Top Prospect for 2025 NHL draft suspended after hitting KHL referee in the face with blatant elbow

The 2025 NHL draft is just two months away and with the regular season coming to a close, half the teams in the league are already focusing on the event.

Most of the junior leagues around the world have already wrapped up their seasons, although many are still playing through their playoffs.

This includes the top Russian junior league, the MHL, which is affiliated with the KHL.

This year, SKA 1946 St. Petersburg is facing off against Loko Yaroslavl in a second-round matchup.

Both clubs feature prospects already drafted by NHL clubs as well as several draft-eligible players.

One of those players is St. Petersburg forward Daniil Anatsky, who is entering his second year of draft eligibility.

The 18-year-old had just 23 points in 40 games this year after putting up 43 in 41 contests last season, lowing his draft stock substantially.

It appears as though he has allowed this unfortunate turn in his development to get to him, as he unleashed his frustrations on a referee yesterday in his 3rd playoff game of the season.

Early in the game, he appeared to intentionally elbow the official in the head as he was chasing down a loose puck in his own zone.

He was immediately given a game misconduct and ejected from the match.

Now the league has handed him further punishment as he has been handed a massive seven-game suspension that will keep him out of the lineup possible for the rest of his season.

Sadly, suspensions seem to be a common theme right now as Anatsky is far from the only player currently serving one.

For example, Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse will be out of the lineup tonight for his team's last game of the season as he serves a one-game suspension.

Hopefully we don't see any major suspensions as we await the first round of the NHL playoffs.