Golden Knights draft Daniil Chayka with 38th pick
The Vegas Golden Knights selected Daniil Chayka with the 38th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft after trading their 36th pick for the Detroit Red Wings' 38th and 128th picks.
Daniil Chayka
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 187 lbs
Age: 18
Club: CSKA Moscow (KHL)
Nationality: Russian
| GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
(Stats source: EliteProspects.com)
Chayka showed promise at times, but he was inconsistent during his draft year. That might explain why he played in the MHL (the Russian junior league), the Supreme Hockey League (a lower professional level), and the KHL this season.
He posted the above stats at the highest level in his home country, while also collecting a lone assist over 10 games with Zvezda Moscow (a CSKA farm club) and producing four points in five contests with CSKA's junior squad.
It's not all about points with blue-liners, but Chayka also endured a rough world junior tournament. He was held off the scoresheet over six games and was scratched late in the tourney despite being entrusted with significant minutes early on.
However, he's logged a wealth of international experience after representing Russia at six events over three seasons beginning with the under-17 level. Chayka also impressed with the OHL's Guelph Storm in 2019-20, racking up 11 goals and 23 assists across 56 contests. He suited up for two seasons with the Storm before opting to play closer to home.
NHL Central Scouting slotted him fifth among European skaters on its final rankings.
What they're saying
"With his size and feet, he’ll make enough stops to justify not having a ton of offense," wrote The Athletic's Corey Pronman. "In a sentence, Chayka has top-pair athletic tools but projects as a second-pair NHL defenseman."
"(He was) somewhat of a wild card based on a roller-coaster season, but he has size, skates well, has a bomb of a shot, and is still quite raw," Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino wrote.
"I do find that his long stick can hinder him at the point, where his wrist shots come off of his stick softly because of a high grip and a stilted posture, but he’s decently mobile side-to-side, he gets his shots through consistently, and he takes away a lot of space inside his own zone as well as defending the rush," wrote The Athletic's Scott Wheeler.