This interview was wondering. Evgeniy Nabokov is one of our best goalkeepers. He became a world champion with the Russian team in Quebec in 2008. Nabokov is now 48 years old and works as San Jose’s goaltending director.
At 21 years old, Ilya Nabokov is the main contender for the title of best rookie of the KHL season, best goalkeeper and most valuable player of the Gagarin Cup.
They are also united by the fact that both Nabokovs played for Metallurg with a difference of 19 years. And in the upcoming NHL Draft in June, I wouldn’t be surprised if San Jose selects Ilya. Because the goalie’s inscription on the Northern California “NABOKOV” sweater is iconic.
And yes, they are not father and son. Just homonyms.
“Ilya can become a very strong goalkeeper”
— When did you first learn that a new Nabokov was shining at the gates of Russia?
— If memory serves, I noticed it at the start of this season. Ilya Nabokov played, and very well. They began to write and talk about him. Before that, I didn’t even know this guy.
— He was promoted from the Youth Hockey League (MHL), and before that he didn’t really play in the KHL. And now Nabokov is a candidate for playoff MVP.
“It’s great when they give our guys the opportunity to prove themselves.” It seems to me that if you look harder you can find even more talented guys in the MHL and VHL. “Magnitka” gives her youth a chance, she’s not afraid, and that’s great.
—I know you helped the San José scouts monitor the Russian market. Have you watched Nabokov’s playing style? What is his technique?
– Yes, I watched his matches. The guy plays very well. He has very good technique, very good feet. These are some of the best legs I’ve seen at this age. Reads the game very well. In fact, Nabokov has a lot of qualities.
It happens that at the start of the season people say about young goalkeepers: “What did he play there?” He was given very little time on the ice. Everything is in front of him!
But now Ilya proves in the playoffs that they did not count on him for nothing. There is also some skill at this stage. He should gain experience now and he will become a very strong goalkeeper.
— Does his style resemble that of 21-year-old Evgeni Nabokov?
– Ha ha, he looks like Ilya Nabokov! He has his own qualities. I think he has learned the best qualities from many goalkeepers and now applies them to his game.
“Something like Juuse Saros from Nashville”
– But let’s be more precise. Perhaps, after all, there is some kind of NHL goalie with whom Ilya Nabokov can be compared?
-To be honest, he looks a lot like Juuse Saros from Nashville, if you look at the way he moves. Nabokov is even a little taller than Yuuse (184 cm compared to 179 cm). Similar style, very quick feet, good hands, but also great reaction and ability to read the game. Yes, he has something of Saros.
— I ask foreign recruiters why Nabokov has not yet been selected, because he is already 21 years old. They say, “He’s too small for the NHL.” » Is 184 cm really a death sentence? You were a star of the league with my 183 cm.
– No, no, I don’t think that’s some kind of sentence. My opinion is this: you see, when a guy takes his first chance at 20 years old, everyone starts making excuses for not seeing him sooner and not taking him in the draft.
In other words, Nabokov played in the MHL, and few scouts saw him when they flew to Magnitogorsk to monitor the games of the “Steel Foxes”. And now Ilya has reached a level where he played well in the regular season (93.0% of saved shots in 43 matches), then shone in the playoffs (94.1% in 22 matches), and now he is doing very well in the final, conceding only two goals in three matches.
Now he will be noticed and many people will talk about Nabokov. But there’s always a choice, and someone will look at the draft to decide who to pick based on their NHL club’s strategy. Some need large guardians, others small.
Remember how in the last draft Winnipeg chose Tomas Milic with the 151st pick, whose height is 183 cm and he was already 20 years old. But he shot at the 2023 World Junior Championships, winning gold with Team Canada while stopping 93.2% of his shots.
It’s pretty much the same story. Milic performed brilliantly and became the best goaltender and MVP in the Western Hockey League. And then he got drafted. It’s just that sometimes, when you’re not very tall, you have more to prove than others.
— Do you see a big chance that Nabokov will be selected in the 2024 NHL Draft?
“I don’t think any NHL club will ignore it.” But I won’t say it. I don’t know what other teams think of him. When a guy of this age shows such a strong performance in the Gagarin Cup final and is not afraid of this moment and pressure, this is very valuable, and many will now look at this picture differently.
— San Jose has the best chance of winning the draft lottery. Is your club interested in Nabokov?
“I don’t want to be one of the experts who makes value judgments. »There are certain people in San Jose who are in charge of the draft. There’s a general manager, there’s a head scout, there’s a whole team looking for new players. I think they should always answer these questions. But I have my own work, and mine is enough for me. For me to speak for the entire club is simply wrong on my part.
“I don’t see Magnitogorsk winning by just one wicket”
— Are you surprised that Lokomotiv lost the Gagarin Cup final with a score of 0-3 without any options? Before the start of the series, Yaroslavl was considered by many to be the favorite.
– What if there are no options? All three matches ended with a one goal difference, one match went to overtime. In such situations, there is always a desire for the series to last. It’s nice to see how the guys fight, devote themselves to the common cause.
Sometimes there are games where we lose the series 0-3, and it seems like nothing is going well. But everything can change if you win the first meeting. Luck smiled, the puck landed somewhere thanks to luck, then the final changed, and now you can do anything.
I wouldn’t say Metallurg wins by one wicket. I see that Igor Nikitin’s team will prove itself again.
— What do you remember from your time at Magnitogorsk, for whom you played during the 2004/05 lockout season?
“It was very cool and I was happy with the attitude of the fans and the management. The coaching staff was good, the guys were wonderful. I only have pleasant memories of that time. Except that we lost to Avangard with Jaromir Jagr in the first round Of course, it’s a shame But it was a great time!
“Ivan Fedotov was thrown into the thick of things”
— Can we say that in the NHL we are still seeing a boom in Russian goalies? Who can be celebrated this season?
— All our guys played at a very good level again. Take all our best goalkeepers. Andrei Vasilevsky, even after injury and surgery, was able to return to the highest level in Tampa and the team completely counted on him. He plays a lot of matches.
The same with Serega Bobrovsky, with Ilyukha Sorokin. Now Varlasha (Semyon Varlamov) is playing very well for the Islanders. I wouldn’t want to forget anyone… After the New Year, Igor Shesterkin is generally one of the best goalkeepers in the league. And his Rangers became the best in the regular season.
Petr Kochetkov looks great in Carolina and they trusted him. But the time will come and they will trust him even more.
Everything is at a very good level. Glad to see! They’re not just somewhere in the middle of the NHL statistically. Many people are actually in the top 10! And there are enough of ours in the top five. This is an extra-class indicator.
— Ivan Fedotov made his NHL debut, already setting a record by becoming the greatest goaltender in league history. What was your impression of his performance for Philadelphia?
— It was very difficult for Ivan, he was thrown straight into the heat when he had just arrived in the NHL and immediately started playing for Philadelphia, which was fighting to reach the playoffs. It’s difficult for me to talk about his game, especially since he only played three matches. He just needs to practice, get used to the league and the team. Everything happened very quickly for Fedotov this spring. But I think he has a chance to show himself. I certainly wouldn’t judge based on three incomplete games.
—And once again, I will return to Ilya Nabokov. His story reminds me of the rise of Patrick Roy, who played in the Quebec youth league, and when he was promoted to Montreal, he won the Stanley Cup in his first season at the age of 21. It was 1986. The same age is now for the Magnitogorsk goalkeeper. The coincidence is astonishing!
– Yes, it’s an incredible story. You are only 21 years old, you have almost no experience in the KHL. And you arrive straight away in the final, and in three matches you only concede two goals, that’s strong. And I’m tempted to draw analogies with Rua.
On the other hand, nothing can be done artificially. You can’t just take a guy from the youth team and make him first in the NHL. What if he can’t? What if it doesn’t work? So what ?
But there are talented guys. The club and the league see everything. My opinion is that the sooner you get good experience, the better.
— The fans’ dream is that Nabokov works with Nabokov. Even if he’s not your son.
– Haha, you never know how life will turn out here. But I still wish the guys good luck. And the most important thing is to avoid injuries. Let them grow and develop. Good luck to Ilya!
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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.
