Goaltender Dmitri Ivchenko, a Vancouver Canucks prospect who was selected No. 78 overall in this year’s NHL draft, has signed a three-year contract extension with his KHL club, Avangard Omsk. The deal will keep the 18-year-old netminder in Russia through the end of the 2028-29 KHL campaign.
A sizable netminder who stands 6’3″, 180 pounds, Ivchenko’s technical details and poise combined with his size made him a third-round choice in this year’s draft. Ivchenko spent his draft season in Russia’s junior circuit, posting a .922 save percentage in 19 games in the MHL. The year prior, Ivchenko had a .940 save percentage in 33 games playing at Russia’s U17 level.
He has yet to make his KHL debut. In their pre-draft report on Ivchenko, the team at Elite Prospects wrote he is “a safe bet” and “should be on pace to be a KHL starter in a few years.” With time, he could develop into an NHL backup goalie, according to the outlet.
Other notes on prospects from around the hockey world:
2025 Calgary Flames third-round pick Mace’o Phillips has signed a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement to play for the Medicine Hat Tigers next season. The 19-year-old defenseman is a University of Minnesota commit who has elected to spend an additional season developing in junior hockey before beginning his tenure with the Golden Gophers. A hulking 6’6″, 234-pound left-shot defenseman, Phillips scored 11 points and added 187 penalty minutes in 44 games for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers last season.
Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Dmitry Ovchinnikov will play another year in Russia, marking his third campaign removed from his time in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. Per a team announcement, Ovchinnikov has signed a tryout contract with the KHL’s HK Sochi. A former KHL regular for Sibir Novosibirsk, Ovchinnikov has spent the last two seasons in Russia’s top minor league, the VHL.
He scored 42 points in 54 VHL games last season, paving the way for him to now receive a chance to re-establish himself as a regular in Russia’s top league with Sochi.