Alexander Nikishin has but to make his debut this season, as he’s nonetheless battling his outdated harm that took him out of final season’s playoffs. It was a superb run for SKA and the defenseman. “The season glided by quick!” he says as he led his group in scoring final season, with 56 factors (17 targets, 39 assists) in 67 video games.
***You possibly can benefit from the unique discuss with Alexander Nikishin in his native Russian on sobaka.ru right here!***
Stats Matter
Nikishin admits to paying some consideration to his personal numbers. “I began paying consideration once I started scoring factors extra persistently; it helps to check my outcomes from the earlier and present seasons. As soon as the video games are over, you take a look at the numbers and draw conclusions.” In spite of everything, whereas membership success is what motivates athletes, numbers are nonetheless vital. “Stats matter when your contract is ending, or when a participant is older and deciding which membership to proceed their profession with,” he admits. “However for me, it’s extra about how I’m performing proper now.”
The younger defenseman can be very targeted on his recreation. “I’m very self-critical; I can spend an entire week replaying a nasty recreation in my head. So I attempt to not play badly.”
Associated: 5 Hurricanes Prospects to Watch within the KHL This Season
He additionally added another attention-grabbing ideas: “In hockey, it’s like Shakespeare mentioned: all of the world’s a stage, and all of the women and men merely gamers. All of us have our roles—defenseman, scorer, goalie. I’m a defenseman, and I can’t change my position if I’m wanted on protection. However when the scenario requires it—when the fellows are attacking—I can take part to create a powerful mixture with 4 forwards as a substitute of three. In that sense, it is advisable to be interchangeable.”
Nikishin additionally says that he tries to comply with different gamers to enhance his recreation. “All of us regulate one another and word technical or tactical parts,” the defenseman explains. “There are additionally examples proper in entrance of us: Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. There’s a number of negativity round Karlsson proper now, individuals saying he’s not the identical participant anymore, however I like his type: how he handles the puck, how he racks up factors. It’s spectacular!”
When Will Nikishin Transfer?
It might be attention-grabbing to see Nikishin play within the NHL, however he isn’t excited about that proper now. “So long as I’ve an lively contract with SKA, I can’t make any guarantees,” Nikishin says. “The Carolina Hurricanes drafted me in 2020, so I’m thought-about a possible participant for them—a prospect.”
Being a prospect isn’t being a part of the group, however he has had fixed contact with the Canes. “I keep in contact with the scouts, managers, and management—we talk about my efficiency. Typically the coaches attain out and supply recommendation: they ship video evaluation of video games and clarify what I can enhance in my approach.” Particularly, they talk about the variations within the recreation on the 2 sides of the ocean. “In North American hockey, it’s all about brief passes and group strain—two or three gamers rush in to make a turnover—so the sport is quicker. Right here, it’s extra fluid, with a sort of pause: you will have time to raise your head and resolve the place to move.”
Again in 2022, Nikishin was a part of a commerce that made historical past within the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), when he was traded from Spartak to SKA in a monster deal. “I used to be extra stunned and thought it was cool, and clearly helpful for either side,” he recollects. “Within the first days, all was good, no strain: we knew one another from competitions. One factor led to a different, and we began speaking with everybody.” Nikishin’s recreation and presence had been so good that he was elected because the group’s captain mid-season. “I used to be appointed as a result of the earlier captain, Alexander Kadeikin, acquired injured,” he humbly admits. “However we maintain elections yearly, so I’d hand over the position quickly.”
Being a captain will not be simple. “The captain is at all times in a heightened zone of duty: from reporting to the teaching employees on behalf of the group to organizing occasions for celebrations,” he laughs. “Additionally, any participant can come to me with questions. However contemplating my age—I’m principally the youngest on SKA—and my half-year expertise as captain, I nonetheless have so much to study from the fellows.”
Nikishin has but to play this season, however his targets are clear already: “Because it’s the ultimate 12 months of my contract with SKA, I wish to play one of the best season of my profession. And as a group, we intention to play nicely, attain the Gagarin Cup Last, after which do the whole lot we are able to to win.” After which, changing into a important a part of the Hurricanes will solely be a matter of time.
