Connect with us

Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings Notebook: Buchelnikov Off to Fast Start in VHL; Pearson Heading to Slovakia

Buchelnikov back in Russian second division

Published

on

Chase Pearson, Detroit Red Wings
Former Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins center Chase Pearson is joining Slovakian club HK Dukla Michalovce.

The bad news for Detroit Red Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov is that he was unable to crack the lineup of the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg. However, the good news is that he isn’t pouting about it.



No, as a matter of fact, Buchelnikov is tearing up the VHL with SKA-Neva.

Playing his second season in the Russian second division, Buchelnikov is rapidly piling up the points. through three games, the player chosen 52nd overall by Detroit in the 2022 NHL entry draft has accounted for a goal and four assists.

Thursday, in a 4-2 win over HC Rubin, Buchelnikov was collecting his first goal of the season, as well as an assist. During a season-opening 5-1 victory against Zvezda, Buchelnikov was dishing out a pair of helpers. The left-winger currently owns a share of the team lead in scoring.

SKA-Neva also plays all their home games in St. Petersburg, so if there is an opportunity to join the big club in the KHL, Buchelnikov, 19, is only a call away. He suited up for 10 games in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg last season, collecting a goal and an assist.

Spending the majority of the 2022-23 campaign with SKA-Neva, Buchelnikov was good for 15-13-28 numbers from 35 games. He wound up second on the club in scoring. He’s one of four players on the SKA-Neva roster who are NHL draft picks.

Red Wings Pick Pearson Moving To Slovakia

Chase Pearson’s Red Wings days are officially at an end. An unrestricted free agent, Pearson, 26, is joining HK Dukla Michalovce of the Slovakian Extraliga.

The son of former NHL forward Scott Pearson, Chase Pearson would play just three games for Detroit, all during the 2021-22 season. Selected 140th overall by the Red Wings in the 2015 NHL entry draft, Pearson spent parts of five seasons with the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

In 47 games with the Griffins last season, Pearson was collecting 4-10-14 totals.