Atlanta Thrashers draft Alexander Burmistrov (Photo © AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

The Atlanta Thrashers picked up with the 8th overall pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

The center’s selection was a bit of a surprize, but anyway the Thrashers decided to draft him most likely because of his skills set.

Burmistrov, 18, played with the Barrie Colts of the OHL this year, with 65 points during the regular season and 16 during the playoffs. Even if he joined the OHL on loan from Ak Bars Kazan, most likely Burmistrov will be back in North America for the next season.

Evgeny Artyukhin traded to the Atlanta Thrashers (Photo © Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Another Russian player joined the Atlanta Thrashers as they got Evgeny Artyukhin from the Anaheim Ducks. Ilya Kovalchuk’s former team features in their lineup also Maxim Afinogenov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Nikolai Antropov.

Evgeny Artyukhin this season scored four goals and nine points in 37 regular season games.

The Ducks obtained defenseman Nathan Oystrick and a 2011 conditional draft pick.

Artyukhin’s first match with the Thrashers will be played tonight against the Florida Panthers.

Let’s remember that in February Atlanta got the young defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy from the Dallas Stars.

Ivan Vishnevskiy traded to the Atlanta Thrashers (Photo © Getty Images)

Ivan Vishnevskiy has been traded yesterday from the Dallas Stars to the Atlanta Thrashers. Most likely Vishnevskiy, who has played only five games in his NHL career, will be demoted to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

The Dallas Stars obtained Finn goalie Kari Lehtonen, while the Thrashers added a further fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.

Native of Barnaul, Russia, Vishnevskiy reported to North America in the 2005/06 season, when he was picked up in the CHL Import Draft by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and he spent three seasons. He was then drafted in the first round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars. He played most of the last couple of seasons in the AHL.

Ilya Kovalchuk traded to New Jersey Devils (Photo © AP Photo)

Ilya Kovalchuk has been traded to the New Jersey Devils. It’s rumored that before the trade the former Atlanta Thrashers captain, one of the NHL top snipers, turned down a 12-year offer.

Kovalchuk costed the Devils defenseman Johnny Oduya, forward Nicklas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cormier and the Devils’ 2010 first round pick.

“New Jersey is a good team and it’s a great chance to go far in the playoffs,” Kovalchuk said to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s sad at the same time because now – I can say it – I’ve been a Thrasher for eight years. I’m appreciative of everything, the organization and the fans.”

Kovalchuk’s first match as a New Jersey Devil will be on Friday night against Toronto. His first match against Atlanta is scheduled for April 6th. “That’s going to be an interesting game” – admitted Kovalchuk while speaking to WJLA-TV in Washington.

Ilya Kovalchuk scores 600th NHL point (Photo © Lou Capozzola/SI)

It took 579 games to Ilya Kovalchuk to score his 600th point in the National Hockey League. In his 579th effort, during the second period of a match between Atlanta Thrashers and Buffalo Sabres, he scored the first goal of the game with a top-shelf wrist shot from the slot.

In this season Kovalchuk scored 25 goals and 47 points in 32 matches, numbers that make him the fourth top goal scorer and the eighth top point scorer in the league. He’s also the fifth forward with the most average time on ice with more than 22 minutes a night. He logs in average only eighteen seconds less than the mos used forward, slovak Marian Gaborik of the New York Rangers.

Andrei Markov and Maxim Afinogenov like to joke (Photo © allhockey.ru)

Habs’ Andrei Markov and Thrashers’ Maxim Afinogenov liked joke when they played for Dynamo Moscow of the KHL in the 2004/05 season, according to their former partner Yakov Rylov.

Rylov gave an interview to Russian site sports.ru where he recollected some stories with Markov and Afinogenov. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of some parts of the interview.

“Once Max Afinogenov made a bad pass and [Dynamo’s head coach] Krikunov exclaimed: “What are you, blind?”. The following day the team gathered in a room for the game analysis. Max took a seat in the first row and put on strong glasses. You know, the ones that enlarge your eyes considerably. Krikunov came in and started laughing.

At one moment there were rumors that Mikhail Grabovskiy (now playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs) would get traded from Neftekhimik to Dynamo. First he was expected to come right at that moment, then he was expected to come after the season. So one day there was a practice and Markov and Afinogenov were skating in jerseys with Grabovskiy’s surname on the back.”

Ilya Kovalchuk: “Olympics more important than Stanley Cup” (Photo © Elsa/Getty Images)

Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk gave an interview to Russian site sportbox.ru where he talked about the Olympics in Vancouver.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

Q. How often do you think about the Olympic Games in Vancouver?
Kovalchuk: “Pretty often, but right now I’m focused on playing for the Thrashers. We got into a functional slump and now have to get out of it as soon as possible.”

Do you agree that Russia has the best attack and Canada has the best defence? And what do you expect from the Russia-Canada game?
Kovalchuk: “Let’s wait until February when we face Canada, if we face them at all. I don’t think that Canada has the best defence, I’d rather say their defencmen are the most touted ones. The Swedes, Americans and Finns have very good defence too.”

Is Olympics gold the most important prize for you in hockey?
Kovalchuk: “Comparing the Olympics gold and the Stanley Cup is hard. Every player treats these victories individually. For me as a Russian, who understands how much the Olympic gold means to the country, the gold medal is more important than the Stanley Cup ring.”

SKA to offer Kovalchuk a contract? (Photo © AFP)

Alexander Medvedev, the president of SKA St. Petersburg and the KHL, in an interview with Russian newspaper Sport-Express stated that SKA is going to offer Ilya Kovalchuk a contract.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of this brief interview.

– We do have an interest in Kovalchuk. We know that the Thrashers are going to offer him the maximum salary within the limits of the salary cap. But there are differences between the tax systems in the USA and Russia so our offer can turn out to be better. It’s up to Kovalchuk to decide where to continue his career.

– Have you talked with Kovalchuk already?
– We’re talking!

Afinogenov is back to his old production (Photo © Curtis Compton/Ajc.com)

Darryl Dobbs, a popular The Hockey News writer, wrote on his blog about Maxim Afinogenov’s very good start this year in a new scenario, opposed to the last two years’ bad numbers.

The Moscow native signed this summer a one year deal with the Atlanta Thrashers worth a relative low amount of $800,000.

The shifty Russian had 134 points in 133 games for the Sabres between 2005 and 2007. In 2007-08, he was pretty much a write-off due to injury and then last campaign he got off to a slow start. In this case, Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff didn’t have a whole lot of patience. And who would? Afinogenov was coughing up the puck on a regular basis and was also snake-bitten in the scoring department.

Things are different in Atlanta. Coach John Anderson didn’t have many weapons in his arsenal and had to use what he was given.

So despite posting just three points in six games (and a minus-4) to kick off the campaign, Afinogenov was allowed to play through it. Patience – in the case of both the team and the player, it’s what low expectations buy you. That patience has made the Thrashers a multi-line threat.

Afinogenov now has 20 points in 20 games and is back to his old, productive self. He has played more than 56 games just twice in the past seven years, including 36 games during the lockout, so injuries are still a concern, but he’s a safe bet to remain close to a point per game. Pencil him in for 70 games (to play it safe) and 66 to 71 points.

On another THN feature, Brian Duff put Afinogenov as #1 amont the “one year deal wonders” of this season.

Afinogenov’s early-season surge will prove to be a turning point for Thrashers GM Don Waddell, who could use a few deals/contracts to go his way.

After showing up for only the first year of his final three-year deal in Buffalo, crazy legs Max appeared destined for the Kontinental League or anywhere but the NHL after an embarrassing six-goal, 20-point season.