Photo credit: NHL.com
It's going to be a big season for Vancouver Canucks prospect Kirill Kudryavtsev as the 20-year-old is attempting to take the next step in his career.
On Wednesday, the Russian defenceman was not listed on the training camp roster for the Soo Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, meaning that, at least to start the season, he'll try to make the jump to professional hockey.
Dave Hall, a prospects analyst for Canucks Army, shared in a post on social media on Wednesday morning that because the Greyhounds' camp is quite late, only starting today, and Vancouver's YoungStars Classic coming up soon, followed by main camp and then Abbotsford's camp, that it appears Kudryavtsev has other plans, those being to turn pro.
Must read on CanucksDaily
However, just because Kudryavtsev is making the jump to professional hockey to start the 2024-25 campaign, it doesn't mean that'll be where he'll finish the year. Last season, we saw Josh Bloom start the year in the American Hockey League, while also spending time in the ECHL, before he was re-assigned to the Ontario Hockey League in early January.
The Yaroslavl native would be an overager in the Ontario Hockey League if he is to return at any point this season. Per CHL rules, teams can only dress three overagers per game and as the season goes on, if there's an open overage spot on the Greyhounds' roster, there's a chance he could return there and finish the year. There's also a chance that if the Greyhounds are set and confident with the overagers they have on their roster, they could opt to trade Kudryavtsev to another OHL club.
Last season, Kudryavtsev appeared in 67 games for the Greyhounds where he registered 47 points (five goals, 42 assists), 18 penalty minutes and was a plus-nine. He went on to add nine points in 11 playoff games before the Greyhounds were eliminated in the second round by the eventual OHL and Memorial Cup champions, the Saginaw Spirit, who Josh Bloom suited up for.
