Top Canadiens prospect coming to North America early

Bogdan Konyushkov. SOPA Images

Top Montreal Canadiens prospect officially coming to North America years ahead of schedule

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 7:44 PM ET

A top Montreal Canadiens defensive prospect taken in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft will be coming to North America earlier than expected, per a newly released report.

The Montreal Canadiens selected defenseman Bogdan Konyushkov with the 110th pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and he's continued to hone his skills by playing in his native Russia.

He's played for Novgorod Torpedo, earning a top-four role on the blue line under coach Igor Larionov, an NHL Hall of Famer who won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings.

Konyushkov also recently won the Petrov Cup while playing for Torpedo Gorky, Novgorod Torpedo's farm team; he scored 13 points (3G, 10A) in 17 postseason games.

He'll be heading to Montreal this summer to take part in the Canadiens' development camp, as evidenced by his recent comments.

"I've already received my visa and will fly to Canada this summer. I couldn't go last summer because I didn't have a passport. As soon as I got one, I immediately applied for a visa."

During an interview in December of last year, Konyushkov explained his versatility and offensive capabilities that he would describe as almost making him the equivalent of a two-way forward.

"I can't call myself a purely attacking defenseman, I can play defense. Yes, I can't do everything defending, but I'm learning. I am a versatile defenseman. I have a role in starting an attack and preventing the opponent's attacks.

"I can still play on the powerplay and support the attack. But in the Torpedo, all the guys can do this. I'm grateful to the coaching staff and personally to Igor Larionov for not forbidding us from being creative and jumping offensively all the time. On the contrary, they encourage us to do it. Thanks to this, we, I mean our defensemen, are becoming two-way forwards."

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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