Arsen Khisamutdinov the strange adventure of Russian Hope of the Canadian

Pour les partisans montréalais, suivre pas à pas les espoirs du Canadien est presque un sport en soi.

However, how much can the name of Arsen Khisamutdinov without making a mistake?In fact, how many even remember him?The 23 -year -old Russian, drafted in the sixth round in 2019, saw his contract with CH terminated on Thursday.He left as he arrived: in the most complete anonymity.

Its two and a half years of association with the Habs were a succession of incongruities.

Dominating in his last year junior in his native country (55 points in 41 games), the Grand Gaillard of 6 pi 3 PO had experienced interesting beginnings in the KHL, with 5 points in his first 9 games.However, the very day of his recovery, in June 2019, all observers gratged their heads.Khisamutdinov, 21, had never appeared on the list of international skaters of the NHL recruitment center.

"Few recruiters know him," said the amateur recruitment manager of CH, Trevor Timmins.He did not play in the national teams, because he developed late.»»

During the following season, in 2019-2020, Khisamutdinov was successful in the VHL, a Russian circuit comparable to the American League, but its full-time passage in the KHL was painful: only 3 points in 31 games atNizhnekamsk.

Even if the NHL teams retain the rights to European and American players for four years that they are repeating, the Canadian hastened to grant him a contract in May 2020, making him the first player in his 2019 cuvée toGetting along with the club, before Gianni Fairbrother (March 2021), Cole Caufield (March), Rafaël Harvey-Pinard (May) and Mattias Nortilinder (June).Obviously, we wanted the development of the attacker to continue in North America and no longer in Russia.

Ardu in Laval

Khisamutdinov could hardly have landed in more unfavorable circumstances.Logically, he went directly to the Laval Rocket, but in a very special context.

Several ECHL clubs, as are the Ontario and West junior leagues, have skipped, in whole or in part, in the 2020-2021 season.This had the effect that training in the American league, including the Rocket, ended up with much larger workforce than usual.The young man therefore found himself in the middle of a huge pool of players.

In addition, COVID-19 obliges, he lived alone.Barely gourming English, its isolation has become inevitable.

The linguistic limit was also a brake on his learning on ice.With the result he played little - only 15 games, during which he only obtained a mention of help.Even if he had to deal with reduced training for a good part of winter, due to reminders of the Canadian or injuries, the head coach Joël Bouchard has more than once preferred to employ defenders in attack thanto make Khisamutdino play.

Bouchard did not make any detours by speaking of him during his end -of -season assessment, last May. « C’est un super bon jeune, j’ai eu zéro problème avec lui»», a-t-il assuré. Or, sur le plan hockey, malgré des « améliorations»» en cours de saison, l’attaquant « partait de très loin»».

"Sometimes there are explainable things, others less," said Bouchard.I don't hold his stick either.[…] We made a lot of video, I used a translator on my phone.I saw that he was trying a lot, but it was a lot for him.We must not hold it up against him.We will see what will happen next year.»»

Ardu in Trois-Rivières

Under the association between the Canadian and the Lions of Trois-Rivières, in ECHL, it was obvious that it was in Mauricie that Khisamutdinov would continue his journey.

After having gone in gale at the Canadiens training camp (he was not at the recruits camp), then that of the Rocket, he was not surprised to the lions.

On the eve of the first game of the season, last October, players explained that they were trying to integrate it into the group as best they could, even if his English was still extremely rudimentary.

Ses coéquipiers Cédric Desruisseaux et Justin Ducharme, qui étaient aussi ses colocataires, ont décrit à La Presse un « gars assez tranquille»», peu extraverti.

"At least, living with us, he has the chance to practice his English," said Ducharme.He follows us, he comes to the grocery store with us.He tries, but it's not always easy.»»

"He will not come to sit with us in the living room when we listen to TV in French, so he plays video games on his computer, had chained Desruisseaux.At the arena, he has more fun.»»

« Plus le temps va passer, mieux ça va aller pour lui»», avait aussi prédit Justin Ducharme.

However, it is rather the opposite that happened.He was first forced to miss matches in the United States due to a boredom of visa which prevented him from entering the country.And head coach Éric Bélanger, dissatisfied with his work, left him aside a few times.

In a telephone interview with Newfoundland, where the lions play this weekend, Bélanger explained to the press that the linguistic barrier had proved particularly restrictive. « Je ne pouvais pas avoir un meeting de 10 minutes avec lui»», illustre le Québécois.More complex communications had to be done through his agent.

The end

That said, the main brake of Khisamutdinov was his inability to follow the game bosses set up by coaches staff.

"To play hockey in North America, you have to be able to play in a system, to enter a setting," continues Bélanger.It’s difficult for him.Among professionals, we do not play as on an external ice rink.When you are not the structure for three quarters of the time, it's all.»»

The striker nevertheless provided a very potable five -point harvest, including three goals, in ten games.But its stubbornness not to contribute to the collective effort was a manifest problem.

The pilot ensures that the tricolor management has never put pressure on him to play Khisamutdinov playing.He had not, moreover, threw in the towel in his case, and the Russian was supposed to accompany the club in the east of the country this weekend.

However, the plan changed when the skater asked the CH to terminate his contract in order to let him go home.The team granted their wish and confirmed the news in a succinct statement on Thursday.

It was not possible to obtain an additional organization of the organization on this subject.Our messages to Mark Lapush, representative of Khisamutdinov in North America, remained unanswered.

A strange final point, in short, to an adventure that will have been just as much, from start to finish.The circle is complete.