The Flyers have not shied away from drafting Russian players in recent years. Over the last seven NHL drafts they have selected eight players hailing from former Soviet states, with five of those still playing in their homeland on draft day. The Flyers organization, with Ken Hoodikoff leading its Russian scouting sector, has also brought in several unrestricted free agents from the KHL. Sergei Bobrovsky, Evgeny Medvedev and Roman Lyubimov were all picked up for free and contributed at the NHL level. While the “big” Russian names, German Rubtsov and Mikhail Vorobyev, both decided to head across the pond to further their careers, the Flyers still have three prospects who will play in the KHL and the leagues beneath it this season. With training camps and preseason games in Russia already under way, let’s take a closer look at the Flyers’ Russia-based prospects, and discuss what we can expect from them over the coming season.
Kirill Ustimenko
The talented netminder certainly has the highest upside of the players the Flyers have stashed in Russia. He has the size (6-foot-3, 187 pounds), technique and athletic ability to become an NHL starter one day, even if that day is some time away. Russia has produced goalie after goalie in recent years — we are starting to see talented goalies come over with regularity and light up the NHL. This season, the 19-year-old Ustimenko will be looking to put his name up alongside the Ilya Samsonovs, Igor Shestyorkins and Ilya Sorokins of the world, and truly announce himself as one of the best goalie prospects.
Unlike some prospects, Ustimenko holds all the cards going into this season. Simply put, he is in a fantastic position to show what he can do. After being a dominant force in the Russian junior league – the MHL – for two straight seasons, putting up a .932 save percentage across 80 regular-season games, it is time for him to transfer that success to a higher level against men.
North American fans have a tendency to ignore or overlook Russian prospects if they are not playing in the KHL, and barring something spectacular, Ustimenko will not be there this season. That’s because Ustimenko’s rights are owned by Salavat Yulaev Ufa — the same KHL team that Ivan Fedotov currently plays for and where Vorobyev used to play — but they have yet to sign him. The reason for this is that his “parent” club, Dinamo St. Petersburg, plays in the VHL, Russia’s AHL equivalent, and he’s in a comfortable situation, in a place he calls home. It would not make sense for Salavat Yulaev Ufa to sign him and ship him halfway across the country, only to then send him down to their VHL affiliate (Toros Neftekamsk).
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But Ustimenko not being in the KHL says nothing about his talent level. It is exceedingly rare for a teenage goalie to get significant playing time at the highest level of Russian hockey. In fact, only six goalies in the league’s 10-year history have managed to suit up for more than ten games in a season as a teenager, and two of the six were in effect out of necessity.
The VHL is still a high level, playing against professional men, and like the KHL it’s difficult for a young goalie to break into the league. It has been in existence for eight seasons, with a schedule of 52 games or more, yet only seven goalies in that time have suited up for 20 games, and only four would have been considered their team’s “starter,” with two of the four being inserted due to necessity on failing teams.
Ustimenko has a chance to join that list. Going into the preseason, he was promoted to the senior team, and looks like he will be one of three goalies on the roster to start the season. Despite Ustimenko’s club winning the VHL last season, his competition in the crease is not exactly awe-inspiring. Anton Todykov holds the starting job, but the 25-year-old has played just 22 career VHL regular-season games and only made two KHL appearances. Todykov was the backup last year to 22-year-old Alexander Samonov, who will be in the KHL this season. Todykov is no slouch, and he’s a good goalie at the VHL level, but Ustimenko has the talent to usurp him with a great start to the season. Anton Yanin is the other man that Ustimenko is battling with for games, and on paper, the Flyers’ prospect already has the upper hand. Yanin has played just nine VHL games over two seasons, serving as either a third- or fourth-string goalie. At worst, Ustimenko should be the backup for Dinamo St. Petersburg going into the season, especially since he’s already done a good job in winning the two preseason games he has started.
Ustimenko will also almost certainly be in British Columbia later in the year for the World Juniors, and the question there is simply this: Can he win the starting job? None of the three goalies who went to the WJC for Russia last season can return, and the battle for the starting job will likely come down to Ustimenko and Las Vegas prospect Maxim Zhukov.
So what would constitute a successful season for Ustimenko? In my view, if he manages to suit up for around 20 VHL games and posts a save percentage of about .915 or higher, while at least playing a couple of games at the WJC, then he is right on track for an NHL future.
Ivan Fedotov
The behemoth of a goalie fell somewhat by the wayside over the last season. After several encouraging cups of coffee in the VHL, his first full season at that level was disappointing. He was inconsistent, and could only muster a .899 save percentage over 25 games. A season highlight was his KHL debut for Salavat Yulaev Ufa, his new club, where he performed admirably, but apart from that the year was one of obvious frustration.
First of all, expectation levels for Fedotov should not be high. The 21-year-old has the potential to be a solid KHL goalie and could possibly even have a career in North America if he can really make progress over the next couple of years, but his upside is likely at best as an NHL fill-in or low-end backup. But he is still Flyers property indefinitely, and you can never have enough goalie prospects. This season is not “make-or-break” for him, but he will desperately want to at least pin down a regular KHL role.
However, given his situation, that could be very difficult. Salavat Yulaev Ufa has two goalies ahead of him going into camp, and realistically Fedotov will have real difficulty passing either on the depth chart. Juha Metsola is a Finnish international goalie who has three straight KHL seasons of posting a .920 save percentage while playing 40-plus games. He is a workhorse, and it is rare for the goalies behind him to see more than fifteen or so games over a season combined. But the undersized Finnish netminder is not Fedotov’s only competition. Last year’s backup, Andrei Kareyev, is also ahead of him on the depth chart for good reason. Kareyev has an excellent resume and would be a starter on several KHL teams, having posted a .930 save percentage in three straight seasons, on three different teams, playing over fifteen games each year.
It is therefore realistic to expect – barring an injury to one of the goalies ahead of him – that Fedotov will only see about five games of KHL action at most, and will be down in the VHL again for most of the season. The good news? Unlike last year, when he had the talented Pavel Khomchenko ahead of him in the Russian second tier, Fedotov should get as many starts as he can handle in the VHL this season, and the only players who can “push” him will be junior-level guys stepping up to play against men. He should not have an issue beating them out for the job, even though the talented youngster Daniil Tarasov will try and breathe down his neck.
In terms of what to expect this year from Fedotov — ideally he will play 35 or more games in the VHL, posting a respectable save percentage of about .915 or better, and will hold his own in his KHL call-ups when given the opportunity.
Valeri Vasiliev
Yes, Vasiliev is still a Flyers prospect. The 24-year-old, a seventh-round pick in 2012, seemed to fall by the wayside for a time after making the Russian World Juniors team in the 2013-14 season. After three years in the wilderness, shunting between teams, playing limited minutes and not receiving a legitimate opportunity, last year he finally got a chance, and he ran with it.
He was a revelation last season for KHL club Severstal Cherepovets after they signed him in the middle of training camp to fill out the roster. He went on to lead their blueline in goals (7) and points-per-game (0.37), while playing 19:21 a game, second-most on a defense that made the playoffs. Vasliev also played in all situations, showcasing not only the defensive ability that he displayed in juniors, but also an offensive flair, all while playing in the second-best league on Earth.
Severstal Cherepovets have completely overhauled their blueline this offseason. Vasiliev is one of only four out of eight regulars who are returning, and the most senior going off last season. Vadim Kudako spent parts of last season in juniors, number eight on the depth chart, and Stanislav Kalashnikov is somewhat of a journeyman who was the number seven defenseman last year. Konstantin Korneyev is also back after missing parts of last season with injury, but the 34-year-old former Montreal Canadiens pick is not at the level of the player who skated in the 2010 Olympics, and cannot be relied on to provide offense or hold down a top pairing role.
Vasiliev will be in the top four again, though the club has brought in some talent to surround him in the form of two ex-Russian international defensemen, Denis Kulyash and Nikolai Belov. They should be familiar names to anyone who follows European hockey. Both have played in World Championships and combined have around 80 appearances for their nation. These two blueliners and Vasiliev will be the go-to guys for Severstal Cherepovets. Kulyash will almost certainly be the “No. 1” defenseman, but Vasiliev has a real chance to see more ice than Belov. The big Moscow-born blueliner is currently only on a “tryout” at Severstal Cherepovets, after missing all of last season. He attended Florida Panthers training camp, was a late cut, and then got injured before he had a chance to go to a KHL club. However, if Belov has no lasting effects he will certainly return to the level of a premier KHL defenseman.
With Kulyash and Belov alongside him next season, it should be easy to evaluate the progress of Vasiliev. If he can outplay two players who were seen by many as defensemen with legitimate NHL talent, he could really start to turn heads. So what would constitute a good season for Vasiliev? About 20 points, with first-pairing minutes, and maybe even a call-up to the national team for the European Hockey Tour. All of this is within the realm of possibility, and if he manages to do that and makes progress this season, he could also make Ron Hextall take notice, as the Flyers would arguably have an NHL-ready defenseman – one who could step in on a bottom pairing – stashed away in Russia.
(Top photo of Kirill Ustimenko: Sergei BobylevTASS via Getty Images)