Montreal Canadiens Prospect Competes in KHL vs NHL Game

Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Bobrovsky were some of the household names who competed in the NHL vs KHL match on Saturday. For fans of the Montreal Canadiens, attention shifted to a certain prospect.

Twenty-one-year-old defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov was among the star-studded talent on team KHL. The former fourth-round selection of the Montreal Canadiens is the current captain of Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. In 65 games last season with the Torpedo, the young Russian, with the C stitched to his jersey, racked up six goals and 28 points.

The NHL has played against Russian competition in years past. For example, there was the Super Series from 1976 to 1991 that saw NHL-level talent play against Soviet League teams. Teams such as the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes have matched up against Metallurg Magnitogorsk and SKA St Petersburg post-2008.

This year’s all-star match took place in CSKA Arena in Moscow and finished with a score of 8-8. Ovechkin took home player of the game honors.