Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
The headliners for the Abbotsford Canucks throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs have been clear.
Artūrs Šilovs, Linus Karlsson, Arshdeep Bains and Sammy Blais all have taken starring roles.
Quietly working in the background, however, has been rookie defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev, a standout in his own right. At 21, Vancouver’s seventh-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has already crossed off a long list of achievements this season. He stuck with Abbotsford coming out of training camp and quickly fit into new head coach Manny Malhotra’s lineup. He ended up playing 65 games as a rookie and tied for second in points among team defensemen with 26 (five goals, 21 assists).
Vancouver management gave him a late-season look, bringing him up for his first two NHL games. A sturdy 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, the Yaroslavl, Russia, native came to the organization serious about a career in North America, electing to go to the Ontario Hockey League as a 17-year-old with Sault Ste. Marie, enabling him to shape his game at a young age. Also by doing so, he was able to bring his English-language skills and his comfort with living in Canada to the pros already well under control.
“I think that helped me a lot, especially my first year I was struggling a little bit,” Kudryavtsev recounted. “Knowing English helps a lot. Sometimes just hanging out with the guys, you can talk to people. You’re not stuck with just one or two guys who can speak the same language.”
On the ice, Kudryavtsev already plays the type of game that head coaches love. It’s nothing flashy, but it is simple, dependable and composed. He can make a hard first pass out of the zone, move with speed and distribute the puck cross-ice with accuracy. Malhotra has been using him on the right side of a pairing with Akito Hirose, giving the Canucks a solid duo who can reliably take minutes even deep into the Calder Cup Playoffs. His comfort level with the faster, often more chaotic North American game is obvious, another sign that he made the right call going to the OHL at a young age.
Kudryavtsev can be satisfied with his season, and he will admit that he is pleased. Working with assistant coach Jordan Smith, he has been able to fine-tune the necessities for any young defenseman: gap work, transition play and breaking pucks out consistently and well.
“I am trying to focus on the small things that can help my game overall, and then in the big picture it looks pretty good,” Kudryavtsev said.
Saturday evening brings the next – and perhaps the final – challenge this season for the Canucks. It will be their 95th game since opening night; Malhotra has penciled Kudryavtsev into the lineup 84 times so far. But even up 3-1 in the Calder Cup Finals, Kudryavtsev and his teammates are taking nothing for granted.
“Team-wise,” he said, “we still have some things to finish.”
