Russian Rookie Update

As the NHL and its fans welcome a new crop of rookies this fall, they will welcome _ young talented Russian players, who are headlined by none other than Evgeny Malkin. Beyond the budding super star, the Russian crop includes recently drafted young prospects Enver Lisin (Phx) and Mikhail Grabovski (Mtl). This summer marked the long awaited arrival of several Russian prospects, which were drafted high by their respective NHL clubs as long as six years ago, but who for various reasons are not making their NHL debut until this fall. The long awaited prospects include Alexei Mikhnov (Edm), Andrei Taratukhin (Cgy), Alexei Kaigorodov (Ott) and Vadim Khomitski (Dal).

The article provides an overview of each of the aforementioned player's last season in Russia, as background information in regards to what factors influenced the young prospects to try their ability in the NHL and come over to North America during the summer of 2006.

Evgeny Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins #2/2004)

The so-called "Option 1b" of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft after Washington Capitals super star Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeny Malkin is the most anticipated rookie of the 2006-07 NHL season. The young forward finished the 2005-06 season, as one of the top two forwards in Russian hockey, ironically sharing the honor with a former Pittsburgh Penguin Alexei Morozov, who chose to remain in Russia after the conclusion of the NHL lockout. Malkin finished second in scoring to Morozov, averaging more than a point a game while scoring 26 goals, and collecting 36 assists in just 62 games.

Additionally, during the season the talented Malkin became a key member of Russia's senior national team, representing his country at every tournament, including the EuroTour circuit, the World Championships, and most importantly the Winter Olympics in Italy. Malkin's significance to the national squad was apparent, when in his absence due to a suspension, Russia lost to the Finns in the Olympic quarterfinals, clearly lacking the playmaking ability that the young forward brings with him.

As the 2005-06 season ended, Malkin's dominance in Russia and on the international arena demonstrated his readiness to raise his game once more and compete in the NHL. Accordingly, a number of experts anticipated him to sign with the Penguins early in the summer. The signing appeared to be eminent in early June after Malkin's agents delivered his 14-day resignation notice to HC Metallurg, thus annulling the remaining two years of his four-year rookie deal with the Super League club. However, to the surprise of many, the young forward then proceeded to sign a new one-year agreement HC Metallurg. In the midst of all the resignations and re-signings, Malkin switched agents twice, leaving the newly independent IMG hockey division for Don Meehan's outfit, but then proceeding to return to IMG.

In late July, Malkin added to the hectic summer by fleeing his Russian club during training camp in Finland. The young forward, with the assistance of his agents, left the team right away after landing in Helsinki, staying at a "safe house" in Finland before finally making his way to Los Angeles. What became apparent in the interviews that followed Malkin's arrival in North America, is that the Russian club allegedly used influence and coercion to force the young start to sign on to a new one year deal with HC Metallurg, as part of an effort of the club to retain his services. Furthermore, the club aimed for a stronger position during the transfer agreement negotiations with the NHL, since after Malkin's departure there are currently few young prospects in Russia who are worth the millions of dollars in transfer fees the Russian officials demanded for him and Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin.

In Los Angeles, Malkin skated and worked out with a number of NHL players at an informal training camp, as part of the preparations for the official NHL training camps. The aftermath of Malkin's flight from Russia has yet to be determined, as in a recent ruling, the Russian courts have barred him from playing in the NHL, and the young forward's Russian club is actively pursuing a case against the Pittsburg Penguins in the US courts. However, it is clear that Malkin will spend the 2006-07 season in the NHL and the remaining question is what compensation, if any, the Russian club will receive from the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL.

Considering Malkin's rapid development over the past several seasons, the young forward will continue to bud into the super star experts projected him to become prior to the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. The young center will likely skate on Pittsburgh's top two lines and will get every chance to prove himself and adjust to the NHL. Fortunately, the club features one other Russian player in Sergei Gonchar and a Russian speaking skating coach, so the transition to the NHL will hopefully be eased by the presence of his countrymen in the locker room. Along with Ovechkin, Crosby and a handful of other young players, Evgeny Malkin will be the new face of the NHL and Russian hockey for many years to come.

Alexei Mikhnov (Edmonton Oilers #17/2000)

Little was known regarding this prospect when the Oilers drafted him in 2000. The young Ukrainian born player hardly saw any action on Russia's junior national team and in Russia he primarily skated for a junior team with little professional exposure or experience. Mikhnov reportedly had great size, skating, and skill set, but he did little in the first couple of years after the draft to prove himself as worthy of such a high selection. Interestingly, part of the reason for Mikhnov's vows was that he was stuck in the HC Dynamo hockey system where he received little ice time and enjoyed little support from the coaching staff.

Things turned around for Mikhnov significantly after his transfer from HC Dynamo to HC Sibir prior to the 2002-03 season. While with the new club, Mikhnov received extensive ice time and valuable tutelage from the new club's coaching staff, which saw his potential as one of the team's future stars. The club's efforts bared fruit after just one season as the rapidly maturing Mikhnov potted career high 13 goals, but more importantly developed into one of the offensive leaders on an otherwise mediocre HC Sibir squad. The following season Mikhnov struggled early on to produce, but so did the rest of the woeful Sibir squad that was practically dead last in the standings and already experienced a coach firing early in the season. In the December 2004, the young forward was loaned to HC Lokomotiv in exchange for Nashville Predators prospect Konstantin Glazachev and Vancouver Canucks defensive prospect Denis Grot. The change apparently did Mikhnov a lot of good, as the young player proved quite effective together with another well sized forward, Buffalo Sabres prospect Artem Kryukov, on Lokomotiv's third line.

Following the successful conclusion to the 2004-05 campaign, Mikhnov signed a new two-year deal with HC Lokomotiv and returned to the club, which was now with legendary Russian coach Vladimir Yurzinov at the helm. Mikhnov's skill and speed made him an instant hit with Yurzinov and the young forward blossomed under the new head coach, delivering a career 2005-06 season. Just as importantly, Mikhnov delivered a strong performance for HC Lokomotiv in the playoffs, helping his club reach the semifinals. During the season, the young forward represented Russia at two EuroTour tournaments and the World Championships, where he faced down his younger brother Andrei in the Russia – Ukraine match. Mikhnov proved instrumental at the World Championships, using his size effectively to fight in front of opposition's net. He scored a key goal in the quarterfinals against the Czech's that allowed Russia to force overtime where the squad eventually lost.

Thus, Alexei Mikhnov steadily developed into top-notch sniper, finally bursting onto the international scene during the 2005-06 season. The young forward's success garnered a lot of interest in him from the Edmonton Oilers hockey club. Even though the club technically would not likely lose Mikhnov's rights this season due to a lack of a transfer agreement between Russia and the NHL, the club saw a lot of potential in the young forward and his ability to immediately improve the club's offense. The main roadblock to Mikhnov's signing was the lack of the transfer agreement and a year that remained on his deal with HC Lokomotiv. Mikhnov's agents attempted to resolve the issue early in the summer by giving HC Lokomotiv a 14-day resignation notice, which was apparently allowed by Russian labor law. The notice annulled Mikhnov's contract with HC Lokomotiv and the young forward subsequently signed a one-year contract with the NHL club.

Mikhnov's arrival in North America has been long anticipated and considering the short length of his contract and the short-term salary loss he was willing to take by making the jump to North America from Russia, the Edmonton Oilers will be hard pressed to retain the young forward in the NHL and give him every chance to succeed. In return, Mikhnov has proven his ability on the international arena and will reward Edmonton's trust in him by delivering solid results in the NHL. He will not likely step into a top three scorer role this coming season, but will be an effective supporting cast member for Edmonton. While his Russian club continues litigation, alleging that the resignation does not legally annul his remaining contract year, Mikhnov will skate in the NHL and, as in the case against Evgeny Malkin, the litigation against the young forward will only decide what compensation, if any the club will get for their loss.