Hockey Player to Return to Russia from NHL
The Edmonton Oilers, a National Hockey League team, have announced that Russian prospect Alexei Mikhnov will return home to play in Russia.
Mikhnov had spent the past nine seasons in Russia playing left wing for various hockey teams before coming to North America. He will play in the Russian Super League for the team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, where he has played for the past few seasons.
Mikhnov, also known by the nickname “Traktor Boy”, was a 2000 first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers (17th overall). His inability to work out a transfer arrangement, along with many other Russian players impacted his ability to play in the United States. He was born in what is now the Ukraine, but plays internationally for Russia.
He finally appeared in his first NHL games this season, but only played in two games and scored no points. Additionally, he played 27 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in which he scored 6 goals and has 12 assists.
Other Russian players to leave their NHL teams this year include Alexei Kaigorodov who was suspended by the Ottawa Senators for refusing an AHL demotion and Russian forward Enver Lisin who was suspended by the Phoenix Coyotes for failing to report to their AHL team.
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