Russia, competing in 16 KHL games for CSKA Moscow, tallying six points (2g-4a). Prior to turning pro, he played for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires in 2019-20, sharing the team lead in points with 67 (31g-36a); the season before, he skated for Muskegon in the USHL, where he was named to the league's Third All-Star Team after pacing the Lumberjacks in goals (27), assists (36) and points (62). Internationally, the Tver, Russia, native represented his country at the 2021 World Junior Championship, tying for second on his team in points with five (2g-3a), and at the 2017 World U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Join the Preds Foundation for its 16th Annual Wine Festival & Tasting presented by Deacon's New South and bitse.io powered by Identiv on Thursday, March 30, 2023, over the ice at Bridgestone Arena. The festivities run from 6-10 p.m. CT and general admission tickets are $89 per person. The festival will feature higher-end wines, beer and spirits, food samplings from local restaurants, and an extensive silent auction. VIP tickets, including a five-course dinner and wine pairing featuring selections from Cakebread Family of Wines in the Patron Platinum Club, are $225 per person. All tickets purchased will also receive a $30 gift card to Deacon's New South. For more information, visit NashvillePredators.com/wine.
