Columbus Blue Jackets sign top prospect Dmitri Voronkov

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Dmitri Voronkov to a two-year entry-level contract, the team has confirmed.

Considered one of the system’s top prospects, Voronkov was drafted with the 114th pick in the 2019 draft. He has spent his entire pro career with AK Bars Kazan in the KHL, scoring a career-high 18 goals and 31 points during the regular season this year. He had another 12 points in the postseason as Kazan came up just short of the KHL championship.

Voronkov has 74 career points in 182 games over five years in the KHL. He’s known for his big 6-foot-4 frame and the power he puts behind his shot while harnessing an impressive work ethic.

Voronkov also has significant experience with the Russian national team, leading his country to a silver at the 2020 World Junior Championship and 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

“Dmitri is a big, strong forward who can play at center ice or on the wing and is coming off an outstanding season in the KHL,” Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen said in a statement. “He is a skilled player that has shown an ability to score goals while playing a physical two-way game.”

The Blue Jackets are projected to have just over $15 million in cap space for 2023-24. The team has the second-best odds to land Connor Bedard at the NHL Draft this year, and have forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine, as well as defenseman Zach Werenski, signed long-term. The Blue Jackets also have some decent young talent in Kent Johnson and Yegor Chinakhov up front, while defensemen David Jiricek, Corson Ceulemans and Stanislav Svozil aren’t too far away.

The Blue Jackets finished the 2022-23 season with a 25-48-9 record for 59 points, one more than the last-place Anaheim Ducks. Columbus dealt with serious injury issues all season long, including one that kept Weresenki out of the lineup for most of the campaign.