Here's Nikita as a sophomore when he played for the Norwich Cadets.

Photo by David Albers of naplenews.com

Here at RMNB, we love to  write a lot about Alex Ovechkin, Semyon Varlamov, Alex Semin, Dmitri Orlov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Stanislav Galiev, and Dmitri Kugryshev (did I forget anyone?), but we’ve overlooked the 8th (and the least-known) Russian in the Caps  system, Nikita Kashirsky. Now that he has been officially invited to rookie camp to form another awesome trio of Russians, we’ll fix that immediately.

Kashirsky, 24, is a Muscovite (just like me Ovi). As a kid, he started playing hockey at Dynamo and was a left winger. In the past, when Ovechkin was asked about who his favorite line-mates were at the Dynamo school, Kashirsky’s was one of the first names he always mentioned.  

“We grew up together,” Kashirsky said of his relationship with The Great 8 in an interview with Corey Masisak last year. “We played in Dynamo since we were 8 years old. We’ve been friends since then, I guess. We became really good friends around the age of 14 or 15. Since then we’ve always been really close. We come to each other’s house, spend the weekends and stuff. We’ve been like brothers since that time.”

At age 17, Nikita packed his bags and moved to DC, where he played for the the AJHL’s Washington Junior Nationals while attending Georgetown Prep. After 2 years of that, he attended Norwich University (during Ovi’s rookie season) where he passed up opportunities to go pro so that he could get his degree. Once he graduated college, Kashirsky came back to try out for the Capitals.

Even though he had pro tryout contracts with the Springfield Falcons (an Oilers farm club) and the Manitoba Moose (Canucks), he stayed as a sweet part of the ECHL pie [Ed. note -  File this sentence under "Fedor-isms we don't understand"]. And finally, during this year’s Calder Cup finals, Tim Leone of The Patriot-News reported that the Bears and Kashirsky agreed on a two-way AHL/ECHL deal.

From what I’ve read, Kashirsky’s well-educated and a very Americanized guy (maybe he could rub off on Semin).  Alesandro Seren Rosso of RussianProspect.com also writes of Nikita:

[He] is a player which is more famous because of his close friendship with Caps’ superstar Alexander Ovechkin than for his actual hockey career. He was an All-Star…in the ECHL. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the potential. Kashirsky has good hands and showed in the past that he can score spectacular goals. On the other hand, though, his skating isn’t on par with the NHL level.

As he skated in one Caps development camp without being signed to an NHL contract, one could assume that the doors for the pro competition are closed for him. But it’s not like that, I think. We’ve seen many players with less talent getting regular spots in the NHL. Kashirsky needs to further work over his game to achieve his dream of playing with his friend Alex.

After a disappointing 2009-10 campaign, where he finished with 16 games and only three points with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, Nikita will have another chance to showcase his talent in the NHL’s farm league, this time with the Hershey Bears. One of this season’s tasks will be for him to help rookie Dmitry Kugryshev in dealing with the new environment, giving him some hand from a country mate.

But this means also that the Caps will have a full year to scout him. It will be a key season for Kashirsky and he might earn a spot in the NHL if he shows his full potential night in, night out, and not only in a game or two. Consistency will be the key.

But it’s hard not to love this guy. First, we love his enthusiasm as he congratulates his Stingray teammates after a 4-0 victory over the Charlotte Checkers. On this night, he had a hat trick.

Sure, Nikita’s skating ability might need some work, but he sure looks fast here:

At least his stick-handling’s sick. Doesn’t it remind you of a certain someone?

Plus this guy really knows how to dress for Christmas:

Finally, we have the ultimate proof of his famous childhood friendship!  Here’s Nikita and a star-spangled Alex Ovechkin.

OMG. So. Precious.

If you’d like to read more on Kashirsky, check out: NHL.com article (December 2009) | Washington Times article (July 2009) | HFBoards thread

NOM NOM NOM. (Photo by Chris Gordon of Caps Snaps)

We’ve been fascinated by Dmitri Orlov since Fedor told us that Metallurg fans call him the Russian Bobby Orr.  As ludicrous as that title is, we can’t help but be impressed by the offensive-minded d-man called Dima.  His partner at development camp, Joe Finley, compared Dmitri to John Carlson and Mike Green, but he did point out the difficulties in communication.  Unlike Stan Galiev, Dmitri is not comfortable with English, only the universal language of cupcakes.  That’s why our pal Oksana Zolotar chatted Orlov up in the tongue of the motherland.

Follow us past the jump where we’ll learn about Dmitri’s trouble buying out his contract and overcoming his 5’10″ frame.  Please note that Oksana refrains from asking Dima about Ian’s weird fixation on him.  Also, don’t forget to check out our interviews with Evgeny Kuznetsov and Stanislav Galiev if you missed them.

Oksana Zolotar: What are your impressions of Washington? America, in general? I know it’s your second time, has anything changed?
Dmitri Orlov: No, nothing has changed really. I like everything. I would want to play here, but I have to figure out several problems with my team so I could come here.  I need to buy out my contract. It’s a big amount that I can’t really give them right now. I’m still thinking because it’s not an easy decision for me, so we’ll see.

Dmitri Orlov seems eager to play in North America this year. (Photo by Neil Greenberg)

OZ: Do you still have any trouble with the communication? Language barrier?
DO: Yeah, of course, I do. I barely know the English language; I don’t understand too much. Stas (Stanislav Galiev) translates because he’s already played here for two years, and Zhenya (Evgeny Kuznetsov) has been in New York and has been studying it for a long time. I tried to study it a lot this year, but it wasn’t that easy.

OZ: Is it easier than last year?
DO: Well yeah, I understand much more, but I still can’t say much.

OZ: When the season’s over, do you relax a little bit in terms of training? Or keep at the same rate?
DO: As soon as the season ended, I went on vacation.

OZ: What do you think you have to work on to reach the next level? What weaknesses do you have?
DO: Well, I think I have to get stronger physically. I’m not that tall.  If I want to play in America, they have grown men that play here, much taller than me, bigger than me, so I need to get ready physically.

Dima tries to shoot the puck through traffic during Saturday's Scrimmage.

OZ: Next year, what are your goals.  What are your plans?
DO: For now, I don’t know anything about next season; we’re discussing everything with my team, and Washington, and making decisions. But I want to play here.

OZ: From what I know, you still have a contract with Mettallurg, can you give us a little more details?
DO: The contract is for two more years, but I said that I want to try myself here. They’re telling me to buy out the contract. They’re offering different options for me to stay home, but I think I still want to try here.

OZ: If you were to compare yourself to a famous player, who would it be? Why?
DO: Well I don’t know, I can’t compare myself, I think the professionals should be comparing me to someone, I just play the best that I can.

OZ: Dima, what about the number 9? Does it mean anything? Or is it just a number?
DO: No.  I just like the number, and I’ve played with it for several years… I just like the number.

OZ: What about the Russian guys that are training with you? Did you already know them? Or just meet them here?
DO: I’ve known Zhenya for a long time now, but me and Stas just met. He’s a great guy and I like spending time with them. Last year, Dima Kugryshev, who is having visa problems this year, was here. We had a good relationship, he helped me a lot with English translations.

OZ: What about the Russians here? Do you know Ovechkin? Semin?
DO: No, I haven’t met them yet.

Also, make sure to check out Caps Snaps’ profile of Dmitri Orlov which touches on Dima’s childhood and improved conditioning.

The Washington Capitals selected Stanislav Galiev (friends call him “Stan”) as the 86th overall pick in the draft.  The baby-faced left winger from Moscow stood out during development camp as a competent skater, playmaker, and polyglot whiz.  He’s not a particularly big player (178 lbs), but Galiev’s personality is plenty big. Our girl Friday, Oksana Zolotar, chatted up Stan in his native tongue following Wednesday’s scrimmage.

Follow us past the jump to learn about his adoration of Alexander Semin, bulking up, and Russian camaraderie at dev camp.  If you missed Monday’s interview with Evgeny Kuznetsov, we politely remind you that this will all be on the final exam.

Oksana Zolotar: So you’ve been in America a while now…
Stanislav Galiev: Yeah, I’ve played here for two years already.

OZ: So you know English pretty well by now.
SG: By now, yeah.
OZ: Yeah I’ve noticed, everyone says that you translate everything.
SG: Yeah I try to help out a little, make a little money. [Laughs]

OZ: When the season’s over, do you relax a little bit in terms of training? Or keep at the same rate?
SG: Well when this season was over, I stayed in Toronto for another two weeks and worked before the test with my agent. After the test I rested a bit, went to Turkey.

A serious look from a big personality (Photo by Neil Greenberg)

OZ: What do you think you have to work on to reach the next level? What weaknesses do you have?
SG: Well, I think I have to gain a bit more weight, physical mass, and play defense a little better.

OZ: For next year, what plans do you have? What goals?
SG: I want to make the Russian Junior hockey team, other than that just work as hard as I have been.

OZ: If you were to compare yourself to a famous player, who would it be? Why?
SG: I mean, I don’t think I have one. I’d love to be similar to Semin; I love his style.

OZ: Play with Semin in Washington?
SG: Yeah!

During Thursday's scrimmage, Galiev had 1G, 1A and the game's deciding shootout tally. On Saturday, his shootout goal shown above also pushed white to victory.

OZ: What about the Russian guys? Did you know them for a long time before camp?
SG: Dima [Dmitri Orlov] and Zhenya?
OZ: Yeah
SG: Dima I didn’t know before, but Zhenya yeah, we’re good friends, played together.

OZ: And what about the well-known players? Do you know Ovechkin?
SG: Ovechkin no, not yet.
OZ: Not yet?
SG: Yeah, just give me a little bit of time. [Laughs]

* * *

Check back on Wednesday for our third and final interview with Dmitri Orlov.

Will Philly's signing of Sergey Bobrovsky eventually light a fire back into the Caps/Flyers Rivalry?

For the three of you who follow Minor League Russian Hockey, you’re already aware that Caps Defensive Prospect Dmitri Orlov has led the Novokuznetsk Bears – the minor league affiliate of the KHL’s Metallurg Novokuznetsk – to this year’s MHL Finals. But what some of you may not know, is that the starting goaltender of the team, Sergey Bobrovsky, is Semyon Varlamov’s biggest rival in Russia. And sources in Novokuznetsk tell RMNB that Bobrovsky – now free of his Russian Contract – will sign a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Flyers and will play there next year.

Though it has largely flown under the radar in America, the impact of this deal could be huge. We consider it a coup for the Flyers and it could impact the Capitals/Flyers rivalry in the Eastern Conference for many years to come. Bobrovsky, at 21, has been Metallurg Novokuznetsk’s number one goalie for the past three years, and has managed to put up extremely strong numbers this season despite the fact he has been keeping for the KHL’s worst team.

His stats for the season so far are thus:

KHL: 35 GP (1964 Min), 1 SO, 2,72 GAA, .919 SVG%.
MHL (Playoffs): 12 Gp, 1 SO, 2,13 GAA, .929 SVG%.

In Russia, Bobrovsky is well-known as Varlamov’s main opponent for his age. For example, in 2008, former Russian WJC team coach Sergey Nemchinov neglected to call Varly and ask him to play on his World Junior Championship team. Nemchinov instead preferred Bobrovsky. Why? Here’s what he was quoted as saying at the time:

“I didn’t have any conflicts with Semyon Varlamov. I just call guys I trust.”

We here at RMNB thought that this was a pretty weird excuse. Here’s what Semyon Varlamov’s agent had to say on the issue:

“I don’t think that official version is right. [...] I guess that maybe the bosses of “Lokomotiv” [Ed. Note - Varlamov's Former club] asked Nemchinov not to call Semyon because they were having goalie issues.”

Anyways, most fans in Russia didn’t agree with that decision, and now see a huge rivalry between Varly and Bobry. When they played together for the Russian National Junior teams, Varly was almost always the number one goaltender.

But the real reason why this imminent signing is so interesting is because the Flyers used 5 different goalies this year including Brian Boucher, Ray Emery, Michael Leighton, Johan Backlund & Jeremy Duchesne – none of which to great success. With that said, we believe that Bobrovsky has a chance to become the #1 goaltender in Philadelphia sooner rather than later. Consider this fact: Not one of Flyers goalies had a better SVG% this regular season than Bobrovsky did in the KHL.

So, will the Caps/Flyers rivalry soon run hot again? With this upcoming signing, we certainly think so.

Since taking Alex Ovechkin with the First Overall Pick in the 2004 Draft, the Washington Capitals have selected 5 Russians in the Draft since. Some of the notables include Dmitri Kugryshev (Be his friend on facebook), goal-sabotager Semyon Varlamov and (The second coming of Bobby Orr) Dmitri Orlov.

Well this year, with the Capitals atop the league standings and readying for a deep run in the playoffs (despite what R.J. Umberger thinks), RMNB is here to profile 3 talented Russian Prospects that could fall to the end of the first round of this year’s entry draft which will be held June 25–26, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Who are they? RMNB Russian Correspondent Fedor Fedin did days worth of research and here’s what he found.

Going off of projections by 14 respected NHL Draft websites, we find that Evgeni Kuznetsov, Stanislav Galiev & Maxim Kitsyn are generally considered late first round talents.

Current Club: Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL) / White Bears (MHL)

Position: LW

Height / Weight: 180cm (5’11“) / 77kg (169.4 lbs)

Stats: KHL: 28 games (4 in playoffs), 3 goals (1 in playoffs), 8 assists (1 in playoffs). MHL: 11 games (2 in playoffs), 5 goals (1 in playoffs), 14 assists (2 in playoffs). WJC: 6 games. 2 goals, 0 assists.

Interesting Facts: Fans call him the “Malkin of Chelyabinsk”.

Quotes: “My idol is Wayne Gretzky. And my dream is to beat all his records.” “Why not try to hit a player after he passes? When we came to Canada we see different hockey — there are smaller rinks, and lots of contact. When you’re already used to doing it in Russia, the transition to the North American game will be easier.” “I don’t want to be drafted high because I want to be drafted by the Rangers.” “I want to be honest: My dream has always been to play in the NHL.”

Evgeni Kuznetsov Video

Kuznetsov’s first goal in the KHL.

Kuznetsov’s Goal in the World Junior Championships.

Current Club: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

Position: LW

Height /Weight: 188cm (6’2“) / 82kg (180.4 lbs)

Stats: QMJHL: 67 games, 15 goals, 45 assists.

Interesting Facts: Was drafted 1^st overall by Sea Dogs in last CHL Euro draft.

Quotes: “I don’t want to come back to Russia, everything suits me in America.” “People here say that North-American hockey is below us. I don’t agree, because we work on tactic, defense and neutral zone positioning… We spend a lot of time on the power play and penalty killing.” “I never wished to eat something from Subway or McDonald’s.” “At the end of season I didn’t have any problems with hockey terms.” “My preferences in the NHL Draft? I don’t know, maybe Washington or Pittsburgh or Detroit. I cheered for the Capitals in my childhood but I didn’t follow the NHL too closely.”

Stanislav Galiev Video:

Galiev while playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Galiev scores a goal against Galifax.

Current Club: Metallurg Novokuznetsk (KHL) / Novokuznetsk Bears (MHL).

Position: LW

Height / Weight: 188cm (6’2″) / 83kg (182lbs)

Stats: KHL: 20 games, 1 goal, 1 assist. MHL: 17 games (6 in playoffs), 10 goals (4 in playoffs), 17 assists (5 in playoffs). WJC: 0 goals, 3 assists.

Interesting Facts: Scored 2 goals in his first KHL game (he was 16 then), the youngest player in Russian hockey history to score 2 in a game. His mother is the PA Announcer at the Novokuznetsk Metallurgs’ Arena. His father played for Metallurg. Red Wings scout came to a KHL game to see him. Press calls him the “Ovechkin of Novokuznetsk.”

Quotes: “Comparing yourself with other players doesn’t cost anything. Ovechkin, is a great player sure, but I’m not Ovechkin, I’m Kitsyn and I don’t want to copy anyone.” “The Locker room of [Russian Junior National] team in Windsor shocked me… Looks like it’s 3 times bigger than Metallurg’s.” “The Treatment of junior hockey in Russia and Canada is very different.”

Maxim Kitsyn Video:

Kitsyn’s only goal in the current KHL season (it comes up at the 1:10 mark).

A Kitsyn goal during the 2008-09 season.