Goaltenders stay in KHL (MHL) or go to AHL (CHL)?

[Dynamo81]

Big post coming right up

So reading Bryzgalov's interview from later 2011 got me interested. He basically said it is better to go to the AHL and earn $50-$75k per season to chase the dream of playing in the NHL than selling your soul playing in the weaker help KHL. Well that was basically his point. I think he was talking about it from a Goaltender perspective.

Interview for those interested
http://prosports.ru/articles/bryzgalov181

Russian Goaltenders in the NHL (Not including Nabokov and Khabibulin).

Bryzgalov
Age: 32
Played 44 games in the RSL
Moved to NA at 21 years of age
Played four seasons in the AHL before making the transition to the NHL at 25 years of age.
423 games in the NHL

Varlamov
Age: 24
Played 99 games in the RSL
Moved to NA at 20 years of age
Spent less than one season in the AHL before making the transition to the NHL ( He transitioned in the Play offs) at 21 years of age.
129 games in the NHL

Bobrovsky
Age: 24
Played 99 games in the RSL/KHL
Moved to NA at 22 years of age
Did not play in the AHL, therefore making his transition into the NHL at 22 years of age.
90 games in the NHL

Khudobin
Age: 26
Played in the CHL
Played 16 games in the RSL
Moved back to NA at 21 years of age
Playing for five seasons in the ECHL/AHL, yet to transition into the NHL (7 appearances), currently 26 years of age.

I feel some similarities in Varlamov with Bobrovsky, and to a lesser extent Bryzgalov and Khudobin in terms of career movement.

Others Currently in the North American System
Igor Bobkov
Age:21
Played 14 games in the MHL
Moved to NA at 20 years of Age
Played 84 games in the CHL (OHL)
Currently played 14 games this season Norfolk Admirals in the AHL

Andrei Makarov
Age:19
Played 22 games in the MHL
Moved to NA at 17 years of age
Currently played 118 games in the CHL (QMJHL and WHL)

Nikita Serebryakov
Age: 17
Played 1 game in the MHL
Moved to NA at 17 years of age
Currently played 11 games in the CHL (OHL)

Sergei Kostenko
Age: 20
Played 65 games in the MHL
Moved to NA at 20 years of age
Yet to play a game for Reading Royals(ECHL) or Hershey Bears

Alexander Pechurskiy
Age: 22
Played 5 games in the MHL before leaving during season to NA
Moved to NA at age 19
Played 27 games in the CHL (WHL)
At 19 played 1 game in the NHL (Penguins) before returning to the CHL (WHL) playing 3 games followed by playing in the Central Hockey League a total of 42 games. After those two seasons in the NHL where he played in the WHL, NHL and Central Hockey League he returned to Russia playing 5 games in the KHL and also playing 29 games in the MHL when returning to Russia and now is currently in the VHL having played a total of 39 VHL games in the past two seasons.

Others
Andrei Vasilevski
Age: 18
Played 73 games in the MHL
Made 2 appearances in the KHL replacing the pulled goaltender.

Might add a few others such as 23 year old Gaiduchenko who has played 76 games in the KHL.

What are everyone's thoughts? I was going to place this in the Russia section but I was wondering about the situation with young goal tending prospects in other nations competing in the KHL or MHL too.

Btw this thread is not to bash any leagues although the KHL is better than the AHL and each case is unique but I do want to hear what people think about the best route as a goaltender into the NHL or becoming a better goaltender.

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[malkinfan]

Interesting, although it might be different for goalies to come to the CHL/AHL than for players. For goalies there may be more quality in goalie coaches at the junior level. Also I think there is less of a transition for goalies than players (I remember Robert Esche saying he had to change his game but was not too difficult).

You can maybe add Saiko, Kostenko to the list and Pechurski who played games in the central hockey league all the way to NHL. p.s. Kostenko really got the shaft, must have stupid agent who got him drafted/to go to NA. Has yet played only 1 game so far this year, should have stayed in Russia.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Bobrovsky said in one of the interviews that he hadn't got a goalie coach until playing in the KHL so he, and all the other similar cases, most probably would have benefited from moving to the CHL at some point.

It's different story for a guys like Vasilevsky though who play for wealthy organization and I guess never have this problem.

 

[Dynamo81]

You can maybe add Saiko, Kostenko to the list and Pechurski who played games in the central hockey league all the way to NHL. p.s. Kostenko really got the shaft, must have stupid agent who got him drafted/to go to NA. Has yet played only 1 game so far this year, should have stayed in Russia.

Saiko is Swedish? I added in Kostenko and Pechurski Cheers for the heads up.

 

[vorky]

Bobrovsky said in one of the interviews that he hadn't got a goalie coach until playing in the KHL so he, and all the other similar cases, most probably would have benefited from moving to the CHL at some point.

It's different story for a guy like Vasilevsky though who play for wealthy organization and I guess never have this problem.

MHL teams have goalie coaches.

 

[SoundAndFury]

MHL teams have goalie coaches.

Do you know it or do you think you know it? Because with all due respect I would take Bobrovsky's words over yours. Maybe that's because he grew up in Novokuznetsk while you seemingly grew up in your fantasy world 5000 km away.

 

[vorky]

Do you know it or do you think you know it? Because with all due respect I would take Bobrovsky's words over yours. Maybe that's because he grew up in Novokuznetsk while you seemingly grew up in your fantasy world 5000 km away.

things are changing every year, he left in 2010, now is 2012. He never played MHL (dont count 1 game). He played RSL and moved directly to KHL in 2008.

Your words

Bobrovsky said in one of the interviews that he hadn't got a goalie coach until playing in the KHL

I dont know how it worked in RSL, I admit it was not good, was crap etc. I am sure NOW is another situation, every MHL/VHL/KHL team must have goalie coach, some of them hire Finns, Swedes, Czechs who work with KHL team but are responsible for MHL teams as well (not all clubs, example Minsk which I know for sure)

I dont say russian goalie coaches are the best goalie coaches in world. But to claim there is no goalie coaches is pure ignorance.

Try to find interview of Novokuznetsk goalie coach who commented Kostenko´s decision to move to NA. Club´s YT

 

[SoundAndFury]

I am sure NOW is another situation, every MHL/VHL/KHL team must have goalie coach, some of them hire Finns, Swedes, Czechs who work with KHL team but are responsible for MHL teams as well (not all clubs, example Minsk which I know for sure)

That's the exact definition of not having a goalie coach. You have one coach with the senior team who's on the road half of the time, works with senior goalies daily and checks up on you once in the blue moon.

 

[vorky]

That's the exact definition of not having a goalie coach. You have one coach with the senior team who's on the road half of the time, works with senior goalies daily and checks up on you once in the blue moon.

no, every team has own coach, just KHL coaches (foreigners) are supervisors.

 

[malkinfan]

Saiko is Swedish? I added in Kostenko and Pechurski Cheers for the heads up.

Lol sorry Dynamo, I ment Sadikov, I was half asleep trying to stay up for WJC action at the time I was writing.

 

[Acallabeth]

Metallurg's MHL team and KHL team have different goalie coaches - Nikolay Mishin and Dmitry Kuroshin, respectively.

Bryzgalov is known for not being a KHL fan, so I wouldn't look too deply into his words. However, he has his opinion: he played for years in the AHL and developed there. Obviously his AHL time happened when state of hockey in Russia wasn't comparable to today's.
Also, there is a big difference between the AHL and the CHL: professional hockey vs junior hockey, NHL team system vs some Canadian kids club. Makarov's case obviously will cool many kids dreaming about coming to the NHL through the CHL and draft, while Bobrovsky's way show that you can get invited not only by AHL, but an NHL team if you have talent, even if you weren't drafted and never played in the CHL. KHL gives a professional experience, just like the AHL does, the CHL does not.

Bobrovsky's also had a rare opportunity to play a big role on Metallurg. And in the end, KHL teams are much more willing to sign for big money some guy from the AHL than some guy from the MHL...

 

[vorky]

Look at Kostenko, he is playing ECHL.Would be better to stay at home and play VHL.

 

[Coramoor]

how will makarov's experience cool people to CHL, sure he wasn't drafted, but he got signed and might not have developed as well in the MHL, of course he might've done better but I don't see how being signed to buffalo is a bad thing