The Guelph Storm continues to look towards Russia’s pool of talent as they selected two players from the federation in Thursday’s CHL Import draft.
The team selected forward Andrei Bakanov with the 38th overall pick and defenceman Roman Bychkov with the 98th selection.
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Bakanov spent last season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL where he collected five goals and four assists in 51 games.
“Our staff is very familiar and have been impressed with Andrei having followed his progress over the last two years — both with Cedar Rapids and in midget with Oakland,” Storm general manager George Burnett said.
In 77 games during the 2017-18 season, Bakanov had 112 points in 77 games with the Oakland Jr. Grizzlies.
“He is certainly on the radar for the NHL Draft next year, bringing great size and skill to the game,” Burnett said.
The 17-year-old is 6′ 2″ and weighs 225 pounds.
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He also represented Russia at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge where he won gold playing alongside Storm defenceman Daniil Chayka.
The Storm was also looking to add an older defenceman with the departure of Dmitri Samorukov and seem to have found that in Bychkov.
“Roman is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman with a strong overall skill set and would be a great addition to our team,” Burnett said.
Bychkov has spent the past two seasons with Loko Yaroslavl in Russia and produced 15 points in 40 games last season.
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The 18-year-old represented Russia at the 2019 World Junior Hockey Champions, tallying one assist in six games.
He was also taken in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins.
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