Andrey Altybarmakyan was born in St. Petersburg. He played in the SKA system until the 2018-19 season, then he was traded to Sochi. At that time, the Chicago Blackhawks selected the forward in the 2017 draft at number 70.
Andrei signed a contract with Chicago in April 2020 and left for North America. True, he was never promoted to the NHL – he only played in the AHL. During the first season, he played 29 games and scored 12 (5+7) points. In the second – 65 games and 31 (10 + 21) points, plus two playoff games.
Now Altybarmakyan is back in Russia, and yesterday SKA swapped the rights for the 23-year-old to Sochi again. The southern club signed a two-year contract with the hockey player, and he is already training with the team.
We spoke shortly before that, when I met Altybarmakyan at the 3×3 tournament in Balashikha.
“And why sit there and wait for the weather by the sea?”
“How are you Andrew?”
– Excellent! Glad to be back in Russia. Time whispers. Here in Moscow it is still normal. And in St. Petersburg, in general, congestion, as in the south.
— You spent two seasons in North America. How do you judge this stage of your career?
I would say a year and a half. There, because of the coronavirus, the championship started late. I don’t regret playing in the Chicago system. I had to try and see how. If they had let me play in the NHL last season, they might have talked to them about extending their relationship. And so…
The market does not open until July 13. Sitting and waiting by the sea for the weather is such a thing. Yes, and I’m tired of expectations.
– How have you become stronger during this period? What did you learn apart from the language?
— By the way, I even gave a few interviews in English this year. It was interesting to see how they play there. I probably improved all my qualities. It helped that last season he played 67 games, including the playoffs.
I’m probably the only one from “Rockford” who hasn’t missed a single league game due to injury. Specifically, I still missed four games (the last one in the regular season and three in the playoffs), but it wasn’t hockey related. A cyst appeared on my neck and I couldn’t play.
And so it was very interesting. I literally felt the whole AHL season, traveled everywhere. For me it is a good experience. Now it’s great to go back to Russia, so Lech Melnichuk came back – also to Sochi. I think Mishka Maltsev will return. So our gang is reforming!
– Too bad Maltsev was not even released for a minute in the final for Colorado. He would have received a championship ring.
“Yes, there was a lot to gain. But as far as I know, Colorado has a special attitude towards its reserve guys. They have eight people lining up there who haven’t played a single playoff game. And they were in no hurry to free them.
– I think in Colorado they didn’t treat Maltsev very well. He came out in the regular season for five or six minutes on the fourth line. But the Avalanche are doing well. And what can we claim if the team wins?
“There were no rats in our team”
– There is the NHL, further down – the KHL. And where is the American Hockey League (AHL), where did you play?
Damn, it’s hard to compare. But I think the level of the KHL is definitely higher.
– Were you allowed to be creative in the AHL? I remember you filmed a vlog in Sochi.
– Yes, it’s only welcome. But I only shot something with the guys the first year. The Rockford team was friendly. In the second year, a more or less normal team also gathered. Then we have Americans transferred to other clubs. And they said the Icedogs team was much better. I don’t know if it was my postman or something.
The normal team, what is it. There were no rats in it. And it was fun to play. At the start of the season, we had five players on one-way contracts in the AHL who were let go by Chicago. It is clear that they will have playing time in Rockford.
We’ve had Brett Connolly on stage for most of the season. He had a $3.5 million contract, and what, they won’t let him play at Rockford? Played by German Lukas Reichel, selected in the first round in 2020. I always spoke with him in the first link.
We started with six links. One-way contracts, all business. Then people seemed to disperse. I worked my way into the top three and started playing it normally. Scored 31 points in 65 games.
“I thought Kane would give me a Rolex watch”
What is Rockford? What is there to do?
– An ordinary American city with low buildings of the same type. The place is boring, more retired. There is a calm and measured life. At the same time, there are dangerous areas where they shoot at night. Cars with flashing lights constantly rush back and forth.
“Don’t be a threat to South Central”?
“Yes, yes, something like that. And there are normal neighborhoods. I lived just opposite the stadium. I had good apartments. There are quite normal stores there. Chicago is an hour away. Well, or a year and a half, if there are traffic jams.
Difficult to get there without a car. You have to rent it. And so no problem. And I’m not complaining. But it is clear that he missed Saint Petersburg and Sochi a lot, throughout Russia. As soon as I arrived in Saint Petersburg, such a wave of joy came over me: “Ah, hello, beloved city!
– When Patrick Kane saw you for the first time, did he think you were the new Artemy Panarin?
– When I first appeared in the Chicago main team, I spoke with Duncan Keith in the 2020/21 season – he was still playing for us then and hasn’t moved to Edmonton.
But the following season in training, we performed very well with Kane. I walk past him in the locker room, and he says, “Hey, kid, great practice!” I said to him like this: “Well, yes, yes.”
– Probably, Patrick thought that you would also give him a Rolex watch, like Panarin.
– I thought he would give me this after such training with him! Communicated with Marc-André Fleury when he joined the team. A perfectly normal and calm guy. You can’t even say that a person has won three Stanley Cups, all super deserved. Usually and kindly communicated with him. And at each training, he fights like a beast!
– He doesn’t swear when you throw a puck at his head?
– It’s not Mel (Melnichuk) constantly swearing because of this. But Fleury is not very happy about it either. But I didn’t aim for his head, but I tried to score the puck in the goal.
– You had a great experience.
– Yes. There will be something to remember!
Source : MatchTV
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
