Petes defenceman hoping to hear name called at NHL draft tonight
Russian-born forwards Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, Pavel Gogolev also among Petes hopefuls at NHL draft
Three Peterborough Petes will be in Dallas this weekend hoping to hear their name called at the NHL Entry Draft.
Declan Chisholm, Pavel Gogolev and Semyon Der-Arguchintsev are ranked among the top 82 North American skaters in the final NHL Central Scouting rankings.
Chisholm was ranked 52nd and despite missing 21 games to injuries this season he quadrupled his rookie totals with 20 points on three goals and 17 assists. The six-footone, 185-pound Bowmanville native is hoping for a silver lining to what was a tough season for his team.
“I’m hoping for the best,” Chisholm said. “I’m not going to expect to be picked, I’m going down there for the experience. I’m hoping my name gets called.
“It would mean all the hard work and sacrifices have paid off to get me to this point but now the real work sets in. It’s one step closer to the NHL.”
Chisholm has met with several teams for interviews and attended combines held by the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.
Regardless of what happens at the draft, Chisholm says he’s motivated for next season.
“I’m going to be training harder than I ever have and working harder than I ever have leading up to the season. We have a good core of guys coming back who really want to do well,” Chisholm said.
“I’m going to try to be a guy who is a huge leader and leads by example and tries to steer younger guys to work towards the main goal.
“Having a new coach coming in, too, it will just be a different culture. Having a fresh start like that could be great for our team. We can all start fresh and set new goals and work towards them. I think it’s going to turn our whole organization around.”
Gogolev is ranked 79th by Central Scouting. The six-foot-one, 175-poound right winger scored 30 goals, 26 at even strength, 17 assists and 47 points in 66 games. It was a breakout season for the sophomore who also more than quadrupled his rookie total of 11 points.
Growing up in Russia, Gogolev said hockey was something he did for fun and his love of the game not as a vehicle to the NHL.
“When I moved to Canada that’s when I started to take it serious and it became my goal to make it to the NHL,” Gogolev said.
“I’m definitely hoping to get drafted but I’m telling everybody, like my family who are really excited for me, that it’s of course an exciting moment but the most important thing is training camp. It doesn’t matter if you get drafted or don’t get drafted, it’s most important whether you’re going to show up at training camp.”
Gogolev is excited to share the experience with teammates.
“I’m really happy for Declan Chisholm and Semyon,” he said. “It’s an exciting moment for everyone.”
Der-Arguchintsev is rated 82nd by Central Scouting. The five-foot-10, 159-pound centre registered 12 goals, 39 assists and 51 points in 68 games, the Petes’ third highest points total last season just behind overager Logan DeNoble.
Der-Arguchintsev was travelling from Russia to Dallas and couldn’t be reached for comment.