There is plenty of buzz in Cape Breton about a new Screaming Eagles player who some are calling the island’s Russian Rocket.
Evgeny Svechnikov is settling into his new home away from home. The 18-year-old doesn’t speak much English, but his new billet family says he is fitting in nicely.
“Evgeny is just like one of my sons,” said Louise Rahey. “He makes himself right at home. He’s easy to feed. He likes to watch my son play Xbox.”
However, the Russian rookie truly feels most at home when he’s on the ice.
Fellow countryman and Screaming Eagles teammate Maxim Lazarev was a close friend back home, making the transition to his new surroundings even easier for Svechnikov.
Lazarev, who played for Cape Breton last season, has been showing Svechnikov around town.
“It’s pretty good that we come here, play here together. It’s a fun experience,” said Lazarev. “Translate for him everything, help where I can. Oh, and help translate for girls too!”
Svechnikov takes English classes twice a week to increase his fluency and he is eager to share two of his new favourite words.
“Tim Hortons!”
When asked what he liked about Tim Hortons, Svechnikov replied “vanilla French, maybe?”
Svechnikov is the only Eagle to have points in all seven of the team’s games. His 14 total points have him tied for fourth overall in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring.
Svechnikov’s skill is attracting a lot of attention, and fans, to Centre 200.
“Evgeny came in with a ton of hype and he’s certainly lived up to that hype,” says Peter MacDonald of the Screaming Eagles. “He is one of the most exciting players we’ve seen here in an Eagles jersey in a lot of years.”
Some scouts are rating the six-foot-three, 200-plus pound player as a possible top ten draft pick in this June’s National Hockey League draft.
“He’s also a selfless player. He’s not always the guy who’s gonna take the shot,” says MacDonald.
In addition to the new country and new language, Svechnikov is also getting used to all the attention.
“He doesn’t understand why people are excited about the hype around him," says Rahey. "He’s just a regular kid who loves playing hockey."
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald