More bad news if you’re a fan of the Washington Capitals (as if the team’s 6-6-1 start wasn’t enough), as one of their top prospects was injured in the KHL on Thursday.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov suffered a concussion in Mettalurg Magnitogorsk’s 3-1 loss to the Lada Togliatti, according to former head coach Ilya Vorobyov (he was fired after the game).
Here’s a fun fact for you: Former Capitals forward Viktor Kozlov was named the team’s new head coach.
Samsonov wasn’t even the starting goalie for Magnitogorsk in this one. He entered the game in relief of starter Vasily Koshechkin.
The 20-year-old was Washington’s first round draft pick, 22nd overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Samsonov has accumulated a 6-5-1 record with a 2.77 goals-against-average and a .912 save percentage in the KHL this season.
Of course, this injury doesn’t affect the Capitals on the ice this season, but concussions can be tricky to deal with, which means they’ll want Samsonov to be extra cautious during his recovery time.
Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.