Moscow stars Alexander Avtsin and Alexander Khokhlachev started gaining momentum lately and they showed in the last gamedays. In the match between Feniks Voskresensk and MHK Dinamo, won by Dinamo 5-1, Montreal Canadiens' prospect scored a double. Thanks to this strong perfomance now Alexander has three goals in five matches, with an assist too) and he gained a call up for the KHL match between his Dinamo and CSKA Moscow of September 22nd, in which he played his first KHL shifts, only three though. But this is good anyway for him, as he could taste some play against the pros and so on. Plus, he's gaining confidence as he's started producing in the MHL, and getting on the scoresheet is always for a forward, no matter the league he's playing in. His line made up of him, Vitaly Karamnov and Nikita Dvurechensky is one of the hottest in the league and it doesn't look like it's going to change soon as they are gaining chemistry too.
Still in Moscow, but on the Spartak side, another young player started making a name for himself. 16-years old Alexander Khokhlachev scored the GWG in the recent MHK Spartak win against a stacked Atlant Mytischi. Being him heavily underaged, he's 5 years younger than the MHL oldest players, it's hard for him to get quality ice time, but he isn't wasting it. Even if he scored only two points so far (he picked up an assist in his very first match) he's improving and his goal in the match played on September 20th is confirming that. In Moscow many hope that Spartak senior team's head coach Milos Riga will give him a chance with the first team like the last season he did with another blue chip prospect, Kirill Kabanov.
Showing posts with label Russian junior league. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russian junior league. Show all posts
9/21/2009
9/03/2009
MHL Stars: Alexei Marchenko
17-years old defenseman, Red Army hot prospect talks about what’s important for youngsters and about what’s needed to do in order to have them remain in Russia and not bolting for the NHL. Translated interview from www.championat.ru
I’m a bit tired as there was movement, tension. But it was pleasant to work that way. It was the first time and everything is new – said Alexei Marchenko. It was pleasant to be shown in the league’s photo-session. But it brings responsibilities…
Which ones?
Well, once you are selected as “league’s face” you have to show that you deserve it. There will be many things around you. And you have to work harder on you to become successful.
Did you ever had such an attention on you from the press? You had more interviews today than in your whole life…
(laughs) You said that! But I think that it’s possible to get used to it. I really want that journalists will write and talk more about us. And that they will show us more. That would be interesting, otherwise it looks that you’re playing for yourself only.
Do you expect a lot of changes from the creation of the MHL?
Of course. There will be more attention on young players on the press, television, internet. That’s the most important thing, I guess, as people will know more about us and our style. Earlier only the experts know about youngster tournaments, or not? Well, also our parents. And that’s pretty much all. Almost no one knew us a part ourselves. But now the MHL will help the usual hockey fans to know more about us, about the generation of players that will soon represent Russia on the international stage. I guess that this will be interesting for the people. And it’s a big plus. And the league will interact well with the KHL as all the players will be seen more.
And the attention is for you young players the most important thing, isn’t it?
Yes! I really want to play and exhibit in front of many spectators. Usually in the junior leagues there are like 300 persons. Wow, what is that?!?! Who knows who won the junior leagues last year? I think not much people knows that. But everyone will know who’ll win the Kharlamov Cup. I think that any player wants to be recognized by the fans. We do play for the fans, and not for ourselves.
Do you like the Cup’s denomination? Kharlamov Cup?
It’s a very good denomination. And it’s correct. I’m glad about it. Kharlamov will be appreciated in 50 years, in 100 years, even in 150. His name will never die. He will be remembered. He was a great player, known in all over the world. The cup will be named after him and that’s right. To be the first conqueror of the cup would be honourable.
Do you expect that the junior hockey organization would raise after the creation of the MHL?
Yes, it should. But don’t know how. At CSKA it was all good even earlier. I can’t say anything bad about the organization. And if it will be even better, then it would be great.
Which aims did you set up for the upcoming season?
To win the first MHL title. The first Kharlamov Cup. And only that! I also would like to play a couple of games for the main team. It would be good to play some matches.
When you estimate to be permanently called to the first team?
I don’t know. When it will turn out. I’ll work and try hard. All depend on I’ll play in the MHL. Of course I want to be there as soon as possible. I think that it’s getting more real now. It’s possible to get to the first team only if you play well in the junior league and if you prove to be one of the best players of your age group. And then if the coach sees you, you’ll get in. You only have to work.
In your opinion, there will be many changes in CSKA with Vyacheslav Bykov leaving and Sergei Nemchinov coming? How this will influence the future of the CSKA young players and yours in particular?
The team is really young, and as I’ve understood, they will trust youngsters a lot. I’ve never worked under Nemchinov, but he was the national junior team’s coach and he grabbed the third place at the WJC. That’s a good result. They almost won against Canada. The results say that he’s a good coach with youngsters. And if in CSKA there will be more youngsters that will be a plus for me and for the other guys. It’s our chance.
Any youngster dreams about the NHL. You too?
I’m still under contract with CSKA and I see my future only with this team. I still have a lot to work and to play to grow to a higher level. I’ll think about that only if I’ll reach that level. In the meantime I want to play for CSKA, I’ll try hard to get to the first team. But of course thinking about the NHL doesn’t hurt. (smiles)
How do you think, is it really possible that Russian young players will stop dreaming about the NHL and understand that there is a great opportunity for them to play in Russia?
All depends on the KHL. The NHL, thanks to his enormous history and such, it’s a lot popular. There are a lot of spectators and the media reports about everything. If in the KHL it will be the same, then what’s the point of going there? It’s a matter of organization.
And what can you say after KHL’s inaugural season?
You could have seen the improvements from the old Superliga straight away, it became considerably better. Even the matches became more interesting. Some NHL players arrived. Jaromir Jagr. Now Sergei Fedorov. Anyone would play with such players. Of course nothing can immediately change. But I really want to play in the KHL after this season. We'll see how it will be in a few years. To speak the truth, why go to the NHL, if it's possible to play in the KHL at the same level? You know, many guys just want to play where the stands are filled and that's the reason they look to America. Because here they wouldn't need anything special. But that's the past. Now there is the MHL, the KHL. Players want to come here from the NHL. Let them not be the younger ones. But it's not the end of the game. And Jiri Hudler arrived to Dinamo, he's 25. It's remarkable, that a player on his peak opted not for the NHL, but for the KHL.
Notes
- Alexei Marchenko was born in Moscow in January 2nd, 1992
- He's 6'0”, 163 lbs
- A graduate of the Spartak junior system, he moved to CSKA when the team folded three years ago.
- He's a regular of Russia-92 national team and he just participated to the last Ivan Hlinka Memorial, where he posted one goal and three points in four games.
- A right stick offensive defenseman, can play on both sides and is very versatile.
- He was featured in the first MHL photo-session and in the Moscow ads.
I’m a bit tired as there was movement, tension. But it was pleasant to work that way. It was the first time and everything is new – said Alexei Marchenko. It was pleasant to be shown in the league’s photo-session. But it brings responsibilities…
Which ones?
Well, once you are selected as “league’s face” you have to show that you deserve it. There will be many things around you. And you have to work harder on you to become successful.
Did you ever had such an attention on you from the press? You had more interviews today than in your whole life…
(laughs) You said that! But I think that it’s possible to get used to it. I really want that journalists will write and talk more about us. And that they will show us more. That would be interesting, otherwise it looks that you’re playing for yourself only.
Do you expect a lot of changes from the creation of the MHL?
Of course. There will be more attention on young players on the press, television, internet. That’s the most important thing, I guess, as people will know more about us and our style. Earlier only the experts know about youngster tournaments, or not? Well, also our parents. And that’s pretty much all. Almost no one knew us a part ourselves. But now the MHL will help the usual hockey fans to know more about us, about the generation of players that will soon represent Russia on the international stage. I guess that this will be interesting for the people. And it’s a big plus. And the league will interact well with the KHL as all the players will be seen more.
And the attention is for you young players the most important thing, isn’t it?
Yes! I really want to play and exhibit in front of many spectators. Usually in the junior leagues there are like 300 persons. Wow, what is that?!?! Who knows who won the junior leagues last year? I think not much people knows that. But everyone will know who’ll win the Kharlamov Cup. I think that any player wants to be recognized by the fans. We do play for the fans, and not for ourselves.
Do you like the Cup’s denomination? Kharlamov Cup?
It’s a very good denomination. And it’s correct. I’m glad about it. Kharlamov will be appreciated in 50 years, in 100 years, even in 150. His name will never die. He will be remembered. He was a great player, known in all over the world. The cup will be named after him and that’s right. To be the first conqueror of the cup would be honourable.
Do you expect that the junior hockey organization would raise after the creation of the MHL?
Yes, it should. But don’t know how. At CSKA it was all good even earlier. I can’t say anything bad about the organization. And if it will be even better, then it would be great.
Which aims did you set up for the upcoming season?
To win the first MHL title. The first Kharlamov Cup. And only that! I also would like to play a couple of games for the main team. It would be good to play some matches.
When you estimate to be permanently called to the first team?
I don’t know. When it will turn out. I’ll work and try hard. All depend on I’ll play in the MHL. Of course I want to be there as soon as possible. I think that it’s getting more real now. It’s possible to get to the first team only if you play well in the junior league and if you prove to be one of the best players of your age group. And then if the coach sees you, you’ll get in. You only have to work.
In your opinion, there will be many changes in CSKA with Vyacheslav Bykov leaving and Sergei Nemchinov coming? How this will influence the future of the CSKA young players and yours in particular?
The team is really young, and as I’ve understood, they will trust youngsters a lot. I’ve never worked under Nemchinov, but he was the national junior team’s coach and he grabbed the third place at the WJC. That’s a good result. They almost won against Canada. The results say that he’s a good coach with youngsters. And if in CSKA there will be more youngsters that will be a plus for me and for the other guys. It’s our chance.
Any youngster dreams about the NHL. You too?
I’m still under contract with CSKA and I see my future only with this team. I still have a lot to work and to play to grow to a higher level. I’ll think about that only if I’ll reach that level. In the meantime I want to play for CSKA, I’ll try hard to get to the first team. But of course thinking about the NHL doesn’t hurt. (smiles)
How do you think, is it really possible that Russian young players will stop dreaming about the NHL and understand that there is a great opportunity for them to play in Russia?
All depends on the KHL. The NHL, thanks to his enormous history and such, it’s a lot popular. There are a lot of spectators and the media reports about everything. If in the KHL it will be the same, then what’s the point of going there? It’s a matter of organization.
And what can you say after KHL’s inaugural season?
You could have seen the improvements from the old Superliga straight away, it became considerably better. Even the matches became more interesting. Some NHL players arrived. Jaromir Jagr. Now Sergei Fedorov. Anyone would play with such players. Of course nothing can immediately change. But I really want to play in the KHL after this season. We'll see how it will be in a few years. To speak the truth, why go to the NHL, if it's possible to play in the KHL at the same level? You know, many guys just want to play where the stands are filled and that's the reason they look to America. Because here they wouldn't need anything special. But that's the past. Now there is the MHL, the KHL. Players want to come here from the NHL. Let them not be the younger ones. But it's not the end of the game. And Jiri Hudler arrived to Dinamo, he's 25. It's remarkable, that a player on his peak opted not for the NHL, but for the KHL.
Notes
- Alexei Marchenko was born in Moscow in January 2nd, 1992
- He's 6'0”, 163 lbs
- A graduate of the Spartak junior system, he moved to CSKA when the team folded three years ago.
- He's a regular of Russia-92 national team and he just participated to the last Ivan Hlinka Memorial, where he posted one goal and three points in four games.
- A right stick offensive defenseman, can play on both sides and is very versatile.
- He was featured in the first MHL photo-session and in the Moscow ads.
8/12/2009
MHL gets two new teams
After a meeting in Moscow with MHL director Dmitri Efimov, some decisions have been taken, the most important one is regarding the teams playing in the league. Two new teams have been admitted to the league, even though differently.
MHK Krylya Sovetov, who will play in Setun (Moscow), will start playing in the MHL directly in September 4th, when the league will start. They and Feniks Voskresensk will be the only teams without a KHL counterpart.
The second team instead will eventually enter in the MHL only if they will win (or get the first seeds, that's not yet announced) in the qualification tournament that will be played on 2010 February/March. The team is Amur Khabarovsk's junior team.
Unfortunately, some details haven't been announced yet, exactly like the format of the qualification tournament for the 2010/11 season.
Dmitri Efimov in the end of the press conference also announced that in the next season the league will probably host more teams and that, possibly, the MHL will feature also foreign teams.
8/10/2009
MHL website "coming soon"
Today it was announced that the MHL website will be launched soon, right on time for the first match scheduled for September 4th. The site's address is the following: http://mhl.khl.ru/
The introduction is very, very nice and features CSKA's Alexei Marchenko vs Dynamo's Alexander Avtsin. The Russian text down the picture says simply "September 4th - Start of the Russian Junior League". Hopefully it will have an English version, but nothing has been announced about that.
Sorry for the short post, but there is really nothing else to say about this! In my next post I will talk about Kirill Kabanov as there are some news about his teamin the upcoming season.
8/03/2009
Q&A with Andrei Osadchenko
Andrei Osadchenko is a Russian hockey journalist who covers junior hockey (and more) for the popular portal allhockey.ru who recently moved to Canada. He actually made many of the interviews I've been translating for www.russianprospects.com
In this question and answer Andrei talked about the prospects of the new MHL and about some of the league's future stars... MHL hockey thanks Andrei for his time and for giving us this excellent reading.
- Hello Andrei. Why do you like junior hockey so much? It's not common in Russia and in Europe after all…
- Honestly, I don't even know the answer to that question myself. I guess, it's just because I love hockey in general. It really doesn't matter if that’s a pee-wee tournament or an NHL exhibition game we're talking about. Hockey has been in my life for so long that, in fact, it is my life. And I love every single part of it.
- Talking about the newly-formed MHL, what do you think about its creation? Which prospects it can offer to Russian junior players?
- Obviously it's a great improvement for Russian hockey. It's a huge step forward. We had too many players that would quit hockey just because there was no league for them to play in. You can't on that everybody is going to be as good as Malkin or Ovechkin, right? It's never going to be this way. Let's say you're 18 years old. You don’t play for your hockey-school team anymore. Yet, you can't make the roster neither of the big team like CSKA or Ak Bars, nor of it's farm-club. It's just way to competitive at this level. So what are your options? The easiest would be to quit. You can't blame those guys. They've got to do something with their lives and let's face it – hockey's a tough business. Now, on the other hand, you got the MHL where you actually can play and get a chance to improve.
- Do you think the creation of the MHL will prevent junior players walk towards the CHL?
- No, I don't think so. And let me explain why. If you look at the guys who went overseas to in the CHL, you can easily notice that they are pretty talented. You don’t see an average Russian junior playing in the OHL or QJMHL, do you? All the players that were drafted by CHL teams were the best Russian juniors at that particular time. Look at the recent draft results – Burmistrov, Kabanov, Pivtsakin… These guys won silver medals at the latest U-18 World Championship. And the list goes on. Are they going to play in Canada? Well, if they can't make to the KHL, most likely, yes, they are. Why's that? I have to say that the level of the MHL is not going to be as high as the CHL. So, in a nut-shell – the MHL is a good thing for an average player, but could easily turn out as a step-back for the best juniors there are.
- You surely have seen the first MHL logos revealed. Which one do you like the most?
- Yes, I did see the first logos that came out. To tell you the truth, there's only one that I really like. The one Sibirskie Snaipery got. This thing looks amazing. I sure hope the team itself is going to be just as the logo.
- The first MHL fotosession featured Alexander Avtsin from Dinamo, Aleksandr Khokhlachev from Spartak, Alexei Marchenko from CSKA and Arseni Kardailski from Atlant. But surely there will be other interesting players. Can you tell us some names? Do you think Ainars Podzins might be one of them?
- I'd be really happy if Ainars, who's a good friend of mine, would play in the MHL. Actually, I think he'd be one of the best in the league. But the thing is, his team has yet to confirm its participation in the upcoming season in the MHL. If not, he's going to play either in Vyschaya Liga or Pervaya Liga, which might be a good experience. Especially if Alexei Kasatonov will promote him to the main team of Krylia Sovetov. This way he'd be playing against older opponents, which is definitely way better for his development. As for the other names, I'm pretty sure that Eugeny Grigorenko from Stalnye Lisy is going to be a huge star of the MHL as well as his team-mate Bogdan Potekhin. There are a lot of talented players in Krasnaya Armiya and MHK Dynamo. Namely Barbashev, Suchkov, Zotov, Ilminskyi, Fetisov… These are just a few names but then, of course, I can go on all day.
- Many could argue that having the MHL teams playing in the same arenas as the main one might be an error as the teams will have around 100 spectators, and they also indicate that the teams should play in city where KHL or Vyschaya Liga aren't present. On the other hand one might feel like the facilities in cities like Kazan, Omsk, and so on, are undoubtfully better than the ones in minor cities. What's your opinion on this matter?
- I really doubt that there's going to be a lot of spectators at the MHL games this season. You already answered your own question. MHL teams have to play in different cities. The question is – who's going to pay for all this? For instance, why does Dynamo Moscow have to pay for some other city so just there would be a hockey team? It doesn't make any sense. In North America minor teams are independent and that's the reason of their success. It's a whole different story in Russia. Besides, hockey in general is not that popular in Russia. Of course, there are some hockey-obsessed cities like Omsk or Toliatti but there's not a lot of them. It's Canada where you can throw a puck to bunch of 13-years-old kids and there's going to be a packed arena watching them play. We still have to work to make hockey popular in Russia. Because today, I hate to say it, hockey loses to soccer and by a huge margin.
- So now the tough job of the predictions: who will win the first MHL title? Anyone is looking to CSKA, Dinamo and such teams, but the last Russian Finals have been won by Orlov's Metallurg Novokuznetsk. What's your say?
- It's funny that you brought it up. I don't even know why did Orlov and Kitsyn played at that tournament. There were on the roster of Metallurg which plays in the KHL. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm quite sure that KHL players are eligible to play in that kind of tournament. Anyway, I have to say that the favorites are as follows – Krasnaya Armiya, Stalnye Lisy, Loko and MHK Dynamo. I would probably bet on Krasnaya Armiya but I know that there's a lot of MHL players that see the Stalnye Lisy as the main cup contenders this season. I have to add that Almaz should not be underestimated. You don’t talk about these guys now, but let's wait another 2 or 3 months. A lot of people might be surprised looking at the standings. And don't forget it's junior hockey we're talking about here. It's always hard to predict.
- Another prediction, maybe a tad easier. On September 4th there will be the first ever MHL match between Krasnaya Armiya and MHK Dinamo. Alexander Avtsin told that their team will grab the win, do you agree with him?
- What else do you want to say? That's what he's supposed to say. Personally, I think it's going to be close one but Krasnya Armiya will win eventually.
7/31/2009
New logos!
Two new logos has been announced in the last days, and both trace main team's outfit.
Metallurg Magnitogorsk's affiliates, Stalnye Lisy (steel foxes), will feature, obviously, a fox, with a smarter expression though, three stars and the text in cyrillic "Stanlye Lisy" with the same font as "Metallurg", but split in two rows.
This is the result:
Rating: 4/5
A nice logo, a true junior logo like some other ones discovered in my other post about this matter.
But not only Stalnye Lisy unveiled their logo, but also Mytischie Atlanty. If their name is questionable, the logo might be even worse:
Rating: 2.5/5
Hmm...I don't like all-text logos, and the name too. Too simple, and also I don't like that kind of Nike swoosh on the left.
But Atlanty didn't stop there. They also announced their jerseys!
Very good effort. Now let's wait to see other logos and jerseys!
Metallurg Magnitogorsk's affiliates, Stalnye Lisy (steel foxes), will feature, obviously, a fox, with a smarter expression though, three stars and the text in cyrillic "Stanlye Lisy" with the same font as "Metallurg", but split in two rows.
This is the result:
Rating: 4/5
A nice logo, a true junior logo like some other ones discovered in my other post about this matter.
But not only Stalnye Lisy unveiled their logo, but also Mytischie Atlanty. If their name is questionable, the logo might be even worse:
Rating: 2.5/5
Hmm...I don't like all-text logos, and the name too. Too simple, and also I don't like that kind of Nike swoosh on the left.
But Atlanty didn't stop there. They also announced their jerseys!
Also SKA-1946 unveiled their uniform in a showcase with forward Anton Tikhomirov and defender Grigori Serkin.
Very good effort. Now let's wait to see other logos and jerseys!
7/25/2009
MHL Stars: Alexander Avtsin
A draft gem. The new Ovechkin. These are only two of the things that has been said about the last Montreal Canadiens' draftee Alexander Avtsin. "It's like that: Ovechkin's level is at my head's height, I'm still on the floor" - admitted the young player.
MHK Dinamo's star was an unknown player up till last year. He didn't play much with the national teams, wasn't a much known name even in Russia. But then he scored 110 points in the regular season - a record for Dinamo's farm team - and many scouts wrote his name on their jotters. Probably adding that the guy can skate and can play. Many scouts saw him during the season, including Trevor Timmins, who came to Moscow just for him.
Alexander Avtsin is a forward with a good frame and physical play, excellent stickhandling and ease to get to the score sheet. It was an easy call to compare him with the Washington Capitals superstar.
"He reminds of Ovechkin. He is quick, has good technique and is not afraid to challenge. He has a great potential. We could not miss the chance to pick him up." If these words come from Timmins, you've got to believe it.
Avtsin was also recruited to play in the CHL after Patrick Roy's Quebec Remparts drafted him in the CHL import draft. But reading his interviews looked like he isn't too interested in playing in the Q and Roy admitted really early that he wasn't going to play there. But there is a chance he'll play there in one year, we'll have to wait till next summer, when the Habs will see at which level he is and what can be better for his development. "There are good chances to see him with the Remparts in the 10-11 season" - added Roy himself.
He seems really committed to play for Dinamo this season even if most likely he'll spend the whole season playing for MHL Dinamo's junior team. "I will probably play both in the KHL and MHL next year. Hardly I'll play directly in the KHL, but I'll do my best to get selected for the first team." It will be hard, Dinamo has a very stacked team as they want to win the Gagarin Cup (KHL's trophy). Let's remember that this summer they signed many players including Swedish rising stars Linus Omark and Johan Harju, getting them under the nose of their NHL teams. Though he recognizes that the MHL will be a step forward for him and for Russian hockey, as it will be "more interesting to play there, rather than with Dinamo-2" - he declared to Soviet Sports a couple of weeks ago. Let's remember that the new Russian junior league will start on September 4th with a match between MHK Dinamo and CSKA-Red Army. "We will win" - he said. But we'll check out on September!
Alexander also liked a lot his time in Montreal and differently from many other Russian peers is looking forward playing for Hamilton in the AHL, he wants to be there as he knows that he'll need some adaptation towards the NHL. He has great potential, but some parts of his game needs work. Defensive play, battles in the corners. Reaction. But he can make it through. The "Russian factor" made him go down to the 4th round, but he can be a draft steal like Evgeny Grachev last season for the Rangers.
"I was disappointed to read that Ovechkin is my idol. Yes, I like his style, but I don't want to be like him. Ovechkin is Ovechkin, and Avtsin has to be Avtsin."
MHK Dinamo's star was an unknown player up till last year. He didn't play much with the national teams, wasn't a much known name even in Russia. But then he scored 110 points in the regular season - a record for Dinamo's farm team - and many scouts wrote his name on their jotters. Probably adding that the guy can skate and can play. Many scouts saw him during the season, including Trevor Timmins, who came to Moscow just for him.
Alexander Avtsin is a forward with a good frame and physical play, excellent stickhandling and ease to get to the score sheet. It was an easy call to compare him with the Washington Capitals superstar.
"He reminds of Ovechkin. He is quick, has good technique and is not afraid to challenge. He has a great potential. We could not miss the chance to pick him up." If these words come from Timmins, you've got to believe it.
Avtsin was also recruited to play in the CHL after Patrick Roy's Quebec Remparts drafted him in the CHL import draft. But reading his interviews looked like he isn't too interested in playing in the Q and Roy admitted really early that he wasn't going to play there. But there is a chance he'll play there in one year, we'll have to wait till next summer, when the Habs will see at which level he is and what can be better for his development. "There are good chances to see him with the Remparts in the 10-11 season" - added Roy himself.
He seems really committed to play for Dinamo this season even if most likely he'll spend the whole season playing for MHL Dinamo's junior team. "I will probably play both in the KHL and MHL next year. Hardly I'll play directly in the KHL, but I'll do my best to get selected for the first team." It will be hard, Dinamo has a very stacked team as they want to win the Gagarin Cup (KHL's trophy). Let's remember that this summer they signed many players including Swedish rising stars Linus Omark and Johan Harju, getting them under the nose of their NHL teams. Though he recognizes that the MHL will be a step forward for him and for Russian hockey, as it will be "more interesting to play there, rather than with Dinamo-2" - he declared to Soviet Sports a couple of weeks ago. Let's remember that the new Russian junior league will start on September 4th with a match between MHK Dinamo and CSKA-Red Army. "We will win" - he said. But we'll check out on September!
Alexander also liked a lot his time in Montreal and differently from many other Russian peers is looking forward playing for Hamilton in the AHL, he wants to be there as he knows that he'll need some adaptation towards the NHL. He has great potential, but some parts of his game needs work. Defensive play, battles in the corners. Reaction. But he can make it through. The "Russian factor" made him go down to the 4th round, but he can be a draft steal like Evgeny Grachev last season for the Rangers.
"I was disappointed to read that Ovechkin is my idol. Yes, I like his style, but I don't want to be like him. Ovechkin is Ovechkin, and Avtsin has to be Avtsin."
7/22/2009
MHL shows up some logos
As promised, MHL Hockey's second issue talks about the MHL logos. Unfortunately, not many teams unveiled logos so we'll have to rate only a bunch of them. Hopefully more team will unveil their graphic arts soon.
The first logo we are going to rate is the Sibir Novosibirsk's affiliate, Sibirskie Snaipery. The team was first called in another way, Siberian Foxes, but it had to be changed as it could be easily changed with some game of words to say something vulgar. The result is now what really looks like a junior logo:
Rating: 5/5
Cool, simple and with some color. What else you need?The second logo we are going to see is the Ak Bars' junior team: Bars. As far as now there isn't an official logo, just a leaked imagine appeared on Russian newspaper Soviet Sports. The result is not bad at all:
Rating: 4/5
It looks promising, but we have to see what will be the final version. It will keep the same colors of the Ak Bars' main team, like Sibir.
The third logo of this selection is the one of Lada Togliatti, one of the most productive Russian schools. The logo created by the team's graphic isn't much different from the one of the first team, as well as the name, Ladia. The result:
Rating: 3/5A corporate logo, simple and easy to watch, but it doesn't really look like a sport logo. But it's not ugly to watch.
Fourth logo: Metallurg Novokuznetsk's junior team Kuznetskie Medvedi. This time the graphics didn't do a good job at all. Yes, it's my opinion, but I think many will agree:
Like a friend said, it looks like a yawning bear. And it looks like a non-pro work.
After the precendent logo shock we have to feast our eyes with the MHL best logo so far, which belogns to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod's affiliated team: Chaika. Chaika in Russian means gull, and the team has been called that way because of a popular car manifactured in Nizhny Novgorod years ago. I do think that it's the best logo so far:
Design, colors and general outfit are great. A hard-to-beat contender for the MHL best logo award.
The last team who unveiled their logo is HC MVD's HK Sherif. Another very good attempt, as we can see:
Rating: 4.5/5
Solid, good colors too. Maybe a tad simple. But it's not bad either.
Going a bit off topic, some other preseason matches have been scheduled:
01/08/2009: Ladia Togliatti - CSK-VVS Samara (Rus-1)
04/08/2009: Ladia Togliatti - CSK-VVS Samara (Rus-1)
05/08/2009: Ladia Togliatti - Reaktor Nizhnekamsk
07/08/2009: Ladia Togliatti - Reaktor Nizhnekamsk
2?/08/2009: Ladia Togliatti - Lada-93
Last but not the least, I advice anyone reading the interview to MHL star Alexander Avtsin I published on Russian Prospects
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