Throughout the summer and into the fall, we’ll be counting down the days until the Edmonton Oilers begin their 2023-24 season with a daily trip down memory lane. Today at No. 39, we have Bogdan Yakimov.
One year after selecting Nail Yakupov with the first pick in the 2012 draft, the Oilers again took a player from Nizhnekamsk, Russia. This time it was Bogdan Yakimov, a 6’5″ centre who the team landed in the third round.
Yakimov played in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2013-14 and represented Russia at the World Juniors in Sweden. The following off-season, the Oilers inked Yakimov to a three-year, entry-level contract and he came overseas in the fall.
The Oilers threw Yakimov right into the deep end during his first season in North America in 2014-15. The Oilers had a handful of forwards out because of injuries while they were in Los Angeles and the Oilers called up Yakimov from the Oklahoma City Oil Barons of the AHL to fill in. The 20-year-old centred Edmonton’s fourth line and had one shot on goal in 11:19 on the ice.
Yakimov was sent back down to the AHL after that one-game cup of coffee and he had a strong season for the Barons, scoring 12 goals and 28 points over 57 games. The following season, Yakimov was loaned to play in the KHL in the middle of the year. He came back to play in the playoffs for the Bakersfield Condors but didn’t return the next season.
The 2015-16 season wound up being Yakimov’s last in North America. He played a few years in the KHL but was forced to retire in 2023 at the age of 28 because of an injury.
More must-reads: