Biography<\/p>\n
2025-26 Team: Minsk Dynamo (KHL)
Date of Birth: January 11, 2002
Place of Birth: Zhlobin, Belarus
Ht: 6-foot-3 (191 cm) Wt: 189 pounds (86 kg)
Shoots: Left
Position: Center<\/p>\n
Scouting Report<\/p>\n
Pinchuk is an incredibly skilled offensive forward. He is a dynamo with the puck on his stick. He has great hands and a great snapshot, with the ability to lift the puck towards the top of the net at the point.<\/p>\n
His most impressive ability is his positioning. He puts himself in a great position to finish goals and win puck battles in front of the net. There are plenty of times when he found a hole to sneak in through and tee off on a goaltender. His great hands help him in this regard.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also shown the ability to carry the puck well, especially in the offensive zone. There isn\u2019t much on his edge work, but he enters the offensive zone very cleanly.<\/p>\n
Strengths<\/p>\n
Great snapshot from the point, with a good set of hands to find the soft spot behind the goaltender and make the puck rise.<\/p>\n
Great positioning in front of the goal, which allows him to win net-front battles and knock in goals up close.<\/p>\n
Solid puck-handling entering the offensive zone. <\/p>\n
Good size at center.<\/p>\n
Under Construction\/Improvements<\/p>\n
Not the primary playmaker on a line, so he profiles more as a winger.<\/p>\n
Not as physically dominant as his size would suggest.<\/p>\n
Will need to earn more defensive trust in the NHL to earn more minutes.<\/p>\n
Unsure if all offensive abilities will translate from the KHL to the NHL.<\/p>\n
Why He Wasn\u2019t Drafted<\/p>\n
There were a few reasons why Pinchuk wasn\u2019t drafted. Simply put, his skills and abilities weren\u2019t what they were during his draft year, which would\u2019ve been the 2019-20 season.<\/p>\n
In the 2019-20 season, he played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He did ok, with 13 goals and 21 assists through 54 games, although he had a plus\/minus of minus-12.<\/p>\n
While those are alright numbers in the OHL, they didn\u2019t stand out enough to earn significant draft interest. As a result, he was viewed as more of a fringe draft prospect coming out.<\/p>\n
There was also the COVID pandemic that dropped his draft stock<\/a>. He didn\u2019t get another season to develop at the OHL, having to move immediately to the KHL. In his first two seasons at the KHL, he made almost no impact, notching no points through 17 games in two seasons.<\/p>\n Then, he slowly started to gain more confidence in the offensive end, going from 17 points in 61 games in 2022-23 to 22 points in 43 games in 2023-24. He earned 25 goals and 43 points in 66 games in 2024-25, and he finally broke out, with 31 goals and 66 points in 65 games this past season.<\/p>\n Safe to say, he was a late bloomer. He didn\u2019t show this level of offensive expertise until this season, and if he showed it earlier, he probably would\u2019ve been selected pretty early in the 2020 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n Where He Projects<\/p>\n Pinchuk played center in the KHL, but he probably profiles as more of a power winger. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, he is a little skinny, and there are a lot of responsibilities for NHL centers that differ from KHL centers.<\/p>\n If he were to play center in the NHL, he\u2019d have to keep up with speed to defend centers like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Leon Draisaitl. He\u2019d also have to be the primary playmaker on his line, although some centers, like the Boston Bruins\u2019 Morgan Geekie<\/a>, break this mold.<\/p>\n As for placement, I\u2019d imagine he probably starts in the middle-six, on the second or third line. He\u2019s definitely not going to place above Filip Forsberg, and it\u2019s unknown how much of his offensive talent will translate from the KHL.<\/p>\n I think a lot of it will, but the biggest question will come from his defensive abilities. He\u2019s had above a plus-10 plus\/minus in each of the past two seasons in the KHL, but again, NHL centers and even wingers (i.e., David Pastrnak) are a different beast to guard. <\/p>\n If he looks competent defensively, Nashville will have more trust in him, but if not, he will struggle finding time in the NHL. There are too many times where talented scorers from the KHL (i.e., Nikita Gusev<\/a>) didn\u2019t show confidence in their own end and lost minutes. <\/p>\n NHL Comparison<\/p>\n Pinchuk reminds me of a taller Artturi Lehkonen<\/a>. Lehkonen plays similarly to Pinchuk; more of a goal scorer than a playmaker, and the best aspect of Lehkonen\u2019s game is his positioning.<\/p>\n When he started with the Montreal Canadiens, Lehkonen wasn\u2019t the best in his own zone. However, he has evolved into a fantastic middle-six forward in his own zone<\/a>. Through the past two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, he has over 2.5 defensive point shares<\/a> in each season. He hadn\u2019t had over 1.8 before then.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unknown if Pinchuk will get to that level defensively, but he\u2019s much taller than Lehkonen. He has the size and frame to be a better defensive winger. At the very least, Pinchuk, like Lehkonen, profiles as a great complementary scorer.<\/p>\n Risk\/Reward Analysis<\/p>\n Risk: 3\/5, Reward: 5\/5<\/p>\n Fantasy Hockey Potential<\/p>\n Offense: 9\/10, Defense: 5\/10<\/p>\n Awards\/Achievements<\/p>\n Pinchuk is a three-time KHL all-star. This season, he\u2019s sixth among all KHL skaters in points, and he led Minsk Dynamo to the second round of the KHL playoffs.<\/p>\n Vitali Pinchuk Stats<\/p>\n Videos<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Free Newsletter<\/p>\n \n Get Nashville Predators coverage delivered to your inbox <\/p>\n In-depth analysis, breaking news, and insider takes – free.<\/p>\n![\"Artturi](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Artturi-Lehkonen-Avalanche-1200x800.jpg\")
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche (Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n