Beginner preseason tournaments have begun abroad. Some teams got to work while others waited their turn. Below is a complete guide to the Russians participating.
Atlantic Division
Buffalo: h. Nikita Novikov, s. Vsevolod Komarov, b. Alexander Kisakov, b. Victor Neuchev “Boston”: north. Georgy Merkulov “Detroit”: – “Montréal”: – “Ottawa”: – Tampa: north. Maxim Groshev “Toronto”: v. Vyacheslav Peksa, b. Dmitri Ovchinnikov “Florida”: –
The Sabers are one of the youngest and most promising teams in the last year, experienced and open to new things, so the development camp could be the ideal springboard to enter the NHL. Two Dynamo Moscow graduates, Novikov and Kisakov, as well as former automobilist striker Viktor Neuchev, will be tested in the Buffalo system. There is also Chelyabinsk-based Komarov, who is not very familiar to Russian fans: in the last two years he has played for Quebec Remparts, where he has established himself as a successful offensive defender.
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Maxim Groshev, who escaped from the SKA, will try to join the Russian core in Tampa. Boston will appreciate Georgiy Merkulov’s abilities: he started in CSKA and in the previous season scored 55 points in the AHL. One of the two Russian goalkeepers on the fields, Vladislav Peksa, can play in a jersey with a blue maple leaf on the chest. Joining him in Toronto will be former Sibir forward Dmitry Ovchinnikov.
Groshev’s direct speech:
Tampa’s Russian forward spoke about the differences between Russia and North America
Capital Division
Islanders: north. Ruslan Iskhakov “Washington”: north. Ivan Miroshnichenko, b. Bogdan Trineev “Caroline”: north. Vasily Ponomarev Colon: north. Dmitri Voronkov “New Jersey”: north. Timur Ibragimov Pittsburgh: north. Maxim Namstnikov Forest ranger: north. Maxim Barbashev “Philadelphia”: –
In the Capital Division, Washington is traditionally responsible for the Russians. In addition to the well-known Ivan Miroshnichenko, Bogdan Trineev will play in the Capital uniform. The forward made his career in the system of another capital club – Dynamo Moscow, but at the end of the previous two seasons he came to train with Hershey from the AHL. Alexander Suzdalev, son of Russian player Bandy, who plays for the Swedish national team, was also included on Washington’s request list.
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Maxim, the 19-year-old brother of Ivan Barbashev, will play for the Rangers. The Russian is guaranteed great attention: last season in the junior OMJHL he spent one point per game according to the Grandmaster’s schedule.
Another hereditary hockey player, Maxim Namestnikov, scored even more in the OHL. Brother Vladislav can certainly be proud of him, but the confidence of the Pittsburgh coaches is not yet justified.
The numbers of 22-year-old winger Timur Ibragimov are much more modest and it seems that this time the Devils are giving him one last chance.
Over the past two years, Carolina has been actively recruiting the Russians, but only Vasily Ponomarev, well known to the Hurricanes, made it to training camp.
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The most famous Russian of the camps is Dmitry Voronkov. The KHL runner-up has yet to play a single game, but several North American experts consider the big forward to be Columbus’ top prospect. The player’s adaptation may be slowed for a reason unrelated to hockey: According to Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock, Voronkov still communicates in English only through an interpreter.
Central Division
“Arizona”: – “Winnipeg”: h. Artemy Knyazev, b. Nikita Chibrikov “Dallas”: h. Artem Grushnikov “Colorado”: – “Minnesota”: – “Nashville”: v. Yaroslav Askarov, b. Fyodor Svechkov, b. Egor Afanasyev “Saint Louis”: north. Mikhail Abramov “Chicago”: –
In the last draft, Arizona opted for the Russian youth players, but this time they will spend the camp without them. But among the Winnipeg players there are two holders of burgundy passports. 22-year-old Artemy Knyazev is no longer a newcomer to such events, but Nikita Chibrikov is making his debut on foreign ice. The forward came from 50th place in the 2021 draft and had enough opportunities in Spartak, but he has not yet realized half of his potential.
Chibrikov’s former partner in the “people’s team”, Fedor Svechkov, is in a similar situation: he too has to adapt to the new conditions. Other Russians from Nashville, goalkeeper Askarov and forward Afanasyev, were spectacular in September 2022, which, however, did not help them get closer to the NHL.
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The Athletic mentioned the strengths of Chibrikov, who signed a contract with Winnipeg
Defender Grushnikov and striker Abramov managed to play for the Russian national teams, although they are unlikely to remain very engraved in anyone’s memory. They spent the rest of the last time in North America; Abramov has been working on that side of the Atlantic since 2018. He performed well in the youth leagues, but after moving to the AHL he stagnated.
Pacific Division
Anaheim: h. Pavel Mintyukov Vancouver: h. Kirill Kudryavtsev, b. Dmitry Zlodeev “Vegas”: h. Daniil Chaika Calgary: h. Yan Kuznetsov, n. Ilya Nikolaev “The Angels”: h. Georgy Romanov “Saint Joseph”: h. Shakir Mukhamadullin, s. Artyom Guryev, b. Daniil Gushchin Seattle: – “Edmonton”: north. Matvey Petrov
“Vancouver” has two compatriots who are not similar to each other: Zlodeev came closer to his dream after playing in the VHL, and Kudryavtsev begins his third year in Canada. Georgiy Romanov de los Reyes advances on the same trajectory.
It is unlikely that many people in Russia, apart from their relatives, know Matvey Petrov: meanwhile, in the Canadian OHL he scored almost one and a half points per game for two seasons. Yan Kuznetsov, Daniil Chaika and Ilya Nikolaev have also long settled in different North American leagues.
The tenth pick of the year before the last draft, Pavel Mintyukov, managed to score the puck in the first game: he converted the majority with an accurate shot. Considering all of Anaheim’s personnel issues and overall level, the defenseman should make his NHL debut this fall.
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A large Russian contingent landed in San José. Daniil Gushchin managed to debut in the NHL and even scored a goal: in the first game of the camp he scored a shot.
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Guryev, a 19-year-old native of Moscow, did not even play in Russian youth teams, and it is curious that, in fact, Artyom’s first contact with the general public took place through a, I must say, very spectacular fight:
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Shakir Mukhamadullin left a noticeable mark in the history of Salavat Yulaev – he started the camp with a match in the first pair.
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