Alexander Nikishin At just 22 years old, he deserves the status of the undisputed best defender in the KHL. He has everything: impressive dimensions (192 cm / 98 kg), excellent statistics (55 and 56 points in the last two regular KHL championships), he even has awards – Olympic silver, prize at the league ceremony for the most productive defender. .
And if you ask anyone, they will tell you that Nikisha is the strongest defensive player in the KHL. In the worst case, Sasha will be in the top 3.
Another nuance is that in the new season, SKA can deploy a combination of Nikishin and Nikita Zaitsev, which can dominate the league. The more experienced Zaitsev plays well in the minority and from the back, although he can also connect well in attack. Sasha is very valuable when playing for the majority.
Nikishin and I talked when I came to Novogorsk for the SKA open day.
“Zaitsev didn’t want to come into my room”
— The workload at SKA training camp is very decent. But how did you feel when you returned to work?
— Yes, I returned to hockey with pleasure after a long off-season break. To be honest, I missed the guys. And when I saw them all, I was very happy. All emotions were stirred up again. Training is of course not easy. And I didn’t miss them very much, – Alexander smiles. – But what to do? In the summer, we need to build a physical base. And it’s great that we do this as a single team.
— Where did you spend your summer?
— Immediately after the season, I flew to the Maldives. And then he went to his native Orel. He periodically came to Moscow, but was almost all the time in Orel.
… At that moment, Nikita Zaitsev approached us and I asked:
— You trained together as a duo during the off-season. It turns out that you will also play in the same team in the championship?
— It’s up to the coaches to decide who to play with whom. And we played twice as a duo before the start of the SKA training camp. We really enjoyed it. Let’s see how it goes and the season will tell. But playing with Nikita is very cool, “said Nikishin.
– Generally great. I have never played with such a talented defender before. You can immediately feel the class, “Zaitsev added.
— They even put you in a room at the base?
– Almost… close. Nikita didn’t want to live with me, “Nikishin added with a smile.
“My secret is that I play in a very good team.”
— How do you manage to progress so much? In a few years, you could well become the best defender in the world and win the Norris Trophy if you reach the NHL.
— The whole secret is that I play in a very good team. All the guys help me score points. That’s why he became the most productive defender in the KHL for two years in a row. But we haven’t won anything in the playoffs yet.
— It’s a pity that you were injured and didn’t take part in the series with Avtomobilist. It seems that you were the one who was missing.
– Yes, it’s just a coincidence. In fact, the guys played well. I was very worried about the away team. I literally couldn’t wait to get on the ice. But what if your health doesn’t allow it? It’s been like this for us all season: one or the other got injured. It’s a lot of bad luck, and it wasn’t enough to take this series away.
— Did you spend a lot of time recovering from your injury this summer?
— It was unpleasant, I suffered for two months of healing. I thought that nothing like this would happen at all. But when everything was done, it was difficult to recover. And then, somehow, I let go at the time. So the injury was serious.
“I don’t even know the Carolina list very well.”
— Who is in contact with you from Carolina? Next year you can go to the NHL.
– Yes, we don’t really communicate, it’s rather the agents who speak. And me? I don’t even know English well. How am I going to talk to them? So no conversation goes through me. They write something, but I can’t confirm any information.
— Were you surprised when former Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell recently made a statement: They say we have to get Nikishin out of Russia by any means necessary?
—And he was immediately fired after that sentence? – Alexander smiled. —Now there is a new general director. I saw him later, and I don’t even remember what he said there.
– That they really need you.
“It’s nice to be so appreciated.” But I will play in Russia, in St. Petersburg. I have a valid contract. And words are just words.
— What is Carolina’s style? What are they playing?
“I don’t even know their line-up very well.” Who left and who came? I periodically look at the reviews to see who played what – and that’s it. I’m more interested in watching the Russians. Next season there will be only three of us, right?
— Goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov, defender Dmitry Orlov, forward Andrey Svechnikov. Yes, three.
— At the same time, in Carolina, the recruitment of Russians has become fashionable. And it has been going on for a long time! Over the last five years, 20 of our…
“And in total, they only played two games in the NHL.
– I don’t know why this is happening. But it’s clear how well Russian scouts are doing and studying our market very thoroughly. It would be cool if a lot of us would start playing for the Hurricanes. What’s wrong with that?
— Have you spoken to Dmitri Orlov?
— We talked a little during the “Match of the Year.” He told me a lot of interesting things. What’s in Carolina and how everything works. He said this: “When you get here, you’ll figure it all out yourself.”
— You also met Alexander Ovechkin.
– And not only with him. There were a lot of stars. And for me, a person who plays in the NHL is already very cool. And no matter what his statistics are. When I was little, I watched a lot of NBA games. And now, seeing the guys from the NHL, I really felt like I was in a fairy tale. It’s a very vivid impression.
“Kuznetsov can become the soul of the team”
— Evgeny Kuznetsov quickly became a member of the SKA?
“He’s a very cheerful guy, and you can see that right away.” He can become the soul of the team.
— Did he mention “Caroline”?
– Yes, he said something like that about small things. But I will say right away that I have not made any decisions. And it is too early to say that I will go anywhere. I am only thinking about next season, when I will play for SKA.
— A St. Petersburg club with such a squad should dominate the KHL.
– I don’t like to guess what will happen like this. I hope our season will go well. We periodically show very strong games. It’s not for nothing that we take high places in the regular season. The main thing is that everything goes well in the playoffs.
— Is it important for you to score as many points as possible? It is clear that the Gagarin Cup is in the team’s interests. What about personal ambitions?
– Of course, it’s very nice. But I understand that I need something more than becoming the most productive defender in the KHL for the third year in a row. It’s nice to be praised for your statistics, I can’t ignore it. But according to the stories, it’s much more interesting when you lift the Gagarin Cup over your head.
– Well, take the Norris Trophy someday. No one in Russian history has taken it yet: neither Sergei Zubov, nor Sergei Gonchar…
– If they didn’t take it, then where should I go? – Nikishine laughed. – Animals perform there in the NHL. You need to prepare and connect separately for this. I haven’t played a single match there yet, and you are already asking me about Norris. It’s too early! God grant that my career develops normally. And I haven’t decided to go to America yet. Then thoughts will appear. And now I want to win the Gagarin Cup in SKA. There is a whole season ahead!
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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.
