By: Clare McManus
The Winnipeg Jets added four new prospects to their system with two Russians, one American, and one Belarusian.
With their first pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Jets selected USNTDP forward Chaz Lucius, 18th overall.
Lucius is a University of Minnesota commit and a 4.75 star rated prospect for Neutral Zone.
The season was cut short for Lucius as he dealt with a lingering knee injury for a majority of the season. Despite this setback, Lucius came back to the ice strong and put up a great stat-line of numbers for the US Development Program. In 13 games with the U18s, Lucius posted 13 goals and seven assists for 20 total points. He also played in 12 games with the USNTDP Juniors team, posting 13 goals and five assists for 18 totally points.
“The Minnesota commit is an elite offensive player who has great instincts and an innate ability to create scoring opportunities…He is always dangerous in the offensive zone and has a way of getting lost in dangerous scoring areas and finding soft areas of the ice to make plays.” “Lucius’ versatility allows him to play with power or finesse; he can drive wide on defenders and get to the net or he can make a move and cut inside for close range opportunities. The puck sticks to his blade, his head is always up looking for a lane and he not only reads where his teammates are but where the defense is and reacts accordingly…One area of his game he could improve on is his explosiveness but that he’s grown a bit in the past year and growing into his frame.”
With the Jets second round selection, they selected SKA St. Petersburg forward Nikita Chibrikov, 50th overall.
A steal of a pick in Chibrikov, played last season with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg split between the MHL, VHL, and KHL. In 20 games played in the VHL, Chibrikov notched three goals and five assists for eight points. In 16 pro games, he scored a goal and an assist. Then in 11 MHL games, Chibrikov posted three goals and six assists for nine total points. Chibrikov was able to put up a strong stat line of points for team Russia at the 2021 World Juniors, with four goals and nine assists for 13 points in seven games.
A grade A prospect for Neutral Zone, “Chibrikov is a speedy and skilled forward for the Russian team who plays with pace and is dangerous on the rush. He registered three assists in this game and displayed great vision throughout the contest, making a number of difficult cross-ice passes in the neutral and offensive zones. He plays more of a straight-ahead style compared to most of his teammates and this worked well with his teammates’ ability to slow down the play. He liked to drive the puck hard up the wall in the neutral zone and then often looked to snap passes to open teammates as he entered the offensive zone before driving the net. Chibrikov’s vision was his best asset throughout the night and he used it consistently while carrying the puck at high speeds. Overall, he is a speedy, straight-ahead player that has great vision, and can make difficult plays at high speeds.”
With the Jets third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, they selected defenseman Dmitri Kuzmin out of Kholstovo, Belarus.
Kuzmin, who stands at five-foot-ten, played last season with Dinamo-Molodechno of the Belarus league. In 46 games played, Kuzmin scored three goals and nine assists for 12 points. He also suited up for five games with Team Belarus at the 2021 World Juniors, posting a goal and four assists.
This season, Kuzmin will come over to North America and suit up for the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. Kuzmin was drafted 46th overall by Flint Firebirds in the 2020 CHL Import Draft.
There are not many places to view players from Belarus, but a scouting report from YardBarn states that “Kuzmin has pretty good vision in the offensive zone and is able to generate plenty of dangerous shot attempts for himself and his teammates. He also found himself playing on the right side, as a left-handed shot, in the offensive zone. This disallowed him to use the boards to shield the puck, however, his creativity, stick-handling, and ability to walk the blue line made this a non-issue in his offensive play…defensively, Kuzmin does show promise. His vision often allows him to break up passes in the neutral zone and prevent offensive transitions for opponents. Although at select times he misreads plays, he often finds himself positioned well in the defensive zone.”
Lastly, the Jets selected overage Russian forward Dmitri Rashevsky, in the fifth-round, 146th overall.
Rashevsky currently plays with Dynamo Moskva of the KHL. He has already played in two games for the 2021/22 season, posting a goal and an assist. Last season, Rashevsky played a majority of the season with Dynamo St. Petersburg of the VHL. In 24 games played, he scored 11 goals and five assists for 16 total points. He then appeared in seven games with MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg of the MHL, scoring five goals.
Russian scout Dylan Griffing states that “His teammates don’t use him nearly enough at the KHL level. Many times, Rashevsky popped open in the slot… only to see his linemates fire the puck on net. He had to create his own shots, which made them less dangerous. Speed looked about average at this level, but high stride-rate and work-rate made him look faster than he is. His hands are still his best attribute: quick reaction time and ability to avoid poke checks.”
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images