Thanks to the 74 readers who submitted ballots in this year’s ranking of Columbus Blue Jackets players and prospects under the age of 25. Over the next month, we will profile the Top 25.
#24 Kirill Dolzhenkov
Voting
24th out of 42 eligible players
Writer Rank: 23rd
Reader Rank: 25th
Highest Placement: 16th (3 votes)
Most Common Placement: 23rd and 24th (4 votes each)
2023 Rank: Not ranked
Biography
Birthdate: April 20, 2004
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 223 lbs
Position: RW
Shoots: Left
Acquired: Draft in the 4th round (109 overall) in 2022
2023-24 Season
The Russian giant spent time in three different leagues last season. He spent just 2 games in the MHL (Russia’s junior league), 15 in the VHL (their equivalent of the AHL), and the majority of this season – 39 games – in the KHL. His production in the KHL doesn’t jump out, but he was just 19 years old and playing for one of the premier franchises in Russia, CSKA Moscow. He will have a new coach this year (Blue Jackets legend Sergei Fedorov’s contract was not renewed after the season).
I wanted to look at how his progression so far has compared to two other recent Russian prospects who spent multiple post-draft seasons in Russia: Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov (Yegor Chinakhov spent just one year after the draft before coming over).
| Player | GP | G | A | P |
| Dolzhenkov draft+1 (2022-23) | ||||
| – MHL | 50 | 18 | 27 | 45 |
| – KHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Voronkov draft+1 (2019-20) | ||||
| – KHL | 34 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| Marchenko draft+1 (2018-19) | ||||
| – MHL | 20 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| – VHL | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| – KHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dolzhenkov draft+2 (2023-24) | ||||
| – MHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| – VHL | 15 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| – KHL | 39 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| Voronkov draft+2 (2020-21) | ||||
| – KHL | 53 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
| Marchenko draft+2 (2019-20) | ||||
| – VHL | 14 | 9 | 3 | 12 |
| – KHL | 31 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
2024-25 Outlook
Now we get to the obligatory Russian Question (TM). In the past, it was a legitimate question as to when a Russian prospect would make the jump, or even if he would. Things are more complicated in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One impact on hockey is that Dolzhenkov has not had the opportunity that others have had to compete against his U20 peers in international tournaments.
The good news is, there is less anxiety about whether Russian players will come over. Marchenko and Voronkov both made it eventually, and were successful in their rookie seasons here. There is not a rush to get Dolzhenkov over here (assuming he wants to test himself here), but whenever he comes he should be able to make an immediate impact. Like Voronkov, his massive size means he can acclimate quicker to the physicality of the North American game.