Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Mar212010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Prospects » Andrei Nazarov: “Traktor holds Dadonov and Voinov’s rights”

Andrei Nazarov: "Traktor holds Dadonov and Voinov's rights" (Photo © uralpress.ru) Andrei Nazarov, head coach of the Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, invited Vyacheslav Voinov and Evgeni Dadonov to get back to their mother club during an interview with Sport-Express. Andrei Nazarov: "Both Evgeni Dadonov and Vyacheslav Voinov have a valid contract with Traktor and, according to KHL rules, we hold rights on them. I was really upset when they left for North America and didn't get an NHL spot. We had the chance to get them back through the court's decision, but we decided not to harm the players' careers. But now there is such a scenario in which it would be better for them and for their development to get back to Traktor in the KHL." - Did you already talk to them? Andrei Nazarov: "It's all up...

Feb162010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Russian kids help St. Louis Jr. Blues tearing up the league

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Russian kids help St. Louis Jr. Blues tearing up the league (Photo © Mike Hazelton/St. Louis Jr. Blues) Denis Chaltsev and Timofey Tankeev might be two names that we will hear again in the future. The two guys from Moscow are posting impressive stats for the St. Louis Jr. Blues of the Central States Hockey League, as reported in my article appeared on the St. Louis Globe Democrat. Denis Chaltsev has posted a 17-1 record with four shutouts, a 1.50 goals against average and a .944 save percentage. Timofey Tankeev has had a terrific offensive season. In 43 games, Tankeev has scored 25 goals and added 43 assists for 68 points. Denis Chaltsev: "Due to the different rink size the play here is faster and tougher. There are many dangerous shots and lots of bounces. In Russia there is more emphasi...

Feb82010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Alexander Avtsin: “Playing in the CHL makes no sense to me”

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Alexander Avtsin: "Playing in the CHL makes no sense to me" (Photo © khl.ru) Alexander Avtsin is without a doubt one of the highest touted prospects from Russia. Unfortunately he is not playing now because of a hand injury, and will come back most likely only in one month. In this interview with Olga Alexandrova, appeared on the official Dynamo Moscow's site, Avtsin explained why he decided to remain in Russia for this season, discussed his own current season's performances and he also told how he met his girlfriend Milana. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation. Alexander, are there other athletes in your family? Avtsin: "Yes, my mother is a runner. She used to be a distance runner as she competed in 800 and 1500 meters. My mom really wanted that I became a sportsman and she was h...

Feb52010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Prospects » Vladimir Tarasenko: “I’m under contract for the next season”

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Vladimir Tarasenko: "I'm under contract for the next season" (Photo © Bruce Bennet/Getty Images) Vladimir Tarasenko, one of the top Russian players eligible for the upcoming 2010 NHL Entry Draft, confirmed that he is under contract for the 2010/11 season. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of the most interesting quotes from an interview recently appeared on Sibir Novosibirsk's official site. Vladimir, let's talk again about the recent WJC. There was a lot of speculation about the conflict between the team's head coach, Vladimir Plyuschev, and the team's captain, Nikita Filatov. If there is no team then there can't either be results. Do you agree? Vladimir Tarasenko: Yes, there was no team spirit. We couldn't work as a true team and I don't know who's to blame. But there are ...

Jan262010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Kirill Petrov: “I will finish the season in Russia, come to America next year”

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Kirill Petrov: "I will finish the season in Russia, come to America next year" (Photo © Jana Chytilova/NHLI) Kirill Petrov is likely to join the New York Islanders of the NHL at the end of this season. His KHL team, Ak Bars Kazan, isn't giving him ice time as he was demoted down to the Russian High League. "I wasn’t getting ice time and I was going to leave for the second half of the season," Petrov said through a translator to The Hockey News. "But management told me after the World (Junior) Championship I will get ice time. I will finish the season in Russia and maybe come to North America next year." Kirill Petrov was a big part of this year's WJC Team Russia. In the six games of the tournament he scored four points an six assists. He also got the C on the chest after head coach Vladimi...

Jan242010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Mikhail Grigorenko: “I don’t think about the NHL for now”

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Mikhail Grigorenko: "I don't think about the NHL for now" (Photo © Hockeybook.ru) Mikhail Grigorenko is arguably the best 1994 born player in Russia. He plays with the 1993 national team and has played in this summer's Ivan Hlinka Tournament, playing against 1992 born players. In the latest World Under-17 Hockey Challenge he scored six goals and ten points in six games, and Team Russia finished the tournament at the fourth place. In this interview given to Russian website allhockey.ru he talked about his performances with the national teams, about his future plans and he also replied to some personal questions. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation. How did you start playing hockey? Grigorenko: "My parents brought me there. We were still living in Khabarovsk, I was five. At the be...

Jan132010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Nikolay Lemtyugov traded to Ak Bars Kazan

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Nikolay Lemtyugov traded to Ak Bars Kazan (Photo © Hccska.ru) St. Louis Blues' Russian prospect Nikolay Lemtyugov has been traded from Severstal Cherepovets to Ak Bars Kazan. The former Peoria Rivermen's player has been sent to Severstal for the quick winger Evgeny Ketov, who disappointed in Kazan after being brought there from Lada Togliatti. Nikolay Lemtyugov scored this year nine goals and twenty-three points in 39 regular season matches, being -1 and gettin an average ice time of about fifteen minutes a game. Just a week ago Ak Bars got Hannes Hyvonen from Dynamo Minsk.

Jan92010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Alexander Avtsin: “I could have been useful at the WJC”

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Alexander Avtsin: "I could have been useful at the WJC" (Photo © RIA Novosti/Ilya Pitalev) Habs' prospect Alexander Avtsin was surprisingly left off the Russian WJC squad and in this interview appeared on Sports.ru he discussed the WJC outcome, tried examinating the reasons of his exclusion from the team and admitted that he could have been useful for the Russians. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of the interview with Avtsin. On the morning of January 3rd, Team Russia's fans were shocked as the national junior team just lost to Team Switzerland. Who did tell you about this result? Avtsin: "We were on our way to Khabarovsk when my mom texted me about the result. We were landing and I read her messages." Did this upset you a lot? Avtsin: (Pause) "Of course this upset me, it ca...

Jan92010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Prospects » WJC failure: Plyuschev blames Filatov, Filatov blames Plyuschev

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

WJC failure: Plyuschev blames Filatov, Filatov blames Plyuschev (Photo © Getty Images) The debate around team Russia WJC disaster goes on. Right after the team's return in Russia many stories hit the media, the most interesting regarding Nikita Filatov and Vladimir Plyuschev relations. As we examined earlier in the Top 5 reasons why Russia failed at WJC it looks like there have been a conflict between the coach and the captain. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you the most interesting quotes from a good sum-it-up article appeared at Bleacher report. Vladimir Plyuschev words: The main cause of our performance was my mistake in choosing the captain. A captain should be an example of how to behave on the ice, in the locker room and outside the arena. We trusted Filatov with the captaincy hoping ...

Jan72010 by Gary Laws4 Comments

Prospects » Top 5 reasons why Russia failed at WJC

Russian Prospects Profiles, Reports and News

Top 5 reasons why Russia failed at WJC (Photo © Reuters) Team Russia's sixth place at the last WJC in Saskatchewan, Canada, was nothing short of a failure. It was the worst result of the team since 2001, when the team lead by Petr Vorobiev couldn't get any better than the seventh place on the home soil. That team, just like this one, wasn't short of talent, considering that the team's front men were the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Anton Volchenkov and Denis Grebeshkov. This year's roster included many talented players as well, like Nikita Filatov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Dmitri Orlov and others, but the tournament didn't really finish like expected and team Russia was left out of the medal round after five straight apparitions. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you top five reasons why Russia failed a...