A Russian gem discovered by pure chance by Bobrov
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A Russian gem discovered by pure chance by Bobrov SHARES Nicolas Cloutier
UPGRADE DAY
SHARING
Nick Bobrov made it a point last year to keep an eye on the Mamonty Yugry, a Russian junior league (MHL) team based in Khanty Mansi, in the western part of Siberia.
Working remotely due to the sociopolitical context of his native Russia, the Montreal Canadiens' co-director of amateur scouting was no doubt spying on goaltender Yegor Zavragin, who would later become a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Flyers. Zavragin was expected to share his net with Alexander Dyubin that season (2022-2023).
Then, Dyubin injured his ankle. A man named Yevgeni Volokhin, who was supposed to spend the year with the under-18 squad, then got an unexpected chance in the Russian major junior.
“He started playing really well and suddenly we had Volokhin in the starting position at the start of the season,” the organization's general manager, Sergei Gusev, former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, said by telephone. From that moment on, Bobrov was on his trail.”
< p>If it was difficult to find any video of Volokhin or any report about him in the moments following his selection by the Canadiens in the fifth round in 2023 (144th overall), that is not surprising. Volokhin wasn't even supposed to play in the MHL last year. He had barely emerged from the shadows in Russia, seizing a chance he did not expect.
“I had received a couple of calls about him, from the Canadiens and the New York Rangers [the former team for which Bobrov worked, Editor’s note], mentions Gusev. Was he going to be drafted? We weren't sure.”
A first generation of hockey players
It was only recently that the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, capital of the Khanty Mansi district , dipped her toes in the world of hockey. The structures of HC Yugra were founded in 2006.
“About fifteen years ago, there was no hockey here, not at all. Then they suddenly opened a school for children and created a club,” says Gusev.
So Volokhin doesn’t come from a hockey family, but not at all. His father works for the emergency telephone line in Russia, the equivalent of 911 there.
It was in this hockey school that was opened, HK Ugra, that Volokhin was spotted by Dmitry Mezencev, who is today the goalkeeper coach who supervises the CH hopefuls.
« The first quality I liked about him was his mentality, Mezencev recalls. In my opinion, this is a key factor in the success of a goalkeeper. At the time, he was not very tall, but he was very active in front of his net. Now, he has a very good size and he is athletic, in addition to having this great strength of character.”
A great project
Both Bobrov and Martin Lapointe used the word “potential” to describe the appeal of selecting the enigmatic Volokhin. But what makes this potential so exciting in the Russian goalkeeper?
“It’s difficult to isolate a single element,” Mezencev hesitates. As I mentioned earlier, he has good size and is athletic, but he also understands the game well and can hold the fort under pressure when the score is tight.”
When Guillaume Lefrançois of La Presseasked Jeff Gorton what CH's hopes were in the NCAA and in Europe that excited him the most, he mentioned Volokhin among others, a sign that the latter is popular in the organization's offices. p>
Mezencev acknowledges that Volokhin “is only at the beginning of his journey” and that “several things will have to be corrected in the near future.” He still thinks big for his student.
« I believe he has everything it takes to one day battle with the best players and the best goalkeepers in the best league in the world, says the coach. It’s early to say, obviously, but he can become a good goalkeeper.”
The fight between Volokhin and Zavragin promises to be interesting in the coming months, or even the next few years. For the moment, Zavragin surpasses him in the hierarchy, having obtained starts in the VHL (Russian second division, equivalent to the American League) this season.
«Zavragin is more ripe at the moment, I would say. The job of goalkeeper comes naturally to him, he got there thanks to his talent. Volokhin gained ground thanks to his work ethic. He’s a hard worker,” explains Gusev, the organization’s general director.
< /p>
He refused the SKA's offer
SKA Saint Petersburg, the richest team on the continental hockey circuit (KHL), tried in vain to seduce Volohkin by making him an offer during the last off-season.
An offer that Volokhin did well to refuse, according to Gusev, despite all the prestige of the SKA.
“SKA has so many goalkeepers in its organization. They just want to appropriate all the good hopes. I would say our goalkeeping coach is much better than theirs. Volokhin will have more opportunities with us and he will learn more playing with us than with SKA.”
It is impossible to confirm this, but one could also think that Nick Bobrov's father, a recruiter for this wealthy organization, played a role in this attempt. A hypothesis, nothing more, nothing less.
In bulk
Yevgeni Volokhin
- 6 feet 3 inches and 168 lbs
- Left catcher
- 5th round pick (144th overall) of the Canadiens in 2023
Volokhin's statistics
9-2-3 | 1.57 | .937 with the Mamonty Yugry in the MHL
Zavragin statistics
6-1-2 | 1.63 | .945 with the Mamonty Yugry in the MHL
4-0-0 | 1.24 | .953 with Khanty-Mansiysk Yugra in the VHL
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About The Author
Wilson
Rob Wilson has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Gal Times, Rob wilson worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my rob@bobrtimes.com 1-800-268-7128