The Boston Bruins will be represented at World Juniors later this month.
National teams across the world have begun announcing their rosters for the tournament, which begins Christmas Day in Edmonton, and on Saturday Russia announced their squad.
Included in the group was 19-year-old blueliner Roman Bychkov, a 2019 fifth-round pick of the Bruins.
An edgy, left-shot defenseman, Bychkov is an adept puck-handler who could be a fascinating prospect to watch as he continues to fill out -- he's just 5-foot-11, 183 pounds right now.
Bychkov has spent the last few seasons playing in lower Russian professional hockey levels, and he's been showing promise. In 62 games last season with the MHL's Loko Yaroslavl, Bychkov put up seven goals and 19 assists. In 21 games this season with the VHL's Buran Voronezh, Bychkov has one goal and three assists.
This won't be Bychkov's first run with the Russian Junior National Team, either, as he's played 26 games with them already, posting three goals with eight assists.
He's yet to sign his entry-level contract with the Bruins. So in all likelihood, the absolute earliest he would come to North America is next Fall.
Nevertheless, this will be one of the better opportunities Bruins fans have had to date to watch the young Russian.
