Blue Jackets Draft Pyotr Andreyanov 20th Overall

With the 20th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets have selected Pyotr Andreyanov from Krasnaya Armiya Moscow of the MHL (Russian Junior League).

About Pyotr Andreyanov

While it is rare to see a goaltender selected in Round 1 of the NHL draft, the 2025 NHL Draft class is a unique one. With few standout star players available, teams may be willing to take a swing on a potential starting goaltender like Pyotr Andreyanov.

Andreyanov is a very attractive goaltending prospect, as he has the size and athleticism to take over as a 1A option in the NHL. Yes, he needs to learn how to stay calm, cool, and collected while tracking the puck, but this is the kind of experience he can gain over the next three to five years as he develops his game. If he hits, he easily has the toolkit to become a starter for the team that decides to draft him.

THW Prospect Profile Excerpt

Always considered a highly-talented netminder in his native Russia, Pyotr Andreyanov just ended his second year in the juniors with Krasnaya Armiya of the MHL, CSKA’s junior team. He played well throughout the season, winning the competition for the starting goalie position over Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect Timofei Obvintsev, a fifth-round pick in 2024. Andreyanov posted an impressive 23-6-6 record this season, but the team had a short life in the playoffs, despite the goalie being probably the best player for Krasnaya Armiya.

However, Andreyanov has yet to taste pro season experience. He exclusively played in the MHL, without stints in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) or at least the VHL. While in the big league, CSKA is pretty stacked with goalies, with Ivan Prosvetov and New York Islanders’ draftee Dmitri Gamzin getting most of the games, a call-up to the VHL would have been beneficial for Andreyanov. However, he is expected to make his KHL debut next season, even though the mentioned goalies will both be under contract with CSKA.

Andreyanov isn’t the biggest goalie around, standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 207 pounds, and that will most likely hurt his stock during the selections. However, while modern successful goalies tend to be taller, he’s not small by any means and can compensate with agility and quickness. His post play is very strong, like his pad control on low shots, but he needs to work on his consistency and his slight tendency to overdo it when the puck gets closer to the crease. He likes to be adventurous with his stick, and that can backfire sometimes.

Continue reading the full player profile here.

How This Affects the Blue Jackets’ Plans

Leave it to the Blue Jackets to go off the board in the first round of the NHL Draft. Who can forget when they selected Ygor Chinakov 21st overall back in 2020, despite many seeing him as a mid-round pick at best? However, that selection has worked out well for the franchise, and they are certainly hoping to have another hit with the surprise pick of Andreyanov.

There’s a lot of risk in a pick like this, of course, but many saw Andreyanov as one of the top two goalies in the 2025 Draft Class, so Columbus clearly believes in his high-end potential. If he hits, he can be a starter, but this pick will be scrutinized for years until we can see the full picture of this player’s career.