The Red and Blue forward evaluated his chances of making it to the World Youth Championships and answered why he picked No. 97 this season.
- This season you spend a lot of time in CSKA and Zvezda. What do you think of your first season as an adult? Are you still adjusting?
- I think it's pretty good. Of course, I still need to gain a strong foothold in Zvezda, and then in CSKA. The hardest thing compared to the MHL is the speed, I mean the speed of everything - thinking, footwork, decision-making.
- Can you highlight some of your most successful WHL and KHL games this season? Or in general - what are you satisfied with, what you're good at, and what do you need to improve?
- No, I don't have any specific points. I'm satisfied with the fact that they let me play the hockey I know how to play. And there's still a lot to fix to become a top player.
- Why are you playing with the number 97 picked since this season? Kirill Kaprizov had that number in CSKA before, so I guess you could say it was an ambitious choice.
- I picked it because I couldn't play my old number 13. But so far I haven't proved with my play that I'm worthy of wearing this number.
- Recently there was information that the prematurely ended World Youth Championship will still be held in the summer. In December they didn't take you to the tournament. Do you think that in a few months there is a chance to change the coaching staff of the national team and go to the tournament? And what do you need to do in order to perform that?
- There is always a chance; the main thing is how you use it. You just have to play your best hockey, the one that will help the team win. I wasn't upset at all when I didn't make the World Youth Championship roster, but the national team management let me know that I needed to work on my game.
