Yegor Chinakhov Explained

Yegor Chinakhov
Birth Date:1 February 2001
Birth Place:Omsk, Russia
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lbs:179
Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:Columbus Blue Jackets
Prospect League:AHL
Former Teams:Avangard Omsk
Draft:21st overall
Draft Year:2020
Draft Team:Columbus Blue Jackets
Career Start:2020

Yegor Vitalievich Chinakhov (Russian: Егор Витальевич Чинахов; born February 1, 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey right wing currently playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 21st overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Chinakhov played as a youth with his hometown club, Avangard Omsk. Following the 2018–19 MHL season, spent mainly with Omsk's Junior Hockey League (MHL) affiliate, he went undrafted in the 2019 NHL Draft. He remained in the MHL for the 2019–20 season, improving his point totals tremendously.[1] [2]

At the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Columbus made the surprising decision to select Chinakhov in the first round, 21st overall. While the consensus among scouts was that Chinakhov would be selected in the second or third round, there were very few public rankings that ranked him in the top 100, with many lists excluding him entirely.[3] In their coverage of the draft, NBC Sports did not have any footage to share of Chinakhov as they did for every other first round selection and many in the following rounds.[4]

Chinakhov made his professional debut in the 2020–21 season with Omsk's senior club, in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was named the Rookie of the Month for the month of September 2020, during which he recorded three goals and two assists in nine games, averaging 11 minutes and nine seconds of ice time.[5] He finished with 10 goals and 7 assists for 17 points in 32 regular season games, leading all KHL players 20 years or younger in points-per-game (0.53). In the postseason, he added 5 goals and 7 points in 21 games to help the club win the Gagarin Cup for the first time in franchise history.[6]

Chinakhov was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets to a three-year, entry-level contract on May 2, 2021.[7] He played most of the 2021–22 season for the Blue Jackets, scoring 14 points in 62 games.

Chinakhov played the beginning of the 2022–23 season with the Blue Jackets, improving his scoring rate to 13 points in 30 games, before being placed on injured reserve (IR) with an ankle injury on December 20, 2022.[8] On February 27, 2023, he was activated from IR and assigned to the Jackets' minor league affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), finishing the season with 8 points in 7 AHL games.[9]

Following another injury, sustained just one day before the 2023–24 season, Chinakhov was again assigned to the AHL on October 25, 2023.

International play

Chinakhov represented Russia at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he recorded one goal and two assists in five games, and won a bronze medal.

He represented Russia at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he recorded two goals and one assist in seven games, and won a silver medal.[10]

Chinakhov made his World Junior Championship debut at the 2021 championship, playing 5 games as Russia finished fourth.

Personal life

Chinakhov is the son of former ice hockey player Vitali Chinakhov, who was selected in the 11th round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers and never played in the NHL.[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 MHL season2017–18Omskie YastrebyMHL4 1 4 5 2
2018–19 MHL season2018–19Omskie YastrebyMHL37 8 8 16 4
2019–20 Supreme Hockey League season2019–20Izhstal IzhevskVHL2 2 1 3 0
2019–20 MHL season2019–20Omskie YastrebyMHL56 27 42 69 16
2020–21Avangard OmskKHL32 10 7 17 621 5 2 7 24
2021–22Cleveland MonstersAHL1 1 0 1 0
2021–22Columbus Blue JacketsNHL62 7 7 14 16
2022–23Columbus Blue JacketsNHL30 4 9 13 10
2022–23Cleveland MonstersAHL7 3 5 8 0
2023–24Cleveland MonstersAHL3 3 1 4 2
2023–24Columbus Blue JacketsNHL53 16 13 29 6
KHL totals32 10 7 17 621 5 2 7 24
NHL totals145 27 29 56 32

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2018RussiaHG1851230
2019RussiaU1872134
2021RussiaWJC4th51010
Junior totals 174374

Awards and honors

AwardYear
KHL
Gagarin Cup (Avangard Omsk)2021[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Yegor Chinakhov at eliteprospects.com . 2023-10-29 . www.eliteprospects.com . en.
  2. Web site: Forbes . Andrew . 2020-06-24 . Yegor Chinakhov - 2020 NHL Draft Prospect Profile . 2023-09-17 . The Hockey Writers . en-us.
  3. Web site: Pronman . Corey . Pronman's scouting report: What the Blue Jackets are getting in Yegor Chinakhov . 2023-09-17 . The Athletic . en.
  4. NHL Draft 2020 First Round - YouTube . Television production . NBC Sports . Broadcast October 6th, 2020 . 2:37:08 . September 17, 2023 . YouTube.
  5. News: Players of the Month: Garipov, Genoway, Makeyev, and Chinakhov. KHL.ru. Kontinental Hockey League. Alessandro. Seren Rosso. October 1, 2020. October 6, 2020.
  6. Web site: Elite Prospects - KHL Stats 2020-2021 . 2023-10-29 . www.eliteprospects.com . en.
  7. Web site: CBJ sign 2020 first-round pick Yegor Chinakhov . . 2 May 2021 . 2 May 2021.
  8. Web site: Yegor Chinakhov Injury Updates - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps . 2023-10-29 . CapFriendly . en.
  9. Web site: Yegor Chinakhov Transactions - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps . 2023-10-29 . CapFriendly . en.
  10. News: Yegor Chinakhov Draft Prospect . NHL.com . . dead . October 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201009000010/http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?cat=2&dpid=115938&sort=finalRank&year=2020 . October 9, 2020.
  11. Web site: Vitali Chinakhov at eliteprospects.com . eliteprospects.com . October 7, 2020 . en.
  12. Web site: Avangard is crowned 2021 Gagarin Cup Champions . . 29 April 2021 . 29 April 2021 . Russian .