Vitali Abramov

July 2024 – Abramov has flown under the radar as a Senators’ prospect due to him leaving North America to play for CSKA Moscow in the KHL. He scored 32 points in 59 games for CSKA Moscow this year, a dramatic increase from his 16 points in 2022-23. The Russian winger has great puck skills but was never able to crack the NHL roster full-time when he was playing in North America. At 26 years old, Abramov hasn’t been under contract with Ottawa since 2020-21. Naftalie Clinton

May 2023 – Abramov won the Gagarin Cup this year in the KHL with CSKA Moscow. The 25-year old played 52 games in the regular season and had 11 goals and five assists and played 26 more in the playoffs with four goals and one assist. The two-year deal he had signed at the beginning of the 2021-2022 season is over, but it’s unknown if the Senators have any interest in bringing him back to North America. Grant Campbell

April 2022 – Abramov signed a two-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL at the start of the 2021-22 season. He played 41 games with Traktor scoring eight goals and nine assists, while averaging 14:19 of ice per game. He was traded to CSKA Moscow and played four regular season games with no points. He is currently in the KHL Western Finals and has played 10 games with two goals and three assists while averaging 10:29 per night on the third or fourth line most nights. Grant Campbell

October 2020 – Abramov was loaned to Jukurit in the Liiga to start the season but he has yet to play a game as the team deals with their own COVID-19 situation. The flashes of skill, speed, and productivity that he flashes should translate well to the Liiga and should provide him a good situation to continue developing. He should be ready to make a push at the Senators’ roster sooner rather than later and remains one of the more intriguing prospects in the organization. Tony Ferrari

February 2020 – The highly skilled Abramov has had an up-and-down season in 2019-20. He has had flashes and stretches of play where he looks like the AHL is beneath him and then equally lengthy stretches of play where the young winger looks like he’s lost in professional hockey. He is still scoring at almost a point-per-game pace, proving that next season he deserves a shot to establish himself with the big club. Should he continue scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace, a call-up post-trade deadline should be in the cards for Abramov. Tony Ferrari

November 2019 – Abramov got a short stint with the big club, scoring his first NHL goal in his 2-game call-up. The young Senators’ forward has been good this year in the AHL, producing at almost a point-per-game pace thus far. The 21-year-old Russian is looking to solidify his place among the top-tier of Senators’ prospects with his high-end speed and skill. He’s seemed to have added a bit of strength this year which will aid in his pursuit of earning an NHL gig full-time later this season. Tony Ferrari

September 2019 – Expected to be a major part of the Belleville Senators this season, Abramov was having a strong camp until he went down with a concussion. He’s currently undergoing concussion protocol but will almost certainly be heading to Belleville once healthy. He had a strong rookie showcase and was enjoying a good NHL camp, building confidence and showing that he can be among the players that the Senators can look to in the AHL to fill in the short term at the NHL level if need be. Once back from injury, Abramov will look to hit the ground running, building on a solid rookie season in the AHL. Tony Ferrari

April 2019- It wasn’t the ending Abramov would have been hoping for. Looking for a spark after his move to Belleville, Abramov mustered just seven points in 18 games. That’s not nearly enough for a forward you would hope to rely on offensively. While still possessing excellent speed, Abramov will go long stretches during a game where he is not visible. Until he learns to add strength and aggressiveness to his speed and skill, don’t expect to see him in Ottawa for any kind of extended period. Jordan Deshane

February 2019- Now part of a surging Belleville Senators club, Abramov will be given every opportunity to find his offensive game. After setting records as a Junior player in Quebec, Abramov has struggled to find his game in the AHL, putting up less than half a point each game. He has the smarts and speed to excel but needs to learn to deal with the size and strength of the pro game. In Belleville, Abramov will receive lots of time on the man advantage with the likes of Drake Batherson, Logan Brown, Nick Paul and Erik Brannstrom which will no doubt help boost his numbers. Given the current state of the team in Ottawa, he will most assuredly receive some NHL time this year before he gets a long look at full-time duty next fall. Jordan Deshane

February 2019 – Abramov has been traded from Columbus to Ottawa in the Duchene deal.  Jokke Nevalainen

October 2018 – Abramov has been assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters to start the 2018-2019 season. He underwent wrist surgery in May which prevented him for participating in the Traverse City prospects tournament. Abramov will be healthy to start his AHL campaign and is going to continue dazzling hockey fans with his speed, creativity, wicked release and fearlessness to drive the net. While not yet NHL ready, do not be surprised if he is called up by the Blue Jackets later this year. With star level upside, expect Abramov to debut in the NHL as a full-time top-six winger in 2019-2020. Frank Pellegrini

July 2018 – Last season, Vitali Abramov became the highest scoring import player in QMJHL history. Abramov’s domination in the QMJHL this past year should not be understated. He had the highest points-per-game average of any skater with 1.86. Although Abramov finished second in points behind Alex Barre-Boulet, it was likely due to him playing nine games less in the QMJHL while playing for Russia in the World Juniors. With silky hands, breakaway speed and a high hockey IQ, Abramov has fantastic fantasy potential. Provided he is not slowed by his light frame, expect Abramov to continue where he left of this campaign playing for the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters. It shouldn’t be too long before he starts to see cups of coffee in the NHL. Jesse Sherman

June 2018 – Abramov has been a dominant player in the QMJHL for the past three years. He scored a total of 129 goals and 301 points in 185 games. Next up, he’ll make the jump to the AHL to start his pro career. Abramov still needs to improve his play without the puck but he has a lot of offensive talent and his upside is huge.  Jokke Nevalainen