Andrei Loshko
2022-23 Team: Chicoutimi Saguenéens
Date of Birth: Oct. 7, 2004
Place of Birth: Zhlobin, Belarus
Height: 6-foot-1, Weight: 170 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: Right Wing
NHL Draft Eligibility: first-year draft eligible
Rankings
- NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters): 68th
- FC Hockey: 89th
- McKeen’s Hockey: 138th
- Elite Prospects: 104th
Andrei Loshko is a Belarusian forward who’s spent the last two seasons with Chicoutimi Saguenéens in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He was the team’s leading scorer this past season, finishing with 70 points (22 goals and 48 assists) in 67 games.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Loshko is an intriguing and fun prospect who could be one of the better picks on Day 2 of the draft. He’s a good skater with a relatively broad offensive toolkit. Though he’s more of a playmaker, he has an underrated shot with a quick release and good accuracy. He also has a soft set of hands and uses his stickhandling to create scoring chances.
Another standout of Loshko’s game is hockey IQ or hockey sense, whichever way you want to phrase it. He plays a solid two-way game with good positioning and puts in the effort backchecking. That’s not something teams always get with late-round picks, so that’s an advantage he has working in his favor.
One thing Loshko needs to improve is getting to high-danger areas more often. He does it occasionally and usually has success when he does, but he’ll need to go to those areas more often as he works up the pro ranks. His skating is a plus, as it looks like he’ll be a player who can generate chances off the rush if he does make it to the NHL.
Even though he’s only 170 pounds, he has good size at 6-foot-1 and has plenty of room to fill out as he continues to develop. The tools are already there, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of player he turns into once he matures and starts adding more strength to his frame.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Andrei Loshko — NHL Draft Projection
While Loshko is an intriguing prospect, he’s certainly a project moving forward. Even though he’s one of the older players in this draft, having an Oct. 2004 birthdate, he’s worth the gamble later in the draft. Expect him to come off the board at some point in the third or fourth rounds.
Quotables
“Loshko, a left-shot center, shows great puck control ability and he utilizes his quick hands when working his shot release. As a pivot, he shows very valued positional IQ and always has the heart and effort on forechecks and backchecks no matter the situation of the game. He tends to show great patience when reading plays to get into position, however he can be seen coasting when doing so.” – Mitchell Skilton, FC Hockey
“Andrei Loshko (N/A) often looked lost last year, struggling to keep up with the pace. This year, the Belarusian forward is producing at more a point-per-game pace with Chicoutimi. It just looks he hit a switch early in the season and managed to always be in the right position at the right time. He’s patient, makes smart decisions with the puck and the numbers are starting to show in his favor. Look for Loshko to land somewhere in the third round.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
“Loshko is a highly-interesting prospect with legit talent. He’s got decent size, he has excellent puck skills and offensive creativity and skates quite well too. In his best moments, he can embarrass defensemen with his skill while also doing so with a pro pace. I wouldn’t describe those moments as consistent, though. Loshko can play too much on the perimeter and I would like to see a little more pure playmaking in him. I see a player who can make it, though, if some things go right and is worth a gamble.” – (From ‘2023 NHL Draft ranking: Connor Bedard leads Corey Pronman’s tiers of the top 142 prospects’ – Corey Pronman (The Athletic), 5/30/2023)
Strengths
- Shot/quick release
- Playmaking
- Hockey sense
- Two-way game
- Skating
- Stickhandling
Under Construction — Improvements to Make
- Strength
- Less perimeter game, getting inside more often
- Consistency to his offensive game
NHL Potential
If Loshko continues on an upward trajectory, he could make it as a middle-six winger in the NHL. Though he’s played both center and right wing, he’s primarily been a winger in juniors, which is where he’ll likely settle in as a pro.