702 words x2 payout

It's the rec-league championship game, and Ksanochka Kostoyevskiy is riding high on a 4 point night. After recording a natural hat trick in the second period, he wished his team good luck, as it was time to go. It was time to go see his wife, Katerina. She was expecting her second baby.

Konstantin Kostoyevskiy was born on January 2nd 2000, in the small town of Saratov, Russia. His older sister, Katya, was born 3 years earlier on the same date. Ever since Konstantin was a child, he had an interest in snow and ice. He started taking skiing and ice skating lessons at the age of 4. Every time he fell, he never cried. Konstantin originally wanted to be a professional ski flyer. His protective mother guided his attention away from that, and into the sport of ice hockey. By the time he was 7, he was tearing up the beginner leagues. He found online videos of the greats, and specifically grew a liking to Dmitry Yushkevich and Danis Zaripov. With the intention of further developing his skills, the Kostoyevskiy family moved to Kazan.

There was much better rink access in Kazan. They had their own Russian SuperLeague team, thus the minor league competition was much higher. Konstantin woke up late and missed the tryout for the local travel team. At age 9, he spent the season breaking the lower-tier records in goals (75), assists (61), points (136), and shots (274) in 50 games. The next year, he didn't need to tryout. He was a lock on the team. Unfortunately for them, Junior Irbis Kazan offered Konstantin a spot on their roster. The intention was to develop Konstantin until he turned 15. They wanted him on the MHL's Irbis Kazan team, and he was only 10!

After a lazy preseason effort, Konstantin started the season on the third line. That didn't last for long, as he put up whopping numbers. Konstantin became known as one of
the best in the league, and some of the lesser talent took notice. A week after his 12th birthday, Konstantin took a slewfoot. He fractured his left fibula & tibia. The doctors said he will miss at least a year of ice time. Konstantin was devastated. His family unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit on the perpetrator. Konstantin was worried that he would lose his skills.

While recovering from his injury, Konstantin shot a lot of pucks in his backyard. He perfected his wrist shot, snap shot, slap shot, and his passing skills. He did precision aiming practice with a Ukrainian marksmanship coach. He could destroy a rusty pot from very far distances. His father, Ksanochka, brought home a copy of NHL 2006. Konstantin played it nonstop. He grew a liking to North American players such as Mikko Koivu, and Russia's own Alexander Ovechkin. He wanted to model his playstyle directly after Ovechkin.

Konstantin started skating again at age 14. He was no longer committed to the MHL's Irbis Kazan. His father helped him with power-skating. Soon enough, Konstantin had a distinctive stride and a beautiful mullet. He was ready to reach then next level in his hockey career.

While doing schoolwork in the local library, Konstantin found the Simulation Hockey League on one of the computers. After watching many highlight videos, he made the decision that he wanted to play over there, in North America. He didn't want to be the "next" Alexander Ovechkin in the NHL, he wants to be known as the "Kostoyevskiy" in the SHL, a player that young players look up to. Konstantin wanted to engrave his name in the history of a relatively unknown league.

Konstantin started making home videos of his elite sniping skills. He could go 4-for-4 in the corners without effort. His deadly shots of all kind could terrorize a league, should he decide to join one. The videos got the attention of Jordin FourFour. FourFour fell in love with his four-for-four ability. The SMJHL draft had already concluded, but FourFour wanted that elite sniping ability on his team, the Halifax Raiders. After Konstantin got the phone call and the contract offer from FourFour, he told his parents. Ksanochka was excited to move to the city of Halifax. Konstantin was excited to light up the SMJHL.

"FourFour fell in love with his four-for-four ability" ) love the play on words, got a real stud here

Akashi SixNine Jr. Updates


Akashi SixNine Jr. | TPE: 473 | Detroit Falcons | Hamilton Steelhawks
---------------------------- SIGNINGS/DRAFT ----------------------------
(S61) Drafted 61st Overall by the Detroit Falcons
(S61) Signed a 1-year, $2.5mm contract with the Detroit Falcons
(S62) Drafted 44th Overall by the Hamilton Steelhawks
(S62) Signed a 1-year, $2.5mm contract with the Hamilton Steelhawks
(S63) Signed a 1-year, $2.5mm contract with the Hamilton Steelhawks
---------------------------- SMJHL REGULAR SEASON STATS ----------------------------
S61 | DET | GP: 66 | G: 16 | A: 24 | PTS: 40 | +/-: -24 | Hits: 95 | SB: 32
S62 | DET | GP: 66 | G: 21 | A: 16 | PTS: 37 | +/-: -54 | Hits: 141 | SB: 47
---------------------------- SMJHL PLAYOFF STATS ----------------------------
S61 | DET | GP: 6 | G: 2 | A: 4 | PTS: 6 | +/-: E | Hits: 17 | SB: 4
S62 | DID NOT QUALIFY

Awesome article, excited to see how your career plays out!