Hurricanes' Pyotr Kochetkov: Joins the 'Bunch of Jerks'

Kochetkov was drafted 36th overall by the Hurricanes at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft on Saturday.

Although twice passed over in previous drafts, Kochetkov is the top-rated European goaltender in the draft according to NHL Central Scouting. The 20-year-old (next week) saw his stock explode after a brilliant performance for his native Russia at the World Juniors in which he posted a 1.45 GAA and .953 save percentage in five games. Kochetkov got into a couple KHL games with Sochi, but he spent most of this past season playing for HK Ryazan in the second-division VHL. NHL organizations remain hesitant to draft Russian goaltenders (and Russian players in general) because it is almost always several years before the club sees any sort of payoff. On the other hand, many of these kids are so talented they are worth the roll of the dice. It's difficult to see the downside of Carolina selecting Kochetkov at this point in the draft. Dynasty league owners with deep benches should be all over him.