Our Top 25 Under 25 series continues with the first Russian drafted by the Avalanche since 2004, Moscow-born Andrei Mironov. Mironov was selected 101st overall, and at the time the Avalanche drafted him, he was considered a surprisingly off-board pick. Most top ranking services didn’t even rank Mironov come draft day, so Avs fans were left scratching their heads. Who was this guy and why did the team go out of their way to secure him with such an early pick, or at least an early pick for an unranked player?
Over time, we’ve learned the answers to these questions as we’ve watched him in the KHL, where he currently plays for Dynamo Moskva (Moscow).