The Ottawa Senators have sent another prospect overseas for the next few months, loaning Vitaly Abramov to Jukurit in Finland. Abramov will return to North America in time for NHL training camp but can get some playing time while he continues his development.
One of the big pieces that came back to Ottawa in the Matt Duchene deal, Abramov was originally a third-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Picked in 2016 after his outstanding rookie-of-the-year season in the QMJHL, Abramov has done nothing but score throughout his hockey career. His time in the CHL ended in 2018 after 301 points in 185 regular season games and the professional ranks haven’t proven too difficult either. Abramov is coming off a season with the Belleville Senators in which he scored 41 points in 51 games as part of a high-powered offense with Joshua Norris, Drake Batherson, and Alex Formenton (among others).
With three NHL games under his belt and exceptional talent, Abramov is a candidate for full-time minutes with the Senators in 2020-21. The 22-year-old will be entering the final season of his entry-level contract and looking to put up some stats before hitting restricted free agency. Getting a chance to kick things off in Europe will do nothing but help his chances of making the Ottawa roster, especially on a team like Jukurit. Since 2016 when they moved up into the highest division, Jukurit has gone 66-85-29 and missed the playoffs four times. With the kind of offensive skill that Abramov brings, he could very well find himself getting prime minutes with the team’s best players.
Not to be confused with Jokerit of the KHL.
And, judging by the twitter avatar, it appears their mascot is Tor, the Norse God of short-handed goals…