Dmitri Chernykh is the son of former Soviet hockey player Aleksandr Chernykh. He was raised in the Khimik Vosskresensk hockey system, the club for which his father also played. The young forward was a member of both Russia’s U18 national team, but struggled to make the U20 squad in the following years. He was drafted by the New York Islanders with the 48 overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Since the draft Chernykh has primarily spent time skating in Russia’s second and third tier leagues, struggling to break back into the Super League. He did come to North America during the summer of 2006 and skated for the ECHL club the Dayton Bombers for the 2006-07 season before returning back to Russia.