Tuesday morning, three hours before Kent Hughes’ press briefing from Buffalo, on the sidelines of the draft hopefuls’ evaluation camp, information is circulating. The Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly ruled that they will not select any Russian players in the next draft.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
So the question was put to Hughes, who denied the information. “We did not discuss the Russian players. We just interviewed one this morning, ”said the general manager of the Canadian.
A few hours later, we had an appointment with Pavel Mintyukov. This defender, seen as a future first-round pick, has indeed confirmed to us that he has met the Canadian.
That said, very smart whoever predicts how many Russians will be drafted on July 7 and 8 in Montreal. But if we rely on what we observed at the evaluation camp last week, the situation is uncomfortable.
Of the 96 invited players, none came from a Russian league. However, the European circuits were well represented. There were nine hopefuls playing in Sweden, nine from Finland, two from the Czech Republic, two from Slovakia, even one from Germany. But none from a Russian circuit.
There were still 4 players born in Russia among the 96: Mintyukov, Maxim Barbashev, Danil Zhilkin and Alexander Suzdalev. The latter has been playing in Sweden for several years and represents the country of Niklas Sundstrom internationally.
The other three play in Canadian junior hockey. Zhilkin came to Canada when he was 10 years old. “My life is here now, I was world champion for Canada, I participated in the Canada Games, I won a silver medal there. I consider myself a Canadian,” he said.
A scout on site was skeptical about the absence of established players in the Russian circuits, especially since at least two of them are first-round talents: Danila Yurov and Ivan Miroshnichenko, ranked 7e and 11e European prospects by NHL Central Scouting. Knowing that the invitations to the evaluation camp are made according to the requests of the teams, the absence of players established in Russia is intriguing.
Is this absence the result of a decision by the NHL?
“The NHL Central Scouting did not immediately exclude any player from the evaluation camp. Travel from Russia is a federal government responsibility and it was not viable for Russian players, invited under the teams vote, to obtain a visa within the required time frame and travel to the United States,” replied the NHL, through a public relations officer, in an email to The Press.
Pitfalls
Obtaining a visa is indeed one of the criteria perceived by some hockey stakeholders as being an obstacle to the arrival of Russian players in North America. But this question is not unanimous.
Me Patrice Brunet, a lawyer specializing in immigration and sports law, recalls that at present, “displacement sanctions are mainly for oligarchs and their relatives”.
“There is nothing to prevent the blacklist from being extended to other people. But I would be surprised if they targeted hockey players, because hockey is a business and at the professional level, you do not represent your country. It’s not like the Olympics or the World Championship. »
The obstacles are elsewhere. First there is a question of perception, the kind of thing the Canadiens must be sensitive to, after a year of managing the Logan Mailloux file…
“It’s a question of perspective, of perception with the public, of the message we are sending. You have to see if the athlete supports the war or not, for example, but these are public relations and it does not affect immigration, ”recalls Ms.e Brunett.
The other problem is borders, especially if the war in Ukraine escalates. What happens if the Russian government decrees a ban on leaving the territory?
“We are not aware of it in Canada, but several countries have exit restrictions. You also have to go through customs when leaving the country,” explains Ms.e Brunett.
If Russia decides to ban players from going to North America, because there is an escalation of the conflict, because there is a form of cold war, the player is still stuck.
Me Patrice Brunet, lawyer specializing in immigration and sports law
The complications that arise from a stay in Russia also change the plans of Russian players. At his last meeting with the media, at the end of the Canadian season, Alexander Romanov had indicated that he would not return to his native country this summer and that he would spend the off-season “in the United States”.
Zhilkin used to go back to Russia even though his life is now in Canada, especially because his grandparents are still there. He will pass his turn this summer.
“A few teams have asked me questions, but I say from the start that I am Canadian, that I play for the national team, and I do not think they are afraid that I will leave,” said the color bearer. from the Guelph Storm.
photo guillaume lefrançois, the press
Danil Zhilkin
With his impeccable English and overflowing confidence, Zhilkin has no trouble dealing with questions about the war in Ukraine. Pavel Mintyukov, the one who met the Habs, however, does not have the same ease, he who has been in Canada for less than two years. He is no talker, and his answers become even more brief as soon as the situation in Russia is broached.
“Normally, I would go back to Moscow this summer. This time, I’m not sure,” he said. What are the risks if he were to return there? ” I do not know. It is a difficult situation. »
The two young men are represented by Dan Milstein, a Ukrainian-born agent for several Russians, including Romanov, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Milstein firmly refused to The Press to answer any questions regarding the impact of the conflict on its clients.
And beyond all these considerations, it must be remembered that due to the exclusion of Russia from the World Championship (senior and under 18), the opportunities to have seen these players in action have been less.
“Nobody knows what the world will be like in two or three years,” said Dan Marr, director of the NHL’s Central Scouting. Everyone is wondering how the teams will approach the situation. If there’s a hope you love, are you going to pass it up, or fish it out hoping the world will be different in a few years? »