Ilya Samsonov, the Caps’ present and future in goal, is ready for the spotlight

He’s nonetheless at it. On Thursday evening, Samsonov and the Washington Capitals will open their season in Buffalo against the Sabres. Samsonov is quiet, witty, hooked on Internet movies, nonetheless studying English. He finds pleasure in life’s simplicities, the probability to compete and perfecting his craft.

He is in the spotlight now, the substitute for a fan favourite, a 23-year-old on a roster filled with veterans. He is a part of Washington’s present and — if all goes in line with plan — a part of its future.

“Nothing is given in this league,” Samsonov stated by way of an interpreter. “I have to earn everything I get, so my goal is to work as hard as I can and be able to earn playing time as the season progresses.”

“I hope he’s going to stay healthy. He’s a very smart guy, and he’s my friend, and I’m always going to help him and support him everywhere,” Capitals ahead Evgeny Kuznetsov stated. “I really believe that this is the year that he can take advantage and use his opportunity.”

Capitals administration is assured in the Russian goaltender’s capabilities after a powerful rookie marketing campaign final season, however it is aware of it received’t all be clean crusing. He will lead a younger goaltending tandem; backup Vitek Vanecek has but to make his NHL debut.

“He has the ability, he has all the intangibles to accept this challenge here and grow with it, [but] I don’t think this is going to be a straight upward trajectory into, ‘He is going to be an elite goalie in the league,’” Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan stated. “He’s going to have to earn his stripes, and this is a hard league to come into and be a number one and accept the pressures of being a number one.”

Samsonov has grown shut with the Capitals’ different Russian stars, together with Kuznetsov, who usually drove him to the rink final season. The two gamers often spend time collectively away from the rink with their wives. Samsonov met his spouse, Mariia, about six years in the past at a get-together amongst mates. They married in 2019. Mariia described her husband as a simple man who speaks his thoughts.

“He is always very honest in a good way,” she stated.

He is additionally all the time on YouTube, she stated.

“He watches videos all day … and if you turn the videos off he wakes up right away. … He’s on YouTube all day, entertainment, sports,” she stated, laughing. “YouTube.”

Washington chosen Samsonov in the first round of the 2015 draft, a transfer that shocked the netminder, who had not met with the staff earlier than the choose. He spent the subsequent three years enjoying in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia for his hometown staff.

Samsonov joined Washington’s American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey, Pa., for the 2018-19 season, working with Hershey goaltending coach Alex Westlund.

In the KHL, Samsonov largely performed from his knees when he tried to cease pucks, however he adjusted his kind in Hershey, transitioning to the Capitals’ most popular positioning — standing taller in web. The 200-pound Samsonov is 6-foot-3, and his measurement may be an asset.

“He has such power,” Westlund stated. “He can generate such power when he moves, and when he can stand on his feet he can present himself a lot bigger and [is] able to keep up with plays, and the more he can stand on his edges the more options he gives himself.”

His type of play is much like that of different Russian goalies, together with Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy. Both can contort their our bodies to cease photographs they appear unlikely to get to.

“It is not going to go perfect all the time, but with what he has in him, he has the ability to learn from his experiences, to figure things out quick and to build consistency with what he does every night,” Capitals goaltending coach Scott Murray stated.

Samsonov completed 16-6-2 final season with a .913 save share and a 2.55 objectives towards common. Missing the postseason, although, meant he briefly derailed his growth. Samsonov rehabbed neck and shoulder accidents in Washington and now says he is wholesome.

MacLellan stated he didn’t have any doubts that Samsonov could be the Capitals’ future after final season ended, although his lack of expertise is nonetheless obtrusive. Samsonov and a few different younger Russian goaltenders — the New York Rangers’ Igor Shestyorkin and New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin — all may have one thing to show in the newly fashioned East Division this season.

“I didn’t have doubt that he was going to be our guy,” MacLellan stated. “Whether we are a little early on him, I mean, that would be the insecurity on my part. Maybe, you know, I would love to see him play 40 more games and then I’m solid and I got a great feel for him … but he has all the tools to be able to do that, and there is no doubt in my mind.”

“We believe in Sammy, but we also believe in the other guys around him that can support him. … We believe in the guys we have inside, for sure,” Murray stated. “I think that he’s been a guy his whole life that has been called upon to be the person that teams can rely on. I don’t see that changing here.”