As the Blue Jackets continue to gear up under Don Waddell's leadership, the goaltending position has become the obvious strength within the organization's prospect pool. At the very top of their list at the position is Russian netminder Pyotr Andreyanov, who could be an elite starter in the NHL some day.
The top prospects list was compiled by a collective ranking from all of the writers at Union and Blue: Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem. We only include players 24 years and under, with fewer than 25 NHL games. Stats are from the previous season, in the league where each player spent the most time. Projections are based on top-end upside.
Top prospect #2: G Pyotr Andreyanov
How we ranked him: Curtis (2), Matthew (2), Mike (2), Weston (3), Struan (2). Pyotr was ranked #3 on this list last summer.
We may not see him for a few years, but Andreyanov is a sparkling gem within this organization's prospect chest. He may be the most highly touted goaltending prospect this franchise has ever seen.
I will say that, early on, he looks like the most talented.
He has everything you want in a future starting goaltender: great reflexes, he's agile, athletic, and he competes hard in the crease. But my favorite thing about him is: he doesn't really need any of that. It just adds on to what looks like a very sturdy foundation.
Positionally, he's already somewhat polished, with a calm lateral movement that often places him right where he needs to be to make a save. The result is often pucks dying against his body, rather than rebounds or hectic scrambles that you might get with a more flashy goalie.
Part of that is due to his 6'2", 200 pound frame; which is something I'm sure the Blue Jackets love. While Jet Greaves and Sergei Ivanov both look like very good goalies early in their careers; Pyotr's size gives him an asset that neither of them will ever have. He simply fills up a lot more of the net.
This past season, he split time between the MHL (Russian Jr) and the VHL (minor pro), both within the famed CSKA Moscow system. At the junior level, he went 13-8-3 with a .919% save percentage, 2.59 goals against average, and 3 shutouts. In Russia's second tier, he went 4-8-0 with a .919%, 2.18 stat line and 1 shutout.
Pyotr is signed in Russia for four more years, which is certainly not ideal for those who want to see him play hockey in North America. However, he's only 19 years old, and he will need several years of development.
In my opinion, it's better that he gets that development in his native country. Look around the NHL and name the top 5 goaltenders in the league. How many of them are Russian? (hint: it's 3)
Any goaltender taken from his draft class, probably won't be ready to make a difference at the NHL level until they are at least 22 or 23. Look no further than Greaves, who finally cracked the surface at 24. So, in that regard, the Blue Jackets lose nothing by picking a guy with a long-term contract overseas. In my opinion, he was the best goalie available in the draft.
Pros: size, athleticism, agility, calm demeanor
Cons: his contract
Projection: elite NHL starting goaltender
Pyotr will take the slow route to the NHL, but that is perfectly fine. In fact, I think the Blue Jackets have proven under Waddell that they prefer that to be the case. They want these guys to be ready before they throw them into action.
That makes sense. Expect Pyotr to spend a good chunk of next season in the same role, though maybe with a slight weight towards more VHL time. In 2027, he will likely start earning KHL minutes, which would give him three years of tutelage at the highest level in Russia.
By the time he does come over, we hope to see a mostly polished player that is ready to take on the starting goaltending job in the NHL. Fingers crossed.
Add us as a preferred source on Google