When Alexander Gordin was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the sixth round, 171st overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft they continued their strategy to draft out of Russia. In 2018 they hit a home run when they selected Alexander Romanov in the second round, and in 2019 they selected another Russian late in the draft Arsen Khisamutdinov.
Gordin was drafted out of the SKA Saint Petersburg system, a club with a pedigree and a track record of developing young talent. They also had Daniel Bochner as a skills coach. At the start of February Bochner has became an assistant coach in the club, something that should translate well in regards to the development of Gordin.