Introducing the New Nashville Predator: Vitali Pinchuk – Hockey Writers – Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators found some talent down the middle in a rare spot. Belarus is not the most common place to find NHL talent, with Mikhail Grabovski leading all Belarusians in all NHL points (296). However, the Predators went to Belarus for another potential talent in the middle: Vitali Pinchuk.

At the age of 24, Pinchuk has made steady progress in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) over the past six seasons to become one of the top goal scorers. The Predators are stuck in a no-man’s land, mostly because of their core, so they signed Pinchuk to a one-year, $1 million deal, beating out many other teams to do it. It’s a lottery ticket, but hopefully Pinchuck’s talent that translates to the NHL can help the Predators break out.

Biography

2025-26 Team: Minsk Dynamo (KHL)
Date of Birth: January 11, 2002
Place of birth: Zhlobin, Belarus
Ht: 6-foot-3 (191 cm) Wt: 189 pounds (86 kg)
Shots: Left
Position: Center

Inspection Report

Pinchuk is an incredibly talented striker. He is a dynamo with the puck on his stick. He has great hands and a good shorthand, with the ability to lift the puck up to the top of the net in the area.

His most impressive ability is his posture. He puts himself in a good position to finish goals and win puck battles in front of the net. There were many times where he found an opening to sneak in and shut down the goalkeeper. His big hands help him in this.

He has also shown the ability to handle the puck well, especially in the offensive zone. There isn’t much to his work on the edge, but he gets into the offensive zone very cleanly.

Power

• Nice shot from the spot, and a good set of hands to find a soft spot behind the goaltender and get the puck up.
• Good positioning in front of goal, allowing him to win forward battles and score goals from close range.
• A strong puck hold goes into the offensive zone.
• Good size in the middle.

Under Construction/Development

• He is not the main player on the line, so he profiles more as a player on the wing.
• Not as physically dominant as his size might suggest.
• You’ll have to earn more defensive confidence in the NHL to earn more minutes.
• I’m not sure all the offensive skills will translate from the KHL to the NHL.

Why Wasn’t It Written?

There were several reasons why Pinchuk was not drafted. Simply put, his skills and abilities weren’t what they were in his draft year, which would have been the 2019-20 season.

In the 2019–20 season, he played for the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He did well, with 13 goals and 21 assists in 54 games, though he had a plus/minus of minus-12.

While those are good numbers in the OHL, they didn’t show up enough to garner significant draft interest. Because of that, he was considered part of the draft prospect to come out.

There was also the COVID pandemic which reduced his draft stock. He didn’t get another season to develop in the OHL, he had to move to the KHL immediately. In his first two seasons in the KHL, he did nothing, going scoreless in 17 games over two seasons.

After that, he gradually began to gain more confidence on the offensive end, going from 17 points in 61 games in 2022-23 to 22 points in 43 games in 2023-24. He scored 25 goals and 43 points in 66 games in 2024-25, then exploded, with 31 goals and 66 points in 65 games this past season.

Safe to say, he was a late bloomer. He didn’t show this level of offensive prowess until this season, and if he had shown it earlier, he would have been an early pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Where He Works

Pinchuk played center in the KHL, but he’s probably one of the power forwards. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, he has a small body, and there are many ties to NHL centers that are different from KHL centers.

If he were to play center in the NHL, he would have to keep up with the speed to defend centers like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Leon Draisaitl. He’ll also have to be the top playmaker on his line, although other centers, like the Boston Bruins’ Morgan Geekie, are breaking the mold.

In terms of placement, I would think you probably start in the middle of the sixth, in the second or third row. He will never rank higher than Filip Forsberg, and it is unknown how much of his offensive talent will translate from the KHL.

I think a lot will be, but the biggest question will come from his defensive abilities. He had a plus-10 plus/minus over the last two seasons in the KHL, but then again, NHL centers and even wings (ie, David Pastrnak) are a different animal to watch out for.

If he looks good defensively, Nashville will have more confidence in him, but if not, he will have a hard time finding time in the NHL. There are too many times when talented goal scorers from the KHL (ie, Nikita Gusev) didn’t show confidence in their finish and lost minutes.

NHL rating

Pinchuk reminds me of the tall Artturi Lehkonen. Lehkonen plays similarly to Pinchuk; more of a goal scorer than a playmaker, and the best aspect of Lehkonen’s game is his positioning.

When he started with the Montreal Canadiens, Lehkonen was not the best at his position. However, he has turned into a top-six player at his position. In the last two seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, he averaged more than 2.5 points per defense per season. He had never been above 1.8 before that.

It is unknown if Pinchuk will reach that level defensively, but he is much taller than Lehkonen. He has the size and frame to be a better defensive player. At the very least, Pinchuk, like Lehkonen, profiles as a complementary scorer.

Risk/Reward Analysis

Risk: 3/5, Reward: 5/5

The Power of Fantasy Hockey

Offense: 9/10, Defense: 5/10

Awards/Achievements

Pinchuk is a three-time KHL all-star. This season, he is sixth among all KHL skaters in points, and led Minsk Dynamo to the second round of the KHL playoffs.

Statistics of Vitali Pinchuk

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