Red Wings fans are excited to see what Dimitri Buchelnikov can eventually do at the NHL level, and he just picked up a major award playing in the KHL with Vityaz HC.
The Detroit Red Wings may have secured themselves one of the next great Russian hockey talents with forward Dimitri Buchelnikov.
Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman announced that he was the 52nd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft; while he's yet to play in North America, he played this year for Hockey Club Vityaz Moscow Region in the Bobrov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.
He finished the year with 54 points (15G, 39A) in 65 games, and earned another accolade in his young professional career. He was named the Team MVP for HC Vityaz:
Buchelnikov is one of many prospects that have been accumulated by Yzerman since his return to the organization in April 2019; other prospects that figure to play a major role in the team's future include Carter Mazur, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Sebastian Cossa, William Wallinder, and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard.
Dynamic playmaking forward who puts up buckets of points everywhere he plays. Will need to continue filling out his thin frame and find other ways to contribute to ensure he can impact the game at the NHL level.