"Vasily is a competitor who plays an aggressive game," said Benning. "He's effective using his size and skill to get to the net and produce offensively. We're pleased to sign him today and look forward to adding him to our young core of skilled players."
Podkolzin, 19, appeared in 35 games with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League this season, recording 11 points (5-6-11) and 15 penalty minutes. He helped his team advance to the third round of the playoffs, leading the club in scoring with 11 points (6-5-11) in 16 playoff games and finishing t-7th in KHL playoff scoring.
Over parts of three seasons with SKA St. Petersburg, Podkolzin has registered 19 points (7-12-19) and 22 penalty minutes in 68 regular season games to go along with 14 points (7-7-14) and 6 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games.
A native of Moscow, Russia, Podkolzin has represented his country at three consecutive IIHF World Junior Championships (2019-2021), recording 12 points (3-9-12) in 21 games and capturing two medals (2019 bronze, 2020 silver). He has also served as team captain for Russia on multiple occasions, including the 2021 World Junior Championship and the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led the tournament in scoring with 11 points (8-3-11) in 5 games enroute to a bronze medal.
The 6'1", 190-pound forward was originally selected by Vancouver in the first round, 10th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
