Top Jets Prospect Stays Overseas For Controversial Reasons

The Winnipeg Jets thought they had gotten a potential steal when took Dmitri Rashevsky on day two of the 2021 draft. The young Russian has impressed at the KHL level and was looking to make the jump to North America this year but elected not to do so.

The KHL is better than the AHL but it should be noted that the Jets would not have as much of a hand in his development.

However, by prioritizing his competition, Rashevsky will ensure premier competition and not his NHL organization which could be a character concern.

Since being drafted in the 5th round of the 2021 draft, Rashevsky has climbed through the Russian ranks and is now a full-time KHLer.

His production took a relative dip finishing with 38 points in 67 games after finishing with 35 in 48 a year prior. Despite this, his overall game has gotten stronger and if the production can follow suit, he could be an NHLer in 2024-25.

While the KHL is a harder league than the AHL, they play on a larger ice surface with more space so part of why Winnipeg wanted to stash him in the AHL for a year was because he could adjust to the ice size.