Dmitri Voronkov
Born: September 10, 2000
Height: 6’4″
Position: Left Wing
Birthplace: Angarsk, Russia
Shoots: Left
Draft: 2019 CBJ, 4th Round, 21st pick (114th Overall)
Dmitri Voronkov has already had an interesting career. In a short time span, he has played for several teams and has either been incredibly successful or completely snake bitten.
Voronkov played in the YHL, an under 18 developmental league. In his rookie season, he went off for 51 points in 37 games. 35 of those were goals, with an additional 16 assists. This production earned him the opportunity a year later at the next level in Russia, their junior league, the VHL.
In 14 games in the VHL, he was a non-factor. He wasn’t trusted with much ice time and failed to register even a single point. In the YHL that same season, he was a whole different player. He skated 19 games and scored 27 goals and 23 assists for a total of 50 points.
The following year, the 2018-19 season, he had mixed results. Voronkov played in several tournaments, joined a new YHL team and even managed to play three games in the KHL, Russia’s top league.
The Columbus Blue Jackets can be patient with Voronkov and hope that his development allows him to find the consistency he’s searching for. With the upside of being a sniper, Voronkov has the potential to have been a steal in the fourth round. Unfortunately, he’s still too raw of an athlete.
Like most of the others on the list, the Leafs can buy low with little risk. There is a possibility that Voronkov never takes that next step or he may choose to play the remainder of his career in Russia. If it doesn’t cost Toronto much to acquire him, it would be a good idea to get his rights.
Very few long-shot prospects ever pan out to have successful NHL careers but once in a while, a team gets very lucky. For the Leafs, they just need to put themselves in a position to benefit from some luck.