A Vancouver Canucks prospect is staying put in Russia for the long haul.
Goaltender Dmitri Ivchenko, selected No. 78 overall in this year’s NHL draft, has signed a three-year extension with Avangard Omsk. The new deal keeps the 18-year-old in the KHL through the end of the 2028-29 season.
Ivchenko brought enough size and polish to earn that third-round nod. He checks in at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, and his draft-year work in Russia’s junior circuit backed up the reputation.
In 19 MHL games, he posted a .922 save percentage. The season before, he turned in a .940 save percentage in 33 games at Russia’s U17 level.
He has not yet made his KHL debut.
In their pre-draft evaluation, the team at Elite Prospects called him “a safe bet” and said he “should be on pace to be a KHL starter in a few years.” The outlet also projected that, with time, he could grow into an NHL backup goalie.
There was movement elsewhere on the prospect front, too.
Mace’o Phillips, a 2025 third-round pick of the Calgary Flames, has signed a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement with the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 19-year-old defenseman, who is committed to the University of Minnesota, will spend another season in junior hockey before heading to the Golden Gophers. Phillips is a 6-foot-6, 234-pound left-shot defender who put up 11 points and 187 penalty minutes in 44 games for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers last season.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Dmitry Ovchinnikov is also headed for another year in Russia. He has signed a tryout contract with the KHL’s HK Sochi, according to a team announcement.
Ovchinnikov, once a regular with Sibir Novosibirsk in the KHL, has spent the past two seasons in the VHL, Russia’s top minor league. Last season, he scored 42 points in 54 VHL games, giving him a shot to work his way back into a regular role in the KHL with Sochi.
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