Rangers loan Vitali Kravtsov to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL

Top prospect Vitali Kravtsov is headed to Russia.

The New York Rangers announced on Wednesday that the team has loaned Kravtsov to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL.

OFFICIAL: #NYR have loaned forward Vitali Kravtsov to the Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL.

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 3, 2021

Kravtsov was selected by the Rangers No. 9 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft after a successful season split between Chelyabinsk’s VHL and KHL teams.

In his post-draft season in 2018-19, Kravtsov scored 21 points in 50 KHL games and performed well for Russia at the World Juniors, scoring six points in seven games.

Kravtsov would make the trip overseas in 2019-20 to join the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL, where he would score 15 points in 39 games before the season was wiped due to COVID-19.

While hockey in North America was paused in 2020 due to the pandemic, Kravtsov stayed in Russia, where he would score 24 points in 49 games in the KHL. When the NHL started up in January, he joined the New York Rangers and scored four points over 20 games in his debut season.

Kravtsov didn’t make the Rangers roster out of training camp and, when the team tried to send him down to the AHL, he refused the assignment.

“I want to thank the Rangers for working with me, and appreciate the open and honest conversations we have had during this process,” Kravtsov said in a statement. “While this has been a challenging time for me personally, I believe having the opportunity to return to Traktor and work on my game is the best thing for me right now. My main focus is getting better every day to continue towards my goal of playing hockey for the New York Rangers.”

While Kravtsov says his main goal is to play for the Rangers, Arthur Staple of The Athletic has reported that he isn’t willing to return to North America unless the Rangers trade him.