The Chicago Blackhawks selected forward Andrei Altybarmakyan from Serebryanye Lvy St. Petersburg of the MHL with the No. 70 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. This was their third pick overall, and second pick of Day 2.
Altybarmakyan is a bit of an off-the-board pick by the Blackhawks. He wasn’t considered a top-100 prospect in the draft class by TSN or ESPN. The NHL Central Scouting service ranked him No. 28 among European skaters. Picking him at No. 70 seems a bit high.
Clearly the Blackhawks saw something in him that other evaluators didn’t focus on. The 18-year-old is coming off a fine year where he recorded 45 points in 31 games with Serebryanye Lvy St. Petersburg of the MHL, which is Russia’s junior league.
He also played 27 games with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg of the VHL, Russia’s second-division league, in which he recorded five goals and four assists. He’s got some skill, for sure:
Andrei Altybarmakyan’s top corner snipe. #BlackSeaCup #2017NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/3etECrz8j4
— Russian Prospects (@RUSProspects) May 28, 2017
There’s upside here in the 18-year-old Russian, and it’s not the first time the Hawks have targeted a player like him. They selected Artur Kayumov, another 18-year-old Russian forward, in the second round last year.
The Blackhawks have six picks remaining in the draft. Keep track of them all here.