2023 NHL Entry Draft

[hiramnicak]

Per The Athletic:

The number of times per day (roughly one to two) that Dmitriy Simashev plays chess. The Coyotes’ pick at No. 6 thinks chess is a good way to improve his IQ and thus help him think two steps ahead on the ice, per the NHL.

Unrelated, but on par, Simashev’s also an avid reader, favoring the likes of “The Master and Margarita,” “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Idiot.”

I knew I liked this kid. I wonder how high he was on our list. I'm lowkey jealous of Arizona's draft, though I'm aware they picked before us.

1.006 LD Dmitriy Simashev - my no. 5 (top defenseman)
1.012 LW Daniil But - my no. 10
2.038 GT Michael Hrabal - my no. 39 (top goaltender)

[Machine]

Russians and their chess
I was a pretty good player in school then I ran into some Russian students in college and quickly found out I wasn’t as good as I thought

[wyrrlen]

I know that Russia has come a long way socially from the Soviet Union, but I would still expect that model athlete citizens would be discouraged from reading Bulgakov's The Master and the Margarita. It has strong Christian themes and a rather cynical/satirical look at Russian society. Dostoevsky plays on the concept in The Idiot as well, but not as critically as Bulgakov.