There was one question Nail Yakupov couldn’t escape during the NHL draft
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TORONTO — There was one question Nail Yakupov couldn’t escape during the NHL scouting campaign.
Mikhail Grigorenko and Andrey Vasilevskiy also continued to get some. Even Alex Galchenyuk – an American despite his Russian-sounding last name – couldn’t get through an interview this week without being asked why he prefers to play professional hockey in North America rather than in the Russia-based KHL .
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“I told (my parents) that ever since I was little my dream was to play in the NHL and win the Stanley Cup,” said Galchenyuk, born in Milwaukee. “It’s not about playing in the KHL and the Gagarin Cup. I think I want to be a great NHL player and play against the best players.
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“I just want to play in the NHL and I see myself in the NHL.”
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It is increasingly difficult for Russian teenagers to convince NHL teams of this fact. Consider that 47 Russians were selected in the 1992 draft alone, while only 39 have been selected in the last five years combined.
That point will become even more important this month in the draft in Pittsburgh, where Yakupov is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick and Grigorenko and Vasilevskiy are potential first-round selections along with Galchenyuk.
However, even top-ranked Russian players are causing concern among some NHL teams. It’s a taboo subject for many – general managers and scouts are loath to speak publicly on the subject – but the continued threat posed by the KHL has many thinking twice about drafting Russian teenagers.
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“Part of the problem is you never get them to buy in,” Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. “There’s always that little option that when you face some adversity, it’s easier to just say ‘niet’ and go in the other direction (to the KHL) instead of making sure that it works. You got it out.
“I think I can probably speak to every manager in the game to say there is some hesitation.”
This was made clear to the current group of Russian prospects when they were subjected to interviews with as many as 20 teams. Even Yakupov and Grigorenko, who both left their countries to play in the Canadian Hockey League, found themselves repeatedly explaining their future intentions.
“All the teams asked me about it, about the KHL,” Grigorenko said. “I understand why they’re worried about it, but I told them I’m not going there, that’s for sure.”
The 18-year-old managed to show humor on the subject. He appeared in interviews Thursday wearing a polo shirt adorned with a large red maple leaf that he picked up at a local mall.
“Everyone was laughing,” Grigorenko said. “I came here last year to play in the NHL. It’s my dream, I’ll wait for the opportunity. I just want to play in the NHL.
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However, there is no denying the strong appeal of the KHL.
The Washington Capitals (Evgeny Kuznetsov) and St. Louis Blues (Vladimir Tarasenko) have struggled to lure recent first-round picks to North America. Players can make a lot more money in Russia than if they got an entry-level NHL contract and they don’t have to worry about being sent to the American Hockey League, where they earn considerably less. .
The chilling effect this has had on the NHL is undeniable, with only eight Russians selected in the 2011 draft and only 30 players from that country having appeared in a game this season.
Edmonton holds the top pick in the upcoming draft and Yakupov will be in the city this weekend for a follow-up interview. This organization hasn’t drafted a Russian-born player since 2006 and general manager Steve Tambellini is eager to get to know Yakupov better.
“You have to get to know the player, you have to know the person,” Tambellini said. “You have to find out what really motivates them, why and what their goals are. And then maybe you’ll get a sense of whether there should be any hesitation or not.
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Yakupov spoke with 18 different teams this week and answered several questions about his nationality.
The consensus No. 1 pick in this draft last year, there have been rumors that it might end up working against Yakupov. If Edmonton were to pass on him, Columbus could do the same with the second pick given the issues the organization has had previously with top-ranked Russians Nikita Filatov and Nikolai Zherdev.
However, Yakupov says he’s “not worried” that teams are unsure of him because of his home country. He is from Nizhnekamsk, in the far east of Russia, and insists he is his own man.
“Every player has his own path, you know? Yakupov said. “I am Muslim, I am not Russian. If you say what’s going on with the Russian postman, that’s his life. I have my life. I have to work.
“It doesn’t matter which team takes me in the draft. … For me, this will be my team, my first favorite team in the NHL. I want to play and do everything for them.
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