21 years old Semyon Chistyakov already managed to win the Gagarin Cup with “Avant-garde in 2021, and also won the Junior World Championship silver medal. And there could have been an Olympic silver medal, but a ridiculous injury prevented me from going to Beijing.
NHL club Nashville Predators really wanted to get the defenseman, who was selected in the 2019 draft at number 117. And KHL clubs would not hesitate to intercept a talented player by offering him an “offer shield” ). But Semyon decided to stay at Avangard for another three years, which made Omsk fans very happy.
spoke with Chistyakov ahead of the start of the second round of the KHL playoffs against Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
“I have to get stronger in the KHL and become a leader”
— Semyon, you have signed a new three-year contract with Avangard. How important was it to do that now, with the playoffs underway?
– Important. I’m optimistic about it. I talked to the agent about the best time to sign the contract. And we decided there was no need to shoot. It doesn’t make much sense.
I am very happy to stay a long time in Avangard. God forbid, we’ll be fine – we’ll try.
– This is similar to the journey of Kirill Kaprizov, who at 21 extended his contract with CSKA for three seasons and left for the NHL as a ready-made star. Did you have the same strategy?
– Yes, at first I thought: maybe go to Nashville? Then I thought about staying. And so I came to the conclusion that it is better to stay in Russia, get stronger physically, regularly play in the first or second pair for 20 minutes, gain experience. And a mature defenseman ready to go to the NHL.
– Now the former Avangard coach, Canadian Bob Hartley, is in Omsk – have you discussed this topic with him?
– No, I asked my father how to proceed. Discussed the subject with agent Stanislav Romanov. I spoke with the coaches, who I had worked with before – what they think. I listened to all kinds of opinions, on one side, on the other. I came to the conclusion that it was better to stay another three years. Kaprizov – yes, this is a good example. Or Vladislav Gavrikov left at the age of 24. So it’s better to become a leader in the KHL first, then think about North America.
“I always take the example of Sharipzyanov”
– How do you find the series of the first round with Sibir?
– Good series of fight. Sibir is a great opponent. Not to say that it’s very passable for us…
– The series ended in five games.
“It’s just that we did our best, played for each other and against each other. Yes, Sibir transferred us. On the one hand, it’s bad, but on the other hand, we “We blocked half of those shots. They caught pucks on themselves, played selflessly. It’s great that they realized their moments.
– Avangard is famous for blocking in the playoffs. And you have a “loving man” Damir Sharipzyanov.
“I’m still watching Damir. He is not afraid of the puck, he always catches it on himself. He’s famous for that, it’s his forte. The team needs such a player, especially in the playoffs.
– I asked Avangard fans to ask you a question on the Telegram channel. One person asked, “Semion, do you like cheesecakes? Let me rephrase – what do you have for breakfast?
– I don’t really like cheesecakes. My usual breakfast is two fried eggs with ham, a pancake with minced meat or chicken. I can eat yogurt or cheese, and also cappuccino.
— Name three favorite places in Omsk if we decided to come to the series with Magnitogorsk.
– In the first place is G-Drive Arena. On the second – I like the embankment of Irtysh, where I live. We walk there in the evening with my wife. And there are so few places in Omsk where I go, because I don’t have much time to walk. We have a tight schedule.
– How do you play in pairs with Anton Belov?
– Yes everything is fine! Anton is a very experienced player, somewhere he says: “Play easier here. Somewhere I connect to the attack, and he will deliver. We normally communicate with him, and we live in the same house.
“They helped me a lot in Omsk when I had back problems”
– Remember the exchange of Salavat Yulaev in 2019, when Omsk gave Pavel Elizarov for you. Then in Ufa, everyone was happy that the exchange was in their favor: “We give Chistyakov, who has back problems, and he has enough moves.”
— The exchange turned out to be unexpected for me. And there was a back problem. They helped me, but they thought maybe I was slipping somewhere, I didn’t want to play. And they decided to send me to Omsk.
At first I was upset, but then I realized it was a new challenge for me. They helped me a lot at Avangard, a very cool massage therapist works here – we solved the problem with my back. And before that, an agent in Moscow took me to the doctor – they also helped me, they gave me various exercises.
– In general, Omsk is well suited for the development of young hockey players.
— Yes, now Avangard has a very solid children’s school. They built a cool academy, where there is usually everything. Children study and live there. They can easily train in the morning, eat lunch, sleep and get back to training. Hall, throwing area, playing football and basketball, something to do in the evening.
– Less than two years have passed since 2019 — and you became the KHL champion. Does it sound like a fairy tale?
“Yeah, it was amazing that everything went so well. But then we actually had a very strong team, just like this year. Somehow it all worked out for us somewhere. we won victories. The series with Ak Bars turned out to be very interesting. The final against CSKA was filled with such emotions that I will never forget.
— How did you spend your day with the Gagarin Cup?
– First I took him to Chelyabinsk – to the grave of a friend (Timur Fayzutdinov, defender of Dynamo Petersburg, who was hit in the head with a puck in March 2021 – ed.). And then I went to Nizhny Tagil to my home.
“Kovalchuk is just an iron man”
– Ilya Kovalchuk played a big role in this Avangard champion.
– Ilya Valerievich is such a person in himself that he was always rolled up in goal-scoring matches. He never needed any special motivation. He played with heart and soul, helped young guys, said important words in the locker room. When there were no games, we worked together in the gymnasium as well. They asked Kovalchuk something, found out – it was interesting about the NHL, the world championships, where he scored. A great partner, it’s a pleasure to play with him in the same team.
– Do you and Kovalchuk work together in the summer with physical training coach Dmitry Yashankin?
– Not really, Ilya studied with Yashankin after us. But in general, the formation of Kovalchuk leaves a strong impression. He’s kind of an iron man, he can pull incredible weights, like he’s not tough. Very functional. He particularly likes to swing his powerful legs.
– When Kovalchuk worked as the manager of the Russian national team, you were on the extended list for the Olympics.
– Yes, I had the chance to prove myself at the training camp in front of Beijing. And I think he showed up. I just had a crack in the rib, I trained in the national team on injections. He said I wouldn’t be of much use at the Olympics. Because I can’t play a power game or take a hit on myself. Why take someone’s place, if the other can play 100%? Let him go. That’s how we talked to the coaches.
“And if not for the crack?”
‘I would go to Peking. I have already booked a ticket.
– It’s a shame, it could be the Olympics money.
– Well yes.
– But Arseniy Gritsyuk from Avangard is gone. And he scored the decisive ball for the Swedes. Do you know if he will leave for the NHL or will he also stay?
“I think he’s going to stay another year or two, I understand. He also wants to swear.
“We understand how to play with Magnitogorsk”
– Another fan asks: “Did you keep in touch with Yegor Chinakhov?” He left Avangard for the NHL immediately after the championship, at the age of 20.
– Of course, we communicate with Chyna when there is an opportunity. I’m interested in his stuff, he tells all kinds of stories about the NHL, what’s there and how, what he likes, what he doesn’t like. We have a very good relationship, even when he’s in Columbus.
– That is, you already understand more or less what to expect one day in Nashville. You can join the team where one of the best defenders in the league, Roman Yosi, plays.
– I saw him play. Yossi has excellent skating, site vision. He’s more like a shooting guard, a fourth striker with a good shot. He has all the ingredients and he plays 30 minutes a game for a reason. Strong physically, everything is possible on the ice. I think he will continue to amaze with his game for a long time to come.
– Which of the young defenders of the Avangard system can become a star?
– I see that Misha Gulyaev will become a very good attacking defender. He has all the qualities for that – skating, throwing, passing. It’s just that he still needs to play with peasants, grow meat to avoid injury in serious clashes. And you have to mentally connect on an adult level.
– Before the series with Magnitogorsk, don’t you relax that the opponent seems so unstable?
– No, we’ve played with them before – we won the series that year. We understand how to play with them, what to do. We had time to rest, but we trained well and prepared for this difficult series. We will do everything to extend our hockey vacation in Omsk for at least one more series.
– Does Hartley somehow advise Avangard during the playoffs?
– If I understand correctly, now he only works with young players from the academy. Tell them, teach them something. He always goes to our games, watches from the box. But he does not enter the locker room, does not communicate with the players. There may be conversations with Avangard coaches, but I’m not sure. And it has nothing to do with base players.
***
Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoff matches on the federal channel , thematic channels of the holding, as well as on the matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru websites. On March 17, will broadcast live the matches between Avangard and Metallurg (from 4:15 p.m. Moscow time), then CSKA against Lokomotiv (from 6:45 p.m.).
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
