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Mika_Kandinsky · 05-31-2019, 05:57 PM

Siberia Sports: Mika Kandinsky Set to Represent Russia on International Stage

The rosters for both the IIHF World rosters and the WJC rosters have been announced for team Russia. Rookie sensation from Siberia Russia, Mika Kandinsky, has been named as a member of both rosters. Mika just saw himself eliminated from the SMJHL playoffs after having a fairly strong performance. He managed to score 3g and 1a in 13 playoff games while averaging 7.8 minutes per game. It seems his rookie season has created a lot of interest in the young center as the management for team Russia has taken notice and added Mika to both international tournament rosters. He will both be playing with the men and the juniors in the upcoming tournaments. When asked about it, Mika had this to say,

"I'm really excited to get right back to playing competitive hockey again. I'm looking forward to joining up with all my Russian teammates and having some fun competing in these tournaments. I'm glad I don't have to take too long of a break from playing. I think we can put up a good fight and have a good showing in this tournament so I'm really excited about it. And it's great that I'll be playing on both teams. I hope I learn a lot and have a good showing."

On the IIHF team, Mika will find himself in a similar role that he played on the Scarecrows this year, centering the 4th line. The team's more veteran players are going to see the bigger ice time as he'll be playing with SHL players. This is a big opportunity for Mika to get experience playing with Pros and see how he stacks up. It will definitely be a large adjustment as he comes up against tougher competition. At the same time, he will benefit from the guidance and experience of his teammates that he can then take back to the SMJHL next year for a big year with the Scarecrows.

On the WJC team, Mika will take on a bigger role than he has been used to so far in professional hockey. On the WJC team, Mika will be centering the second line and he is going to be relied upon as a go to player on the team. He'll be expected to contribute offensively and also to play in more situations. It could be his first time seeing special teams play since he left Russia. He'll absolutely be a player to watch in this tournament. Expect him scoring a few big goals and playing a solid two way game that he is becoming known for. Also expect his compete level to be maxed out as he puts on his nation's jersey for the first time since leaving. This tournament will let him show the world how he stacks up against his peers and he's ready for that opportunity.

Here is what GM of team Russia had to say about picking Kandinsky to be on the WJC team, "Kandinsky will play a large role in the team as the second line center. He also did not see much ice time on St. Louis, but put in a strong playoff showing, getting 3 goals and an assist despite averaging 7.8 minutes a game."

As the SHL draft starts to approach, Kandinsky feels that this tournament will be a great time for him to raise his draft stock as much as possible by putting in a good performance on the international stage. He's hoping that he will be able to go in the first round of the draft and surely a great showing at the world tournaments will help him to achieve that goal.

Don't forget to tune in and watch our hometown hero play for the Motherland on both the IIHF and WJC teams!