The Colorado Avalanche had two picks in the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft but then had to wait until round 5 to continue their draft class. To start off their day, they selected Russian defenceman, who is 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds. Ishimnikov played for the amateur team YEKATERINBURG JR.
Ishimnikov is the second Russian defenseman the Colorado Avalanche have selected in this year’s class—the first being Mikhail Gulyayev in the first round on Wednesday.
Being as tall as Ishimnikov is, he could fit into the Avalanche lineup at some point fairly nicely, given that the team likes to use its defenseman in the offensive zone.