Winnipeg Jets sign Nikita Chibrikov to entry-level contract
The Winnipeg Jets have signed forward prospect Nikita Chibrikov to a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Monday afternoon.
Chibrikov, 20, split the 2022-23 season between the KHL’s Spartak Moscow and the Russian minor leagues. He collected a goal and an assist while playing extremely limited minutes in 31 KHL games this past season.
In 12 regular-season games with Spartak’s affiliate in the MHL (Russia’s top junior league), Chibrikov recorded eight goals and 18 points. He added five goals and 10 points in seven playoff contests with the club.
The Jets originally selected Chibrikov in the second round (No. 50 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. The five-foot-ten winger will now join the AHL’s Manitoba Moose on an amateur tryout deal before his entry-level contract kicks in next season.
Chibrikov’s entry-level deal with the Jets will carry a $925,000 cap hit in the NHL. Per CapFriendly, he’ll be paid an $832,500 base salary in the NHL and $92,500 in yearly signing bonuses.
He has ARRIVED! 🤩
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) May 1, 2023Chibrikov is the third member of the Jets’ 2021 NHL Draft class to sign with the team, joining first-round pick Chaz Lucius and third-rounder Dmitri Kuzmin. The lone remaining unsigned pick is fifth-rounder Dmitri Rashevsky.
Although the Jets are no longer in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, their AHL affiliate is right in the middle of a Central Division semifinal series. The Manitoba Moose and Milwaukee Admirals are currently tied at one game apiece in their best-of-five series, with the winner advancing to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Chibrikov hails from Moscow and has represented Russia on an international stage multiple times, most notably captaining the Russian national team at the 2021 IIHF U18 World Championship in Frisco, Texas. He scored four goals and 13 points in just seven games, but Russia settled for silver after a 5-3 loss to Canada in the championship final.