from Lucas Aykroyd of IIHF.com,

In terms of the actual draft, Canada and the U.S. dominated the selections, while Sweden and Finland also had strong showings, as expected. However, there was a major spike in interest in players of Russian heritage. In total, 27 Russians were drafted this year, compared to 17 in 2016, 18 in 2017, and 20 in 2018. Thus, Russia had the third-most players taken after the North American nations. It appears that the so-called “Russian factor” – the tendency of NHL teams to steer clear of Russians who may stay home – has evaporated.

In an off-the-beaten-path scenario, Arthur Kaliyev (Hamilton Bulldogs) was taken 33rd overall by Los Angeles. He was born to Russian-speaking parents in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, but moved to Staten Island, New York when he was 11 months old, and is officially American....

The Russians just kept on trending, including two slick forwards from Stalinye Lisy Magnitogorsk, Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s junior squad. Pavel Dorofeyev, known for his stickhandling, appeared in 23 KHL games this season and could be a steal for Vegas (third round, #79 overall). Fellow dangler Yegor Spiridonov, who stepped up with two goals and six points at the 2019 U18 Worlds, was nabbed by San Jose (fourth round, #108 overall).

Towering European goalies were also a hot commodity on Day Two.

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