The Canadiens took Russian defenceman Bogdan Konyushkov with the 110th pick in the draft.
Birthplace: Penza, Russia
Date of birth: December 20, 2002
Shoots: Right
Position: Defence
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 176 lbs
Team: Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL)
Konyushkov was in his last year of draft eligibility, and turned 20 last December. He is a player that has been under the radar for a while, spending his first draft-eligible year in the NMHL, which is Russia’s second division junior league. The year after he moved to the VHL, Russia’s senior minor league, before jumping to the KHL this past season.
Konyushkov had a pretty solid season in his first senior year with two goals and 23 assists for 25 points in 64 games before adding five assists in 10 playoff games. He also played in the MHL (Russia’s junior league) playoffs and had six assists in six games. His team ended up winning the MHL championship.
For a rookie to play defence and put up points like he did, it is a testament to his game. At the same age, for example, Alexander Romanov had seven assists in 43 KHL games, but for a much better team with more limited playing time. Konyushkov took advantage of the opportunity he was provided. He was nominated for the KHL’s rookie of the year award as well, leading his team in ice time.
His coach in the KHL was Igor Larionov, who had a long professional career and played six NHL seasons with Canadiens co-director of amateur scouting Martin Lapointe.
Konyushkov was ranked #133 by McKeen’s Hockey, who says that his best attribute is his hockey IQ, which is a trait that the Canadiens have keyed in on in their player evaluation. He thinks the game well and is able to make quick passes on the offensive end, and puts himself in positions to create turnovers on the defensive side of the ice.
He’s a very good skater, which he uses to his advantage as an attacker and a defender. He doesn’t have top offensive upside, but to be able to contribute offensively like he did in his first KHL season, there may be some hidden runway there.
Watching video, he doesn’t seem to have a powerful shot, but is able to put his wrist shot on net, which snuck through for some goals in the video above.
This is a pick that raised a lot of eyebrows as he was relatively unknown, and his major growth came when eyes on the KHL and Russian hockey were limited, but a deeper look shows that it is a pick that is at the very least intriguing.
As a Russian player, the Canadiens can take their time evaluating him before signing him to a contract, and allow him to continue to play in Russia. Snapping him up in his final year of draft eligibility is away to avoid needing to compete with other NHL teams for him as a free agent should his development continue.
