The KHL season is a bit further along than pro hockey seasons across North America, which gives us an earlier chance to see some of the prospects playing overseas. This year, one of the top prospects in the Blue Jackets system is on loan with HC Sochi. Unfortunately, Pyotr Andreyanov is off to a slow start for them.
Russian hockey's loan system is good and bad.
Right off the hop, lets talk about why Pyotr is playing with HC Sochi in the first place. His rights are owned by the famed CSKA Moscow organization, a team that is a perennial powerhouse in the league.
If you're of an older vintage, you might know them as the "Red Army Team". However, in more recent years, they are probably best known for developing talent that eventually makes its way over to the NHL. Some of the biggest Russian names in NHL history came right through this program.
As things go with a talented, experienced roster; there isn't much room for young players to make their mark. Which is the case with CSKA and goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov, who we ranked as the #2 prospect in the entire Blue Jackets system this summer.
He proved just about everything he could last year, while splitting time between the MHL (Russian juniors) and the VHL (tier-2 pro). He didn't see a ton of starts at the VHL level, so CSKA did the right thing this year by loaning him to HC Sochi-one of the worst organizations in the KHL.
One of the worst organizations? He's meant to be a Blue Jacket...
I think this loan is a good and bad thing. On the good side, it gives him a chance to play regular minutes at Russia's highest level. Playing behind Sochi, he's going to face a lot of shots and get plenty of learning opportunities.
On the bad side? I wonder how it affects his confidence and overall development. Another year in the VHL might have honestly been better, even if this loan had to happen with another organization. But, I get why CSKA did it this way, and we have seen it work with another Blue Jackets prospect recently.
It's still very early, but Pyotr has struggled so far this season. In 11 games played, he's posted a .893% save percentage, 3.51 goals against average, and a 2-9-0 record. These numbers aren't the end of the world, especially considering the team in front of him.
However, they also aren't great. This is a league where defense and goaltending typically dominate, and his save percentage ranks 11th out of 13 goaltenders who have played more than 10 games.
Not even a little bit concerned.
In the grand scheme of things, I'm not even a little bit worried about Pyotr, as long as his confidence isn't shaken. At this moment, he looks to be dealing with an injury, so he hasn't played in either of Sochi's last two games.
He's only 19 years old, and it's good to see him getting playing time against some of the top pros in Russia this season. We'll keep tabs on his development as the year goes on, and watch for any improvement.
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