Nikita Filatov: “I am determined to get back to the NHL” (Photo © sportbox.ru)

During an interview with popular Russian website Sovietskiy Sport Nikita Filatov, currently playing for CSKA and who recently got a call from Russian national team, talked about his future, about NHL players’ participation to the Olympics and about the upcoming season.

Nikita Filatov: “I am determined to return to the NHL next year. Surely the salaries are better in the KHL, but overseas the level of play is higher. I’ll try to make the first team in the NHL. And I’ll try getting on the roster for the World Championships too.

I don’t really think that NHL players won’t come to Sochi for the 2014 Olympic Games. The best players in the world want to play there. And no one can force them out.”

Nikita Filatov knocked down by Darcy Verot (Photo © boeboda.ru)

NHL Blue Jackets forward Nikita Filatov, playing on a loan basis for CSKA of the KHL, was knocked down by Darcy Verot of Vityaz Chekhov in Monday’s game between Vityaz and CSKA.

After the famous bench-clearing fight Vityaz, a team having an enormous for the KHL amount of tough guys, didn’t fight at all. There were rumors that players were told not to fight in order to calm down fans. The KHL even warned Vityaz to exclude the team from the league in case of another cancelled game.

The peace didn’t last long as on Monday Darcy Verot knocked down youngster Nikita Filatov with a cheap shot to the head and got a game misconduct.

Here is the video of Verot’s cheap shot on Filatov:

WJC failure: Plyuschev blames Filatov, Filatov blames Plyuschev (Photo © Getty Images)

The debate around team Russia WJC disaster goes on. Right after the team’s return in Russia many stories hit the media, the most interesting regarding Nikita Filatov and Vladimir Plyuschev relations. As we examined earlier in the Top 5 reasons why Russia failed at WJC it looks like there have been a conflict between the coach and the captain.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you the most interesting quotes from a good sum-it-up article appeared at Bleacher report.

Vladimir Plyuschev words:

The main cause of our performance was my mistake in choosing the captain. A captain should be an example of how to behave on the ice, in the locker room and outside the arena. We trusted Filatov with the captaincy hoping that his experience would help him and his teammates be successful.

Unfortunately, Filatov did not get it. He failed as a leader. After the game with Switzerland, I came to the locker room and apologized in front of the team for my choice of captain. Filatov was not worthy of wearing the C.

When I suggested Filatov as captain I was hoping for a different result, for a different approach to what we hoped to achieve. We didn’t need an exhibition of individual skill on the ice. The number of points that Nikita got in this tournament he should have had in one period against Austria. And he got a lot of ice time

I had a serious talk with Filatov after the exhibition loss to Latvia. He assured me that everything is going to be fine, but then was once again invisible in our first game against Austria. I even told him, ‘If you don’t wanna play, leave the ice.’ A captain has no right to play like that.

I do not accept any responsibility for this result. We did what we could with this squad. Our country should seriously think about youth hockey.

Nikita Filatov words:

During the first intermission of the game against Switzerland Plyushchev said that we completely bombed as a team even though we totally dominated. The Swiss mainly dumped the puck out of their zone and had only five shots on our net, and even those from the blue line. Plyushchev went on to yell at us and personally insulted particular players, including me.

The same thing was happening on the bench during our quarterfinal. In fact, I remember the coach saying anything positive only once or twice during the whole tournament. He mainly just yelled at us.

I understand that a coach can’t teach a team a lot of new things in two weeks, but we were never taught any tactics. Not how to defend in our own zone, not how to break out, not what to do on the power play. All of these things are key to being a successful team. Nothing of the sort happened.

I was very surprised that we never had any video sessions designed to correct our mistakes. Not one. The coach also did not seem to know much about our opponents and made only very general statements about them. I thought this was very strange.

I was late for practice only once, along with three other players. The stories about me always being late are nothing but blatant lies. Plyushchev also talked behind my back to my teammates saying things like, ‘Filatov is impossible to talk with. He has a crown on his head,’ while never making any attempts to discuss any issues with me directly.

For example, during the Austria game he never said to me, ‘If you don’t want to play get off the ice.’ He said that on the bench while I was actually on the ice and I only found out about it the next day from my roommate Vyacheslav Kulemin. I was very distraught by such approach.

I accept responsibility for not playing up to expectations, but I did what I could under the circumstances and really tried hard. I’m very sad at how it all turned out. Plyushchev was unable to create a good atmosphere in our squad.

Top 5 reasons why Russia failed at WJC (Photo © Reuters)

Team Russia‘s sixth place at the last WJC in Saskatchewan, Canada, was nothing short of a failure. It was the worst result of the team since 2001, when the team lead by Petr Vorobiev couldn’t get any better than the seventh place on the home soil.
That team, just like this one, wasn’t short of talent, considering that the team’s front men were the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Anton Volchenkov and Denis Grebeshkov. This year’s roster included many talented players as well, like Nikita Filatov, Vladimir Tarasenko, Dmitri Orlov and others, but the tournament didn’t really finish like expected and team Russia was left out of the medal round after five straight apparitions.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you top five reasons why Russia failed at WJC 2010.

Reason 5: Underestimation of the opponents

It’s not the first time a top team gets upset by the likes of Team Switzerland or any other underdog, just let’s remember how 2002 Olympics ended for the Swedes at the quarterfinals against team Belarus. Team Russia was guilty of underrating the opponents already before the tournament’s start. Plyuschev got a warning when Russia lost to Latvia in the first and only test match heading to the WJC. But the 3-2 loss didn’t work as warning sign. It continued in the very first group stage game, against Team Austria. That game was won, but team Russia didn’t put on a good performance and despite winning by a four-goals margin it was closer than one would expect. Talent mattered at the end, but it really looked like team Russia was lacking the right inspiration to play at the next level. It was early, but it was a first indication about how things were starting. It was really surprising to see the Russians being dominated that way in the round robin match against Finland, a “W” nevertheless as the goals by Khokhryakov and Filatov were unanswered, but that was yet another poor display, probably due to the fact that the players thought to easily skate past the opponents.

In the quarters against team Switzerland, team Russia was guilty of the same sin, but it was a much more dangerous situation. It started as the game approached, with the players not forechecking hard enough and thinking that probably just a couple of rushes would have switched the moment in their favor. It did happen, but it wasn’t enough. While they were thinking that the game was already conquered the Swiss did work hard to get back on track and it worked. In the overtime probably it was the same as one could have spotted some conceit and the result was a deserved defeat against the tournament’s underdogs.

Reason 4: Some puzzling roster decisions

Maybe it wouldn’t have changed too much, but Vladimir Plyuschev made some roster decisions that seemed a bit hard to decipher. The first one was leaving home Dynamo Moscow’s Alexander Avtsin. The Habs draftee was in good shape right before the WJC start as he had just scored three points in two games, including a game winning goal. Maybe this team Russia had enough talent in the top-6, but why leaving out a skilled player with great skating and a not bad physical presence? All the more, in good shape.

Other two players were surprisingly left out the WJC roster: Alexander Pechursky and Dmitry Kugryshev. If Pechursky’s selection probably would have made much of a difference since the designated goalie was Igor Bobkov anyway, but why leaving out a talented, gritty player with much experience on the small ice surface like Quebec Remparts’, Washington Capitals prospect Dmitry Kugryshev? Throughout the whole tournament most of Russian players displayed lack of small ice practice, plus the presence of two talented players like Kugryshev and Avtsin instead of journeymen like Dedunov and Gimbatov surely wouldn’t have hurt the team.

Reason 3: Lack of attention

This point isn’t strictly connected with this year’s situation but surely played his role in the 2010 fiasco. One of the biggest differences between North American and European hockey (probably Sweden is an exception here, but only in the last few years) is surely the attention paid on the respective junior programs. For example, if team USA and team Canada – these year’s finalists – can always count on pro coaches like Willie Desjardins, who won a Memorial Cup in 2003 and was honored with CHL Coach of the Year award. Last year team Canada coach was Olympic champion and multiple times Stanley Cup finalist Pat Quinn.

Team Russia could never count on such characters. If Vladimir Plyuschev did won a WJC back in the times, in the 2002, most of the latest coaches were inexperienced like Sergei Nemchinov or not well fitting in the team, like Plyuschev himself.

It also speaks a lot the fact that the federation hasn’t really said anything, was this a bad result or if Plyuschev is still entrusted as coach. The Olympics are approaching, but a strong program emphasizes not only the senior team, but also the junior one, trying to get the best coach possible and definitely more attentions.

Reason 2: Lack of spirit among the players

This point might be tied with the underestimation of the opponents as it usually leads to lack of spirit. Determination is much more important in junior hockey and it looked like players didn’t have any throughout the whole tournament. Simply there wasn’t leadership and the top players underperformed. Especially Nikita Filatov, who scored only one goal and had a particularly poor performance against team Switzerland, despite assisting on Kirill Petrov’s goal. But giving all the fault to one player is surely wrong as the whole team didn’t look a true team during the tournament.

But not only they didn’t show any particularly good combination, team play or joint effort, they also showed no spirit. In the infamous match against the Swiss, they never looked in control of the game, not even during the third period when the team was up on the scoreboard. Arguably the coaching was poor, but if that’s the case the leaders should step up on ice and fight hard. Russia really liked this approach to the game, especially in the medal round.

Reason 1: Poor coaching by Vladimir Plyuschev

As already hinted in the third and in the second point WJC team Russia once again lacked good coaching. In junior hockey the leadership must come from the training staff and Vladimir Plyuschev didn’t really have a good job in this department, nor in the tactical area too. There was no team game and all this joined with the players’ lack of winning spirit meant the overall, disappointing, sixth place.

But not only Plyuschev didn’t manage to inject the right spirit into players, he also heat a conflict with team’s captain Nikita Filatov, guilty – according to the same Plyuschev – of not playing like a captain and thus being stripped off the “C” on the chest for the fifth place match. This was a true locker room war and Plyuschev didn’t always played it clean, mostly back talking with Filatov’s partners, probably not increasing his popularity among the team. It was obvious that Plyuschev lost the hand on the team and without it a short tournament like the WJC can only end with a failure.

Igor Bobkov slams the door, Russia skates past Finland in WJC’s second match (Photo © The Canadian Press)

With a phenomenal performance and 46 saves, goalkeeper Igor Bobkov left no way out to Finland as they couldn’t score for the whole game despite a complete control of the match for more than two periods. Finland’s inability to convert chances into goals costed them the game as Team Russia walked away with a comfortable 2-0 win in World Junior Championships‘ second match. Plyuschev team’s now tops Group B ranking, sharing the lead with Sweden, with six points in two matches.

In spite of Bobkov’s one-man show, Nikita Filatov has been elected as player of the game for Team Russia. He did play a great game, assisting on Petr Khokhryakov’s first goal of the night and scoring himself the second one with a rocket-like shot from the blue line.

Team Russia’s start was quite good as they got the go-ahead goal after six minutes only, when Petr Khokhryakov deflected in a superb pass from Nikita Filatov after a quick counterattack sparkled by Kirill Petrov. After this goal they held back and Finland started controlling the game rather easily, but without getting the puck past Bobkov. The referees were busy tonight as they whistled a combined total of 50 penalty minutes and this spoiled the flow of the game especially on the second and third periods.

Midway through the game Nikita Filatov, with the man advantage, made it a 2-0 game with a great blue line shot after a pass by Maxim Chudinov.

The rest of the match was pretty much a Finland vs Bobkov show, with the latter getting the victory, stealing the match for his team with a huge 46 saves performances.

Team Russia’s next game is scheduled for tomorrow against Team Sweden.

WJC Final roster released (Photo © fhr.ru)

On December 25th, Russian national junior team head coach Vladimir Plyuschev named the final roster for the World Junior Championships. He took some drastic decisions as he decided not to call goalkeeper Alexander Pechursky, defenseman Kirill Yuriev, forwards Mikhail Fisenko and Dmitry Kugryshev.

This is how the final roster looks like:

Goalkeepers
Igor Bobkov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1991
Ramis Sadikov, Erie Otters, OHL, 1991

Defensemen
Anton Klementyev, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, AHL, 1990
Dmitry Orlov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Chudinov, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Dmitry Kostromitin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL, 1990
Nikita Zaitsev, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk, 1991
Alexander Tarasov, HC MVD, 1990

Forwards
Nikita Filatov, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Colts, OHL, 1991
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Pavel Dedunov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Ivan Telegin, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 1992
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Trunev, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1992
Evgeny Timkin, Avangard Omsk, 1990
Vyacheslav Kulemin, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, 1990
Magomed Gimbatov, SKA St. Petersburg, 1990
Petr Khokhryakov, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, 1990

Team Russia’s first match will be played on Boxing Day against Team Austria.

Team Russia WJC roster released (Photo © Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

The roster for the World Junior Championships has been released today by head coach Vladimir Plyuschev and Russian Hockey Federation. Just as usual it looks like that the team’s strongest area will be the offensive front, with many high quality forwards. The defense looks a bit thin and there isn’t a clear starting goaltender. The team’s leader will be Nikita Filatov.

This is how the roster appears to be:

Goalkeepers
Igor Bobkov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1991
Alexander Pechursky, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1990
Ramis Sadikov, Erie Otters, OHL, 1991

Defensemen
Dmitri Orlov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Chudinov, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Dmitri Kostromitin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL, 1990
Nikita Zaitsev, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk, 1991
Alexander Tarasov, HC MVD, 1990
Kirill Yuriev, Lada Togliatti, 1991

Forwards
Nikita Filatov, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Colts, OHL, 1991
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Pavel Dedunov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Ivan Telegin, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 1992
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Trunev, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1992
Evgeny Timkin, Avangard Omsk, 1990
Vyacheslav Kulemin, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, 1990
Magomed Gimbatov, SKA St. Petersburg, 1990
Petr Khokhryakov, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, 1990
Dmitry Kugryshev, Quebec Remparts, QMJHL, 1990

Nikita Filatov: “Returning to Russia was my idea” (Photo © Associated Press)

Nikita Filatov had an interview with eurosport.ru website in which he talked about his return, his opinion about his path towards the NHL and about his future.
RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of the most interesting questions and answers.

– How do you feel after the fly through ocean and within Russia?
– Well, not bad. I’m adapting gradually. They say that the hardest thing is fly towards East. I landed from America and then at once even farer: Chelyabinsk, Ekaterinburg, Magnitogorsk. I was in Moscow for the last time on September 8th.

– Was it hard getting to the games?
– Nothing special. I knew all the guys and it helped me. When I met the team I wasn’t familiar only with a couple of guys. It was easy to adapt to the group. If we talk about the physical adaptation, that was harder. I arrived in Moscow on Tuesday (November 19th) and on Friday I was already on ice for my first match in Chelyabinsk.

– After the first match you wrote me that hockey here is fun. Why?
– Many things are organized in a different way. In America the rinks are a lot smaller. And thus the game is tougher, more aggressive. There is less space to show your worth. Here it’s like playing at the airport. There is a lot of space and at first I wasn’t used to.
When I arrived here, I didn’t think about which kind of hockey I could find. The game and the rules are always the same. But now after some games I feel some differences. Not that the level is different. Simply that hockey here is a little different, firstly because of the bigger rinks size. And also that here hockey isn’t played roughly, while in the NHL it is.

– Your return was rather unexpected. On Thursday, November 17th the Columbus Dispatch informed about your loan to CSKA and after two days you were already on ice. Is it worth for guys aged 18-19 move from the KHL to the NHL? Try to reply not according to your own experience, but in general.
– I think that we should use a case-by-case approach. Any player has his story and is a different individual. You should understand who drafted him and where he wants to go. It’s also really important consider where he was playing before leaving, if he was riding the pine in the KHL or playing in the MHL. Someone would need a stint in the AHL, like me.
I’ve spent half of the first year in the AHL and half in the NHL. It was really useful for me playing in the AHL. Someone else would say that playing for the farm is a very bad thing, but in fact it helped me a lot.

– And what would it be better for a young player: trying improving in the KHL or fly overseas towards the NHL?
– To each his own. I tried hard there and I don’t think I was disappointing. Many would agree that I played well. I made a good job of my chances, when I got them and I progressed. This is why I don’t think my return is a step backwards. It’s just a change of direction.

– And when you understood that it was time for a change?
– It was at the start of this season, after some five games. It was already clear that the coach wouldn’t give me a chance. I had high expectations when I arrived there. I was sure that all would have been going in the way I wanted to. They were judging well my skills, I was scoring and I was simply playing well. But since then my playing time constantly decreased.

– This is strange, I think.
– Exactly. And when some injuries arisen within the team I thought that the situation would change, that finally my chance arrived. But the situation hasn’t changed and all just went on like before.

– During the draft you could have ended up in Toronto or with the Islanders…
– Of course, I’ve thought about that and about what it would have been if i was there. Also considering that many 20-year guys are already playing twenty minutes a night there. Of course I think about it and it makes me feel bad.

– What did you think when you scored a hat-trick? You probably hoped to earn Hitchcock’s trust and it turned out to be the other way around.
– Yes. After scoring the hat-trick I didn’t understand what was going on as I did something unreal! Then I spent the next week with the Blue Jackets and was sent down to the AHL. It’s hard to comment on that situation, it was a real shock for me. I thought that the hat-trick would change something, hoped that they would keep me in the main team for the rest of the season. But in a week they sent me back. Now it’s not a big deal for me, after all I was only 18 back then. But even during this season the coach kept telling me “You are just 19, why hasten?”. And I thought: “And when I will be 20 next season, will he tell me the same?”

– You said that before the draft you had a one-hour talk with the Blue Jackets and Hitchcock. What did you think of him then? Was it similar same to what you saw when you joined the Blue Jackets later?
– I can’t say that something went wrong between me and him. We always talked, he gave me advice. I really learned a lot thanks to Hitchcock. At least playing in defence, that’s for sure. Maybe we have different views on hockey and my development. He thinks that I should not rush things, that I should play for the farm team for some time. But I think everything can be done faster.

– In an interview with Sport Express, Oleg Tverdovsky said that Canadian coaches “have a game plan. They’ll give you five minutes, if you score three goals in five shifts you’re going to sit on the bench anyway. The plan for them is the law. Players are just pawns. There is only one way to get out of this situation, ask for a trade”. What’s your opinion on the matter?
– I’d agree with him. It depends from which role you want for you and how you can perform. If a player from the fourth line or a tough guy would score three goals, then he won’t get in the second line on the next game. That’s because in the coach’s eyes he remains a fourth line player and should play six minutes a game. This is what happened to me. Though they didn’t plan to trade me to another team. The general manager wanted to see if I could score more.

– Who had the idea to send you to the KHL?
– It was an idea of mine. I want to play, and to play a lot. And I also wanted to get into team practice exactly with CSKA. I haven’t thought a lot to other variants, CSKA is my home and I spent there 13 years. Here I know everyone and thus this variant is the best one. It was easy to get around here and I started to play as soon as I arrived.
There were no difficulties, it wasn’t like when I first left in 2008. Now I dealt with the new management and we were all happy.

– In five months you’ll have to come back to Columbus. Could you decide to remain in Russia anyway?
– I’m practically sure that I will come back, but not to the hundred percent. Now I don’t want to claim anything. The first time I left for the USA I didn’t thought to return, especially so quickly. Thus I won’t say anything about the next season.

Extended WJC roster for Team Russia released (Photo © Shaun Best/Reuters)

Today coach Vladimir Plyuschev released the extended list of the players called for the WJC. Nikita Filatov is there, as well as Evgeny Grachev, who recently has been ruled out by the Rangers. isn’t part of the roster. The team will start the training camp in Novogorsk on December 7th and will go on until December 18th.

This is how the roster appears to be:

Goalkeepers
Igor Bobkov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1992
Alexander Zalivin, Dinamo Moscow, 1991
Ramis Sadikov, Erie Otters, OHL, 1991
Alexei Trifonov, Lada Togliatti, 1990

Defensemen
Anton Klementyev, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 1990
Dmitri Orlov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Chudinov, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Dmitri Kostromitin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL, 1990
Nikita Zaitsev, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk, 1991
Konstantin Plaksin, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1990
Alexander Tarasov, HC MVD, 1990
Ildar Isangulov, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, 1992
Kirill Yuriev, Lada Togliatti, 1991
Vyacheslav Voinov, Manchester Monarchs, AHL, 1990
Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers, 1990

Forwards
Nikita Filatov, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Colts, OHL, 1992
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Pavel Dedunov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Ivan Telegin, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 1992
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Trunev, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Sergei Plotnikov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1992
Evgeny Timkin, Avangard Omsk, 1990
Vyacheslav Kulemin, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Egor Dugin, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1990
Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, 1990
Magomed Gimbatov, SKA St. Petersburg, 1990
Petr Khokhryakov, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, 1990
Dmitry Kugryshev, Quebec Remparts, QMJHK, 1990
Evgeny Grachev, Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL, 1990

Nikita Filatov: “I might stay in KHL for one more year” (Photo © khl.ru)

Nikita Filatov, who was loaned to CSKA Moscow by the Columbus Blue Jackets, keeps on doing great in the KHL. He played 4 games so far and amassed 8 points, scoring 4 goals and giving 4 assists. Filatov also managed to set a new KHL record, scoring 3 game-winning goals in 3 matches in a row.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of his interview published by Sovetskiy Sport, which he gave after yesterday’s game against Spartak.

– One can see that now you are playing as if you had wings on your back. Is it because you don’t have to focus so much on defence in CSKA as you had to in Columbus?
– Yes, it is. But I wouldn’t say that I spend all my time in the offensive zone, I don’t forget about the defence too. The defence was the only thing I had been thinking about in the NHL for 1.5 years…

– But nevertheless you intend to return to the NHL next year. What can CSKA do to make you stay?
– The one thing I’m not thinking about right now is where I will spend next year. But I wouldn’t exclude the possibility of staying in CSKA.

A few days before Filatov wrote in his conference on allhockey.ru, answering if there was a chance of him staying in Russia after this season:

I highly doubt it. But Ken Hitchkok can really help it.