Chiefs select Yegor Arbuzov of Russia in CHL Import Draft

The Spokane Chiefs selected 2001-born defenseman Yegor Arbuzov of Russia with the 50th overall pick in the CHL Import Draft on Thursday.

Arbuzov, who will be first eligible for the NHL Entry Draft in 2019, stands 6-foot and 187 pounds. He played 22 games for CSKA Moscow in the Russian under-17 league last season, scoring eight goals and 13 points. He added one assist in seven games with Krasnaya Armiya Moscow of the Russian MHL junior league, along with a goal in seven games with the Russian U17 international team.

Arbuzov is the first Russian player selected by Spokane since 2001, when the Chiefs selected forward Alexei Smirnov with the 28th overall pick. The last Russian to suit up for the Chiefs was forward Yegor Mikhailov, selected 46th overall in 1996.

Arbuzov joins Czech defenseman Filip Kral as the Chiefs’ two allowed import players. Kral earned the Chiefs’ Rookie of the Year award after scoring 35 points (9G-26A) in 54 games last season. He was selected in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2018 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.