Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Yegor Chinakhov is a fascinating case study.
In a year's time, the now-20-year old went from relative obscurity to the KHL's Rookie Of The Year. Now, he's poised to make his mark in North America, where he'll have a chance to crack the opening night lineup. If he falters, he'll play in Cleveland. Either way, we at 1st Ohio Battery will have our eyes on him. And, apparently, we're not alone.
A recent poll on this very website showed that 37% of site voters were most interested in keeping tabs on Chinakhov, more than any other prospect within the organization over the coming season. With that in mind, we went into the archives from last season to see how Chinakhov leverages his best asset: his shot.
Chinakhov scored 10 goals in 32 regular-season games, then added five more in 21 playoff games, helping Avangard-Omsk win their first Gagarin Cup as KHL champions. He played in eight games for Russia in 2020-21, as well, scoring three goals between the World Junior Championships and the World Championships.
The below video clip, courtesy of InStat, shows all of his non-power-play goals from the past season (power play broken out below).
Like most goal scorers, Chinakhov is able to get into dangerous spots on the ice a split second before the puck arrives, and more to the point, before a defender can check him. He isn't the most dangerous puck carrier and is unlikely to 'undress' defenders at the NHL level. In other words, his game, as it stands today, is more Cam Atkinson than Artemi Panarin.
He is able to generate an immense amount of power by putting maximum downforce on his stick, generating more torque than the average player is able to generate. Check out the goal at 0:16 for a perfect illustration of his torque in action, and at 2:05 to see how powerful and compact his release is, even on a catch-and-release wrist shot.
One thing that stood out to me was his ability to score in a multitude of ways. His one-timer is dynamic, but he can also beat goalies clean on the blocker side with a snapshot. My favorite goal came at 2:29, when, on a 2-on-2 situation, he took the puck to the middle of the ice with elite deception, then beat the goalie clean to the blocker side. It's the type of goal that checks several boxes: the sense to beat a defender with a brilliant inside-outside move, and a wicked release to cap it off.
Chinakhov is also an asset on the power play, where he's able to utilize his one-timer from the right-dot. This is a position of need for the Blue Jackets, who lack a big-shot left-handed forward on the current roster, though it's admittedly a tall order for him to make the NHL roster, much less supplant Jake Voracek from his role on PP1.
Below are his seven power-play goals from last season. What stands out most: he doesn't hold the puck for very long before releasing, and he loves the right dot.
It remains to be seen how Chinakhov's game will translate in North America, at either the AHL or NHL level. But his strongest assets - his quick release and high-level hockey sense - make him an appealing prospect now and going forward.
