Egor Yurievich Afanasyev (Russian: Егор Юрьевич Афанасьев; born 23 January 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was selected in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, 45th overall, by the Nashville Predators.
| Egor Afanasyev | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
23 January 2001 Tver, Russia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | ||
| Weight | 212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Left Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
CSKA Moscow Nashville Predators | ||
| NHL draft |
45th overall, 2019 Nashville Predators | ||
| Playing career | 2020–present | ||
Playing career
editAfanasyev as a Moscow native began his junior development by moving to North America and playing in Michigan with Little Caesers under-16 team in the HPHL before he was selected 156th overall in the 2017 USHL Fuutres Draft by the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
In his second season with the Lumberjacks in 2018–19 season, developing as a large-framed winger that could overpower defenders, he led Muskegon with 27 goals and 35 assists for 62 points and was named to the USHL's Third All-Star team. On the back of his impressive season, Afanasyev was then selected by the Nashville Predators in the second-round, 45th overall, of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
Continuing his career in the North America, Afanasyev moved to Canada to play major junior hockey with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the 2019–20 season.[2] Signing with the Spitfires after the club had previously acquired his rights from the Ottawa 67's, Afanasyev instantly made an impact with the team in notching a team leading 31 goals and co-leading alongside Tyler Angle with 67 points in just 62 regular season games. He was signed by the Predators during his tenure with the Spitfires, agreeing to a three-year, entry-level contract on 20 October 2019.[3] With the playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Afanasyev's tenure with the Spitfires ended following the subsequent cancellation of the following 2020–21 season.
In order to continue his development, Afanasyev returned to his native Russia, securing a one-year contract with perennial contending Kontinental Hockey League club, CSKA Moscow on loan from the Predators.[4] He made his professional debut in the 2020–21 season with CSKA, registering an impressive 2 goals and 6 points through limited ice-time in 16 regular season games. He played in all levels of CSKA's organization throughout the season, featuring in the VHL and MHL.[5]
Returning to the Predators for the 2021–22 season, Afanasyev was amongst the last cuts at training camp, assigned to begin his North American professional career with AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.[6] In his rookie season, Afanasyev showed his offensive potential in collected 12 goals and 33 points through 74 regular season games.
In his final year of his entry-level contract, Afanasyev continued in the AHL to begin the 2022–23 season. Deployed in a top-six scoring role, Afanasyev later received his first recall to the Nashville Predators on 12 March 2023.[7] He was immediately inserted into the lineup that night and made his NHL debut in a 2–1 shootout victory over the Los Angeles Kings.[8] Afanasyev scored his first NHL goal against Jacob Markström of the Calgary Flames in a 3–2 shootout win on 10 April 2023.[9]
On 23 June 2024, Afanasyev was traded by the Predators to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Ozzy Wiesblatt.[10] As a restricted free agent with the Sharks, Afanasyev rights were retained after he was tendered a qualifying offer with the club. On 1 August 2024, Afanasyev opted to return to his homeland to continue his career, signing a three-year contract with his original club, CSKA Moscow of the KHL.[11]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2016–17 | Little Caesers U16 | HPHL | 17 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | 45 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Muskegon Lumberjacks | USHL | 58 | 27 | 35 | 62 | 36 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 62 | 31 | 36 | 67 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Zvezda Moscow | VHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 74 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 45 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 57 | 13 | 13 | 26 | 26 | 16 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 2022–23 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 56 | 27 | 27 | 54 | 60 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 22 | ||
| 2023–24 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| KHL totals | 16 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Russia
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2020 Czech Republic | |
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Russia | U17 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Russia | WJC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| USHL | ||
| Third All-Star Team | 2019 | |
References
edit- ^ "Predators select Egor Afansayev with No. 45 pick". Sportsnet 360. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ "Highly touted winger Afanasyev commits". Windsor Spitfires. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- ^ "Predators sign Egor Afansayev to three-year, entry-level contract". Nashville Predators. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Predators loan Egor Afanasyev to KHL's CSKA Moscow". Nashville Predators. October 12, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
- ^ "The Diverse development of Egor Afansayev". predlines.com. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Afanasyev could seize opportunity to play for Predators this season". National Hockey League. August 14, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ "Predators recall Egor Afanasyev from Milwaukee". Nashville Predators. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Matt Duchene scores shootout winner, Predators top Kings 2-1". ESPN. 12 March 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ "Predators defeat Flames in shootout, stay alive in West wild card race". NHL.com. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ^ "Predators Acquire Ozzy Wiesblatt From San Jose". NHL.com. Nashville Predators. June 23, 2024. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ "Ak bars strengthened by Barabanov, Gusev returns to Dynamo" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database