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NHL Draft 2019: Vegas Golden Knights finish third round with double pick

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA FEBRUARY 4, 2019: HC Metallurg Magnitogorsk's Pavel Dorofeyev (R) and Viktor Antipin celebrate scoring in their 2018/19 KHL Regular Season ice hockey match against HC Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg at Uralets Arena. Donat Sorokin/TASS (Photo by Donat SorokinTASS via Getty Images)
YEKATERINBURG, RUSSIA FEBRUARY 4, 2019: HC Metallurg Magnitogorsk's Pavel Dorofeyev (R) and Viktor Antipin celebrate scoring in their 2018/19 KHL Regular Season ice hockey match against HC Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg at Uralets Arena. Donat Sorokin/TASS (Photo by Donat SorokinTASS via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – JUNE 1: Pavel Dorofeyev performs the pro agility test during the 2019 NHL Scouting Combine on June 1, 2019 at Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – JUNE 1: Pavel Dorofeyev performs the pro agility test during the 2019 NHL Scouting Combine on June 1, 2019 at Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images) /

It has been a busy day so far for the Vegas Golden Knights at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft after the team made a couple of quick-fire selections to close out the third round.

First, the Vegas Golden Knights took Russian forward Pavel Dorofeyev with the 79th overall pick, before selecting defenseman Layton Ahac with the No.86 pick.

Dorofeyev is a left-shot wing from Nizhny, Tagil, Russia and is known as a highly creative and offensively gifted forward.

Elite Prospects states that the 18-year-old has a good release and immense puck-handling skills, while he can read the game impressively.

The only slight concern is Dorofeyev’s compete level, but that is only a rare blemish on the copybook when you consider that he was ranked as the 15th-ranked prospect by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.

In that case the Knights have got themselves another offensive gem after taking elite playmaker Peyton Krebs with the No.17 pick on Friday.

Dorofeyev impressed for Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk in the MHL this year, putting up 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points in 19 games.

He represents great value for the Golden Knights who have enjoyed a superb draft so far after replenishing their farm system with some high-end prospects.

Dorofeyev will spend the 2019-20 season in the KHL in order to try and hone his craft, according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.

And that leads us on to Layton Ahac who was taken with the 86th overall pick by Vegas after what was a busy third round.

Ahac, who is committed to playing college hockey at Ohio State in 2019-20, is another solid stay-at-home defenseman and will add more security to the Vegas blueline.

After drafting both Kaedan Korczak and Ahac in the third round alone, the Golden Knights have acted to bolster their defensive pipeline.

dark. Next. Vegas Golden Knights bolster blueline

Ahac isn’t known for his offensive prowess after posting four goals and 28 assists for 32 points in 2018-19, but he could play a crucial shutdown role on the blueline.

Vegas now has four picks left in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, including the 110th overall pick in the fourth rounds, and picks No.135, No.139 and No.141 in the fifth round, barring any trades of course.

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