The Carolina Hurricanes and the rest of the NHL are preparing for the draft this weekend and much is to be done before thinking about the final on-ice product. However, a charity hockey event will be played on July 20th in Moscow between 16 Russian NHLers and 16 KHLers. Both rosters have some familiar names to keep an eye on.
Naturally, this is a game for fun and like the All-Star games, I would not expect high intensity or anybody checking. Charity and fun are great but crossing my fingers that no one gets hurt.
KHL Roster
The standout name for all Canes fans is defensive prospect Alexander Nikishin. The top prospect in the system, Nikishin is set to ahead to America and potentially play at the NHL level as early as this coming season.
The reports and film on Nikishin have been extremely impressive and although the transition from the KHL to the NHL is not easy, the 6'4 22-year-old has the skill set to make the jump quickly. The 2020 3rd-round draft choice of the Canes played for SKA St. Petersburg last year, posting 56 points in 67 games.
Evgeny Svechnikov, brother of current Carolina forward, Andrei, will suit up for the KHL team. He is currently playing for Ak Bars Kazan. He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings and played in the system for the Winnipeg Jets.
The other NHL-affiliated player on the KHL roster is Montreal Canadiens property, Bogdan Konyushkov.
Former big-name NHL players will also play on the KHL side in Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov. Kovalchuk last played in the NHL during the 2019-20 season for the Washington Capitals. Radulov played more recently in the 2021-22 season for the Dallas Stars. Both players still have a lot of skill, which will make for a good show.
Here's a look at who'll be playing in the 🇷🇺 NHL vs KHL Stars charity game July 20 CSKA Arena - Moscow pic.twitter.com/ccUsDoga3V
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) June 26, 2024
NHL Roster
The superstars of the show will be Capitals captain, Alex Ovechin and New York Rangers forward, Artemi Panarin. Recent Stanley Cup winner with the Florida Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky, will also play in the match.
Andrei Svechnikov will face off against his brother, Evgeny, in a special moment for the Svechnikov family. Andrei is coming off a full season back from injury where he posted 19 goals and 52 points. Since being drafted by the Canes second overall in the 2018 NHL draft, Svechnikov has played in 406 games with 316 points.
First-year Hurricanes defenseman, Dmitry Orlov, will also play for the NHL squad. A highly touted free agent pickup by Don Waddell last summer, Orlov struggled early but put in a respectable season.
Orlove registered 26 points in all 82 games played. 6 of his 26 points were goals. The 32-year-old has one more year remaining on his contract with Carolina with a salary cap hit of $7.75 million. This will be an important year for Orlov as he will have a bigger role with the likely departure of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce.