In the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, with the 86th overall pick the Columbus Blue Jackets selected Daniil Tarasov, a goaltender from Russia.
The first thing that jumps out about Tarasov is his size, standing 6’4”
He had a 2.11 GAA and .920 save percentage for Team Russia in the 2016 World Junior Championships. He missed last season to injury.
After trading Anton Forsberg yesterday, the Jackets needed to add to their goalie depth. This will accomplish that, even if Tarasov is several years from coming to North America.
Scouting Report:
Wonderful performance at the U18s (5 GP – 2.11 GAA, .921 SV%) has made him all the rage in some scouting circles. – In Goal Magazine
The nerdy part of me is very excited about this last one: Russian goalie Daniil Tarasov is at the draft and had meetings with at least eight NHL teams. Tarasov is nearly 6-foot-5 and has a great pedigree, but missed the entire season with Tolpar Ufa due to a growth on his shin that needed to be removed. The growth and the healing process made it impossible for him to put on his goalie pads this season, but European scouts have a book on him from last year, when he was very solid. Should be interesting to see where he ends up, and how high he goes. – The Hockey News