Gavrikov is a 6-3 defenseman who was taken in the sixth round of the 2015 draft, and he's in the final year of a two-year contract he signed with SKA St. Petersburg that allowed him to play in the Olympic Games held in 2018. Gavrikov has played 47 games this year with SKA, totaling four goals, 12 assists, 16 points, just eight penalty minutes and a plus-41 rating. He had two goals in six games a year ago as the Olympic Athletes from Russia won gold at the PyeongChang Olympics.
Marchenko, meanwhile, was the Blue Jackets' second-round pick (No. 49 overall) in last year's NHL draft. He earned a chance to play in the KHL All-Star Game thanks to his performance in the JHL Challenge Cup, the all-star festivities for the top Russian junior league.
"I certainly didn't expect to be invited to play at the KHL All-Star Game," he said afterward. "I don't think I deserved it with the way I played tonight. Some guys played better than me. But I will prepare for it. ... It's great to participate in such an event and feel the atmosphere for myself."
Marchenko, who recently completed for the Russian team at the IIHF World Junior Championship, has split his time this year between the top Russian junior league and a team in the top minor league, dominating at the junior level with 17 points in 13 games. He's also played one game with the SKA St. Petersburg big club.
