The Columbus Blue Jackets will feature a long-awaited NHL debut Thursday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal for their game against the Canadiens. As it turns out, one of their top draft picks of the 2019 NHL Draft will get his shining moment.
Dmitri Voronkov will make his NHL debut over four years after being picked 114th overall in the fourth round. The Blue Jackets didn’t make a pick in the 2019 NHL Draft until the fourth round when they had two picks.
Defenseman Eric Hjorth was picked just 10 spots ahead of Voronkov at 104th overall. Recall this was the draft after the Blue Jackets went all in at the trade deadline. In all, they held just three picks. They selected Tyler Angle with the 212th pick, just six picks from the end.
Highly Anticipated Debut
One of the big stories in the offseason for the Blue Jackets was Voronkov’s arrival in North America. He spent a total of five seasons playing in the KHL for Ak Bars Kazan. After helping lead his team to the Gagarin Cup finals, it was expected that he would sign an ELC with the Blue Jackets.
On May 4, that signing became official. Many expected Voronkov would immediately make the team and help the Blue Jackets at center ice. Except it didn’t quite work out that way.
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The Blue Jackets eventually sent Voronkov to AHL Cleveland to continue adjusting to the smaller North American ice while improving his pace and fitness. With Patrik Laine landing on injured reserve thanks to the hit by Rasmus Andersson, this opened the door for Voronkov to make his debut.
Why is this debut a highly-anticipated one? First, you won’t miss Voronkov when he’s on the ice. He’s listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds. He’s a big man who isn’t afraid to hit or drop the gloves. Wonder if his first fight could be with Arber Xhekaj on Thursday?
But second, Voronkov has plenty of skill. He can score when given the opportunity and especially from close to the net. His speed has improved enough in the eyes of the Blue Jackets that they feel he is ready to show them where he’s at overall.
Here’s what GM Jarmo Kekalainen had to say about Voronkov back in May when the Blue Jackets first signed him.
“Dmitri is a big, strong forward who can play at center ice or on the wing and is coming off an outstanding season in the KHL. He is a skilled player that has shown an ability to score goals while playing a physical two-way game. We believe he has tremendous upside and are looking forward to his joining our group and continuing his development as a Blue Jacket.”
Expected Role Early
According to Blue Jackets’ team reporter Jeff Svoboda, Voronkov skated in practice Wednesday on the fourth line along with Mathieu Olivier and Sean Kuraly. The notable absence from the lines was Kent Johnson. Although he wore a green jersey indicative of scratches, coach Pascal Vincent told the media Wednesday they hadn’t decided who would sit.
Starting Voronkov on the fourth line is expected given his debut and what the Blue Jackets are looking for. They’re looking to see what kind of progress was made between his preseason outings and this upcoming game.
Voronkov will have the chance to be a physical presence. His line will look to set the tone when they’re on the ice. If given a chance in the offensive zone, watch for him in front of the net setting screens. Not often a 6-foot-5 and 240-pound forward is an option in that situation.
It’s reasonable to expect that line to not get a ton of minutes on Thursday. Around 8-10 minutes of ice time feels like a realistic expectation. If they are able to impact the game, then perhaps Vincent can try to roll four lines.
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Voronkov’s stay may be limited depending on Laine’s status. Laine would be eligible to play Saturday against the New York Islanders. However he hasn’t practiced of late. While he is listed as day-to-day, there’s no definitive date as to when he might return.
The Blue Jackets also had until the end of the calendar year to have Voronkov in the NHL. Otherwise a clause in his contract would have allowed him to return to Russia. This is a case of clearly evaluating his progress and seeing if there’s a role for him now in future games.
Make no mistake. Voronkov is a big part of the Blue Jackets plans. When he’s on, he plays a mean and nasty game while impacting the game at both ends. It’s just a matter of how quickly can he adjust to everything.
Voronkov passed the first test by getting this call up. Now we’ll see what he can do in a regular season game. The hype has followed him since his KHL days. Will he be able to eventually live up to that hype?
We’ll start finding out Thursday night.