CSKA forward Vladislav Kotkov talked about starting his hockey career, playing in North America and returning to his home club.
- You are a trainee of the CSKA school. Tell us how you came to hockey.
- My father brought me. I was born in Ryazan and lived there until I was six. When I was in the second form, we moved to Moscow. At that time, I had already been playing hockey in Ryazan for about a year. There wasn't a lot of people. That’s why various aged people were skating together - from 1994 to 2000. Before hockey, I also played tennis a little. I liked it, and I still play it sometimes. And from the age of seven, I played in the CSKA school.
- You had a break when you moved to Dynamo for a couple of seasons. How did that happen?
- That's how the situation turned out. There were changes in the club’s coaching staff. This is the life of an athlete, we rarely choose something by ourselves, and it was not yet a very conscious age. Alll decisions were made by parents. That's why I don't even remember the details.
- In the 2016/17 season you made your debut in the Junior Hockey League. It was CSKA championship season but you only played one game in the playoff. You didn't get a medal for winning?
- No, I played too little, I should have played at least one round of the playoff. I came to St. Petersburg, played once and then got sick. It's a shame, of course.
- But you still managed to play a little in the regular season. What can you say about your first and only season in the Junior Hockey League?
- I remember that the speeds seemed to be very high to me. At first, it was hard to make the transition from junior hockey to youth hockey. Then I got into it, and it became easier as time passed.
- By that time, you had already played several times for the Russian national team for your age. Did the North American scouts notice you in those tournaments?
- I think they do. They're watching the national teams anyway.
U-16, U-17. Most likely it was in the national team that I managed to draw attention to myself.
- How did you decide to move to North America? Have you thought about playing a full season in the Junior Hockey League first?
- Ever since I was a boy I dreamed to try and play there. As soon as I found out that I was selected in the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) draft. I decided to take that chance.
- Could you speak English?
- At that time, my knowledge of English was at the school level. I did a little extra work with a tutor. But spoken English was out of the question.
- In the Quebec Junior League, you played for the Chicoutimi team. Is it an English-speaking city or a French-speaking one?
- French-speaking. So, it was even more difficult. It was good that a lot of the guys on the team spoke English. But mostly everyone was French, and the population of the city doesn't speak English at all. God forbid two percent of the inhabitants to understand it. It was a miracle to walk into a mall or a café and hear the answer in English. Together with another Russian guy from the team, Artyom Knyazev, I took French classes for two years, and we got it up to at least the level when we could order coffee and ask where is the toilet (laughs).
- What do you think of the league itself - its level, its style of play?
- It's hard to compare because the area there is much smaller. The court, which here is considered small, on the contrary, is large there. It got to the point that in some cities the offensive or defensive zones were limited to faceoff circles. At first, it was hard to get used to it, to readjust but then I got used to it. At the time, I thought the speeds were high. Maybe it was just because of the size of the courts, you had to make decisions faster. Otherwise, it's a typical junior league - the JHL and CHL don't differ much.
- During your play in North America you were very rarely called up to the AHL. Why didn't they give you many chances?
- I don't have an answer to that question. In 2018, I played my first game in the AHL, scored a goal right away. And after that, I didn't play in official games for two years. Only in the pre-season I played on a regular basis in the AHL and played a couple of games with NHL team.
- Did you rub shoulders with the main team players at San Jose's camp?
- Yes, of course, all of them. Not that I talked to them much but I talked to some of them a little bit.
- What do you think of the organization of such a prominent club?
- Everything is done for the players to grow and develop, no questions to the organization. There are a lot of ice rinks and gyms. Just like here in CSKA. The only difference is the language.
- How did you decide to come back to Russia?
- I spent three years in North America, from the age of 17 I lived with my family and I knew no one. Because of the time zone difference, I couldn't even communicate with my parents. It was nighttime when it was daytime for me. I decided to change the environment. I missed my relatives, the mentality, the language. Even the Russian food. That is why I made such a decision.
- Here you had to immediately move to the adult level - the WHL, KHL. Did you integrate easily when you came just-in-time?
- As I said, I had a lot of practice with the guys from the NHL and AHL. Plus, I had some serious training in the summer. I missed a little bit in terms of the number of games - I had a break for almost four months. My instincts are gone a little but I feel they are coming back.
- You have played a lot of games in the KHL. Are you satisfied with your game at the start of the season?
- I'm satisfied with everything, CSKA has a great team. The guys have been helping to start on day one. They give me some tips, make some good comments. The coaches are also explaining some good things. We have to keep working.
- You have already scored four goals and made double twice when you played for Zvezda. Will it help you get a nose for the net back?
Yes, of course. I think it will give you confidence. The feeling of a goal is very important in any case.
