Yegor Chinakhov

Yegor Vitalievich Chinakhov (Егор Витальевич Чинахов; born February 1, 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey right wing currently playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 21st overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career
Chinakhov played as a youth with his hometown club, Avangard Omsk. Following the 2018–19 MHL season, spent mainly with Omsk's Junior Hockey League (MHL) affiliate, he went undrafted in the 2019 NHL Draft. He remained in the MHL for the 2019–20 season, improving his point totals tremendously.

At the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Columbus made the surprising decision to select Chinakhov in the first round, 21st overall. While the consensus among scouts was that Chinakhov would be selected in the second or third round, there were very few public rankings that ranked him in the top 100, with many lists excluding him entirely. In their coverage of the draft, NBC Sports did not have any footage to share of Chinakhov as they did for every other first round selection and many in the following rounds.

Chinakhov made his professional debut in the 2020–21 season with Omsk's senior club, in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was named the Rookie of the Month for the month of September 2020, during which he recorded three goals and two assists in nine games, averaging 11 minutes and nine seconds of ice time. He finished with 10 goals and 7 assists for 17 points in 32 regular season games, leading all KHL players 20 years or younger in points-per-game (0.53). In the postseason, he added 5 goals and 7 points in 21 games to help the club win the Gagarin Cup for the first time in franchise history.

Chinakhov was signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets to a three-year, entry-level contract on May 2, 2021. He played most of the 2021–22 season for the Blue Jackets, scoring 14 points in 62 games.

Chinakhov played the beginning of the 2022–23 season with the Blue Jackets, improving his scoring rate to 13 points in 30 games, before being placed on injured reserve (IR) with an ankle injury on December 20, 2022. On February 27, 2023, he was activated from IR and assigned to the Jackets' minor league affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL), finishing the season with 8 points in 7 AHL games.

Following another injury, sustained just one day before the 2023–24 season, Chinakhov was again assigned to the AHL on October 25, 2023.

International play
Chinakhov represented Russia at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he recorded one goal and two assists in five games, and won a bronze medal.

He represented Russia at the 2019 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he recorded two goals and one assist in seven games, and won a silver medal.

Chinakhov made his World Junior Championship debut at the 2021 championship, playing 5 games as Russia finished fourth.

Personal life
Chinakhov is the son of former ice hockey player Vitali Chinakhov, who was selected in the 11th round of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers and never played in the NHL.