TRAIKOS: CHL’s proposed ban of Russian players could have ripple effect on the NHL

Article content

The pipeline from St. Petersburg to Petersburg may be blocked.

Article content

According to one prominent player agent, the Canadian Hockey League will announce that 16- and 17-year-old Russian (and Belarusian) players will not be eligible for the next import draft. This is a decision following the International Ice Hockey Federation banning Russia from the world juniors and the world under the age of 18 and CHL canceling the annual Canada-Russia exhibition series.

And it’s a decision that has the potential to have a spillover effect on the NHL’s future.

“This is huge,” said Dan Milstein, a Ukrainian-born player agent who represents the majority of Russian players. “The development of those children is great. Hockey should be for everyone. But how fair is this? You are punishing the wrong people.”

Article content

It is not yet known (if any) what the consequences will be for the NHL entry draft this summer. But watch where Russian-born forwards Danila Yurov and Ivan Miloshnicenko reach in the final draft rankings.

In a normal year, both players are considered the top 10 and even top 5 picks in the draft. However, this year it is becoming an unusual form.

As Russian tanks and troops invade the Ukrainian capital, the NHL is being asked to stop the influx of Russians into the NHL. Retired goalkeeper Dominik Hasek went one step further, tweeting that “NHL must immediately suspend contracts for all (current) Russian players,” calling them “exclusions needed.” .. Even CCM hockey has stopped using Alex Ovechkin and other Russian players in marketing campaigns.

Article content

All in all, the team is more likely to be pressured to pass Yurov and Miloshnicenko in the first round. Depending on how ugly the war will be, the two teenagers may not be drafted at all.

“It’s still premature,” said Mark Saidel of North America Central Scouting. “But my intuition is that it will affect them. If you’re an NHL team, is it politically good to take this kid? I think it works.

“Some people consider Yurov to be the third best player in the draft. With Miroshnichenko, he can be considered the best player in five years. That’s his greatness. Well then again, we may never see him. “

That’s true for many Russians.

Considered the NHL’s top feeder league, CHL has a long history of nurturing Russians. Nail Yakupov was ranked number one overall in 2012 after playing for two years at Sarnia Sting. Andrei Svechnikov, who was named top in the 2017 CHL Import Draft, spent a year with Barry Colts before Carolina Hurricanes chose him. Second place overall.

Article content

There are about 36 Russians and Belarusians currently playing in CHL. This includes Edmonton Oilers’ prospect Matbey Petrov. Matbey Petrov scored 70 points in 47 games, ranked 8th in the OHL score and 1st in the 2020 CHL Import Draft (North Bay). Be the first choice in this year’s draft.

Given that 29 Russians were selected in last year’s NHL draft, it’s the third highest in any country, but the stakes are high.

“This will definitely hurt the NHL in the future,” Milstein said. “This can be irreversible. Ten years from now, I could be in someone’s living room trying to convince them to play in the NHL, and they’ll see what happened this year. You remember. What’s happening in the world is scary, but why punish a 16-year-old kid? “

Article content

Ultimately, you are punishing the wrong people.

Remember: These are hockey players, not soldiers. They are Russian, but this is not their war. Ovechkin may still have a picture of Vladimir Putin on his Instagram page, but Ovechkin does not support the Ukrainian invasion. Instead, he seeks peace.

“Please, there is no more war,” Ovechkin said last week.

Simply put, the NHL is a better league with Russians than without them.

There are 55 Russians playing in the NHL this season, but the Russians there tend to fall into the superstar category. Three of the top 15 scorers are Russian, including Ovechkin, who is in the top five with goals, and Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy last year.

The New York Rangers Igor Sheschokin is considered an odds-on favorite for winning the Vezina Trophy. Unless the goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevski, who won the Tampa Bay Conn Smythe Trophy, beat him. Speaking of Rangers and Lightning, former MVP Nikitakcherov scored 26 points in 17 games this season, with Artemi Panalin tied in 15th place.

Article content

Imagine a league without Ovechkin or Vasilevsky. Or — and this is really worrisome for scouts — without future superstar Matvei Michkov.

The 17-year-old forward, who has been touted as the most exciting Russian outlook since Ovechkin, is not eligible for draft until 2023. But that was before Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, don’t be surprised if Mikov, who has a contract to play in St. Petersburg at KHL until 2026, stays in Russia for a long time.

“He was the man I first thought of when this story began,” Seidel said. “We need to see how this is done and if his contract will change. But that’s a big problem. It will hurt.”

mtraikos@postmedia.com

twitter.com/Michael_Traikos