We present a summary of the main events in the world of hockey for July 11, 2023.
Brendan Leipsik is going to get Russian citizenship
SKA’s Canadian striker Brendan Leipsik will become a citizen of the Russian Federation. The hockey player has already sent a letter with the corresponding request to President Vladimir Putin. This was announced by the head coach of SKA, Roman Rotenberg, on his telegram channel.
“Very soon, our team will have one more Russian citizen. SKA newcomer Brendan Leipsik expressed his desire to acquire Russian citizenship and wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In football, this is quite a common practice, more recently, Zenit players Malcolm and Claudinho received Russian passports, and Brazil in football is like Canada in hockey. Now we need to strengthen our championship as much as possible, and if such a strong hockey player like Brendan receives Russian citizenship, this will only fix his desire to play in the KHL.
Brendan has been living in Russia for three years, now he will play in St. Petersburg for SKA. During this time he traveled all over Russia, made his own here. It’s no secret that in North America he faced prejudice and injustice, and in Russia all these years he felt exceptional support from fans, coaches and partners. His favorite player is Alexander Ovechkin, and in Canada he grew up playing our great hockey players, like Pavel Bure. Perhaps Brendan himself will one day play in the form of the Russian national team. For SKA and all of our hockey, this is a significant story. We will do our best to help Brendan fulfill his wish and obtain Russian citizenship. This is a bold and responsible step on his part, which can only be welcomed,” the message reads.
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Mikhail Anisin moved to Norilsk
Famous Russian striker Mikhail Anisin became a Norilsk player by signing a viewing contract, according to the official VHL telegram channel.
The striker, now 35, spent last season at Metallurg Zhlobin in Belarus. In 20 regular season games, Anisin scored 17 (9+8) points with a “-6” total utility rating. The striker already managed to play in the VHL, he played in Saryarka, Humo and Izhstal, having played 74 matches in total.
“Misha is definitely a bright and memorable personality for the entire hockey community. Eight years ago he shone in the KHL, and last year he had a pretty good season at Zhlobin, playing for the Belarusian Metallurg. Everything will depend on him, on his desire and aspiration. Let’s see how Anisin shows itself. He came to the training camp, he trains with everyone. He is too early to draw conclusions, ”the VHL press service quotes the words of the general director of Norilsk Evgeny Nikitin.
Nail Yakupov moved to Neftekhimik
Russian striker Nail Yakupov has become a Neftekhimik player, according to the Nizhnekamsk team’s official telegram channel.
It should be noted that a one-year deal has been signed with the 29-year-old striker.
“We are happy for Nail’s return to his home club and wish him a successful season at the Flock!” – says the message.
For Neftekhimik, the striker played in the 2012/2013 season during the NHL lockout. Yakupov played 22 games and scored 18 (9 + 9) points, having managed to help the Nizhnekamsk team get into the playoffs.
Recall that Yakupov left Avangard in early June, with whom he won the Gagarin Cup in 2021. Last season, the striker played 16 regular season games, scoring 10 (6+4) points, and 14 playoff games, scoring 3 ( 1+2) points. In Russia, the Neftekhimik graduate, in addition to the Omsk club, still managed to play for SKA and Amur. In total, Yakupov scored 253 matches in the KHL, in which the forward scored 138 (70+68) points.
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Three Swedish clubs imposed a lifetime ban on playing for those who spent last season in the KHL
The Swedish club “Djurgården” on the official website announced the imposition of a lifetime ban from playing for the team to hockey players who played in the KHL after the start of the special operation in Ukraine.
This decision was made at the Djurgården annual meeting. These are not only players, but also managers, as well as other personnel who have worked in the Continental Hockey League for the past year and a half. However, it is noted that the decision may be reconsidered if “conditions change significantly.”
Djurgården became the third club to refuse to accept hockey players and other KHL personnel. Previously, two other Swedish teams made the same decision: Brynäs and Frölunda.
Recall that previously the Djurgården sports director refused to accept goalkeeper Adam Reideborn, whose contract with CSKA has expired.
Andrey Svechnikov spoke about his condition after knee surgery
Carolina Hurricanes Russian forward Andrey Svechnikov plans to take the ice for the first time since knee surgery on Friday, July 14. This was reported by journalist Chip Alexander on his “Twitter”.
The hockey player said that “everything is going very well and the knee is in good condition.”
Let’s remember that Svechnikov missed the rest of last season due to a torn ACL. In the 2022/2023 season of the National Hockey League, the Russian participated in 64 regular season games, in which he scored 23 goals and provided 32 assists, totaling 55 points.
Ottawa’s general manager held talks with Tarasenko’s entourage
Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said Tuesday that he had spoken with Vladimir Tarasenko’s team, TSN reports.
Dorion declined to comment further on the negotiations with Tarasenko, but added that the “senators” are looking to strengthen their strike group.
It was previously reported that, in addition to Ottawa, Carolina and San José are participating in the negotiations. Florida was also interested in a possible deal, and Nashville was in and out of negotiations.
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Nashville signed a contract with Guryanov
The Nashville Predators signed a contract with Denis Guryanov, the club’s press service reports. The agreement is for one year and $850,000.
The 26-year-old forward was selected 12th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2015 draft in the first round. He spent seven years with the Stars and also played for the Texas Stars farm club. In 2023, Guryanov ended up in Montreal. Last season, Guryanov played 66 games in which he scored 17 (7 + 10) points.
