Leafs trade up and select Dmitri Ovchinnikov at 137th overall
By Jon Steitzer
3 years agoHere’s the thing about the Leafs and Russians, they’ve got a pretty solid track record over the past few years. The fact that the KHL and MHL are in full swing should put a bit more of a priority on drafting players in professional overseas leagues.
What happened here is the Leafs had a player, Dmitri Ovchinnikov that they wanted and they went for him.
Now as far as the player, Ovchinnikov is a 5’10 forward, that was a point per game player in the MHL last year, and has 7 points in his first 6 games this year.
He plays with pace, attacks the inside, cuts through traffic, makes flashy net drives, and creates passing lane. He identifies the trailer and teammates through layers. Defensively, Ovchinnikov brings refined decision-making and discipline. He supports the play, keeps an active stick to deter passes, and brings a consistent effort.
Ovchinnikov didn’t find his way into a ton of rankings, but these seems like the Leafs going off the board a little, which isn’t exactly a surprise at this point of the draft. This also puts the Leafs down to 3 selections in the 6th round and 2 in 7th.
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