There won’t be a surprise NHL appearance by the tenth overall pick this year, as the Anaheim Ducks have sent Pavel Mintyukov back to the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. His entry-level contract will slide forward, meaning he is now signed through 2025-26 at a minimum.
Mintyukov, 18, actually should be entering his third season with the Spirit, after agreeing to come to North America in 2020. Unfortunately, the year that would have been his rookie season in the OHL was canceled, due to the league’s COVID restrictions. That lost development certainly didn’t slow the Russian defenseman down. Mintykov exploded onto the junior scene with 17 goals and 62 points in 67 games, flying up draft boards and finding himself creeping into the top ten.
While there has been concern about selecting Russian players because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine, Mintyukov has shown a clear desire to play in North America. Not only had he come over to play in the OHL but he signed his entry-level contract with the Ducks just a few days after being selected. Returning to the Spirit for another season should allow the team to have at least a bit of oversight on his development, even though they won’t be directly coaching him.
With how well he did last season, there is a good chance that Mintyukov dominates the league this year and sets himself up to compete for a spot with the Ducks a year from now. At that point, he also may be eligible for AHL action, depending on how his OHL status was determined. As an import player, if the NHL lists him as “on loan” to the CHL during his draft year, he will qualify for the AHL even before the age of 20, as others such as Filip Zadina and Rasmus Sandin have in the past. One factor likely not in his favor is that he did not play professional games before joining the Spirit, only suiting up in the Russian MHL (junior equivalent).
vaadu
This was probably discussed a week ago. Are Russians in sports leagues outside of Russia going to be called back home for military service?
Nha Trang
You’d have to think there’d be domestic resentment if that wasn’t the case.