Danila Klimovich

Danila Klimovich
Born (2003-01-09) 9 January 2003 (age 21)
Pinsk, Belarus
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 187 lb (85 kg; 13 st 5 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Vancouver Canucks
Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
Dinamo Molodechno
National team  Belarus
NHL draft 41st overall, 2021
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 2019–present

Danila Vitalevich Klimovich (Russian: Данила Витальевич Климович; born 9 January 2003) is a Belarusian ice hockey centre assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League, while under contract to the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for Dinamo Molodechno in the Belarusian Extraleague. He was selected 41st overall by the Canucks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Internationally he has played for the Belarusian national team at the 2021 World Championships.

Playing career

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Klimovich began his career in his native Belarus. In 2020 he was selected by the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League at the CHL Import Draft.[1] While he planned to move to North America for the 2020–21, the COVID-19 pandemic kept him from doing so.[2] Instead he spent most of the 2020–21 season playing for Minskie Zubry of the Vysshaya Liga, the second-tier league in Belarus, where he had 52 points in 37 games. He also played six games in the Belarusian Extraleague with Dinamo Molodechno, and scored one goal.[3]

Going into the 2021 NHL Entry Draft Klimovich was rated by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau as the 19th best European-based skater.[4] He was selected 41st overall by the Vancouver Canucks.[2] Klimovich was described as being "a big guy" (at the time of the draft he was 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) and 202 pounds (92 kg)), and "intriguing", who could use both his body and skill to make plays.[2] He signed with the Canucks on 28 July 2021.[5]

Klimovich moved to North America after the draft and was assigned to the Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. The youngest player in the AHL during the 2021–22 season, Klimovich recorded 8 goals and 18 assists in 63 games, though did not play in any of the team's playoff games.[6]

International play

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Klimovich played for the Belarusian under-18 national team at the 2021 World U18 Championships, where he had 6 goals in 5 games, including a hat-trick against Switzerland.[3] He made his debut with the Belarus senior team at the 2021 World Championships, appearing in three games.[7]

Personal life

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A native of Belarus, Klimovich moved to North America in 2021 after being drafted by the Canucks. He married Nastassia Bartsevich on 10 April 2022 in Cultus Lake, British Columbia.[8]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 HK Brest-2 BLR-2 19 7 2 9 8
2018–19 Belarus U17 BLR-2 10 2 2 4 0 11 1 1 2 14
2019–20 Belarus U17 BLR-2 16 13 6 19 8 16 5 6 11 6
2019–20 Belarus U18 BLR-2 5 1 2 3 6
2019–20 Belarus U20 BLR-3 32 13 10 23 16
2020–21 Dinamo Molodechno BLR 6 1 0 1 0
2020–21 Minskie Zubry BLR-2 37 28 24 52 40 12 9 5 14 8
2021–22 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 62 8 10 18 33
2022–23 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 67 17 12 29 53 6 0 0 0 0
2023–24 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 24 2 2 4 20
AHL totals 153 27 24 51 106 6 0 0 0 0

International

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Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Belarus U18 5 6 0 6 4
2021 Belarus WC 3 0 0 0 0
Junior totals 5 6 0 6 4
Senior totals 3 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ LHJMQ/QMJHL (30 June 2020). "QMJHL teams select 18 players in 2020 CHL Import Draft". QMJHL. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Kuzma, Ben (24 July 2021). "Canucks: Dangerous Danila Klimovich becomes second-round draft selection". The Province. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Ellis, Steven (27 April 2021). "A Belarus Prospect Has Stolen the Spotlight at the U18s". The Hockey News. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  4. ^ "International Skaters Final Rankings - 2020/2021" (PDF). NHL. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Canucks Sign Danila Klimovich". Vancouver Canucks. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  6. ^ Schram, Carol (18 September 2022). "Canucks' Prospect Danila Klimovich is Taking Strides After 'Best Summer'". The Hockey News. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  7. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (25 July 2021). "Wrapping up the 2021 NHL Draft". IIHF. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  8. ^ Lypka, Ben (11 April 2022). "Abbotsford Canucks forward marries partner at Cultus Lake". Agassiz-Harrison Observer. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
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