Russian Prospect Still Has His Eye On The Habs

While the Montreal Canadiens’ training camp is just about to kick off on this side of the pond, play has already resumed in the KHL, and one Habs’ prospect has been busy playing for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. It’s already been two years since Montreal drafted Bogdan Konyushkov in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, but Tricolore fans have seen very little of him so far.

The right-shot defenseman did come to the Canadiens’ development camp this summer and enjoyed the experience. Still, there’s no plan for him to come over until the end of his two-year pact with Torpedo, which is set to expire after the 2026-27 season.

Speaking to Sergey Demidov of Research Ground, the 22-year-old explained that even though he did sign an extension with his KHL club, he still dreams of playing in the NHL. Before he does that, though, he wants to help his current team win a championship.

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The young man is quite reasonable; while he dreams of making the NHL, he recognizes the Canadiens’ influence and acknowledges that his family’s happiness must come first.

During his time in Montreal for the development camp, he met Ivan Demidov, and while impressed by his skills and talent, it was his countryman’s work ethic that left the most significant impression. He recalls that two months before training camp even opened, Demidov was skating twice a day and hitting the gym in between his two on-ice sessions.

Konyushkov is a realist and he knows he still needs some more development, given how much ice time he gets in the KHL, it’s not a bad thing that he has committed to play there a couple more years, he’ll have more responsibilities and ice time there than he would in Montreal or Laval with so many young blueliners being part of the organization.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on Konyushkov in the next couple of years, and if everything goes according to plan, he should be ready to try his hand at North American hockey at the end of the 2026-27 season.

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