Fans are looking forward to the denouement of the Stanley Cup final, which may come in the sixth game. Fans from Russia, however, will be pleased to see the victory of any of the teams, because our compatriots are in both Tampa and Colorado.

A similar situation has developed in the AHL, where the final series has just recently come to an end. The owners of the Calder Cup were the Chicago Wolves, which includes Russian forward Vasily Ponomarev. The 20-year-old striker began the season in the KHL, where he was not given a chance at all. Now he is the champion of the overseas league.

Is a new Russian star lit across the ocean?

In the KHL, the forward was not allowed to open up

Ponomarev’s adult debut took place this season as part of Spartak Moscow. Vasily got off to a good start in the KHL, but not too bright: in his first match for the Red-Whites against the Admiral, the striker spent eight minutes on the court, managed to throw on goal and win two face-offs.

However, any young hockey player needs time to get used to adult hockey. However, Spartak did everything to make Ponomarev’s “acclimatization” go horribly.

After the match with Admiral, the center forward received humiliating playing time: 12 seconds with CSKA, 29 seconds with Amur, a minute with Avangard … Only in 4 out of 14 matches was he allowed to spend more than nine minutes on the ice.

Vasily Ponomarev / Photo: © KHL / Yury Kuzmin

How you can adapt to adult hockey in 12 seconds is absolutely incomprehensible. With such short shifts, the players don’t think more about attacking, but about how not to make a mistake – then the coach will allow them to play more. As a result, Spartak nevertheless decided to give Ponomorev more playing time, but not in the KHL, but as part of local farm clubs. And while the striker was rushing between the youth team of the Red-Whites and Chemist, his agent Dan Milstein was indignant:

– Vasya was driven away across the entire vertical of the club – youth team, tower, KHL. He did not know in the evening where he would play in the morning. Is this sustainable development? – Sport24 quotes Milstein.

After an unsuccessful attempt to prove himself in adult hockey, Ponomarev in the same season went to the Chicago Wolves (the farm club of the Carolinas from the AHL). Restarting his career was beneficial: in the first seven matches, he scored 7 (1 + 6) points. In total, Ponomarev managed to play 11 games in the regular season and score 10 (3+7) points. In the playoffs, the striker’s statistics look a little more modest: 6 (1+5) points after 18 matches.

With the “wolves” Ponomarev reached the final of the Calder Cup. In the series against the St. Louis farm, the center forward played all five matches, scored an assist, and contributed to the final victory. Such a trophy in the debut year in adult hockey is a great achievement.

It is also important that in the USA the coaching staff trusts the striker and gives him the opportunity to prove himself. Ponomarev is often released when playing in unequal lineups – the Russian is especially valuable in the minority.

Early in the NHL

Ponomarev showed himself well in the “wolves” and got the Calder Cup. However, his future is still vague – it is not known where he will spend next season. It is unlikely that the Russian will get a chance to prove himself at the heart of the Carolinas. Many experts single out other players in the championship team, depriving the Russians of their attention.

In their opinion, the Keynes are more likely to raise 22-year-old forward Jack Drury, who scored 24 (9 + 15) points in the playoffs, or defender Jalen Chatfield, who has 8 (2 + 6) points, to the first team. Russian goalkeeper Kochetkov can also compete for a place in the NHL.

However, Ponomaryov, whose contract with the Carolinas will be valid for another two years, has not yet been singled out by anyone. Most likely, the Russian will spend the next season in the AHL. Vasily has no reasons to return to the KHL: even in such situations, overseas people believe in a Russian more than at home. And Spartak is clearly worth learning from this mistake.