Login

Mika_Kandinsky · 10-17-2019, 11:38 AM

Code:
2142 words

There is a lot of buzz surrounding Mika Kandinsky's rookie season in the SHL for the Toronto North Stars so far, and that comes with good reason. Mika Kandinsky is in the middle of a historic rookie season in the SHL. After getting the call from the Toronto North Stars at the end of S49, Mika joined the Stars in the offseason for training camp to get ready for his first season. As the offseason went on, it became clear to the team that Mika was going to earn a spot on the top line with Mikhail Lokitonov, the North Stars number one star player. The team believed Mika was ready to take on the responsibility of top line duties right away. However, the team did not want to put him at center to start his career. GM of Toronto, @ml002 thought it would be best for his development to start not at his natural center position, but at right wing. He then moved Mikhail Lokitonov to the center position.

This decision in the offseason turned out to be a great one. Being centered by one of, if not, the best forward in the league helped Mika get going early in his career. He started off hot with 3 points in his very first SHL game. Mika scored 2 goals, 1 assist, and was a +4 in his first game as a North Star. This is exactly what the team and the fans were hoping to see from their phenom rookie. Mika had a great career in juniors, so he was expected to come up and perform right away, but I don't think anyone expected what was to come. Mika then continued on his this pace before hitting a small cold streak. During this time, the lines got changed a little bit and Xavier Paquette @Paq was moved up to left wing of the first line.

This line change ignited the North Stars and Mika's performance. Mika went absolutely hot and quickly found himself separating himself in the points race by a country mile. Along with this, the North Stars have been playing better than anyone in the league could have seen coming and they are currently holding a playoff position. This is definitely a product of great play from the first line, a lot of blocked shots, and a great season by their goaltender Harry Carpet @Carpy48. With the first line firing on all cylinders, the North Stars have been able to find themselves on the right side of .500. The North Stars top line is eviscerating people at 5v5. The +/- for that line is as follows: Paquette, +13 Lokitonov, +22 and Kandinsky +20. That's fantastic numbers on a team that wasn't supposed to be very good. Once more prospects come up from their pipeline, the North Stars are going to be looking much improved.

Mika is currently on pace to have a 66 point season as a rookie. This would absolutely smash the rookie scoring record. Mika is a clear favorite for the Jester right now. If he keeps this up, he'll be a lock for it and he'll go down in the record books as having the best rookie season the SHL has ever seen. What can't be ignored is how much of his success is coming from playing next to Lokitonov. Loki is mentoring Mika and helping him out on and off the ice. Their chemistry has been off the charts. While it is known just how good ML is, it should not take away too much from Mika's own performance. The fact that Mika can keep up with him on the ice and make plays at a high level is a testament to how skilled Kandinsky is, and also how much work he puts into his game.

So, let's get a little nitty gritty with the numbers and see just how good Mika has been. He currently leads all rookies with 38 points in 29 games. The next closest rookie scorer is Lallo Sellman with 25 points in the same amount of games. He's second in the league in points per 20 only to ML. He's second in RW scoring in the league after Noah Konn, who Mika is directly in a points race for to finish second in the league in scoring. He is second in the league in goals and fourth in the league in assists. He also has a hat trick in this season. Needless to say he is having a great personal year for himself. What's really incredible is that only 9 of his points have come on the power play. He is an absolute monster at 5v5 play, which is carried over from how he played in juniors. It seems when Mika is on the ice with other talented players, he just excels at all areas of the game. He plays defense just as well as he plays offense. He's been logging heavy minutes as well and has only taken 1 penalty all year. He's truly a special player in this league already, and will continue to grow into a monster. With ML as his mentor, you can expect great things to come from Kandinsky in the future.

Recently we were able to sit down with Mika and talk to him a little bit about how his season has gone so far.

SS: Hi Mika, congratulations on making it to the SHL and on having such a fantastic rookie year so far. What was going through your mind when you first got the call up to the SHL and what was that like joining the North Stars?

MK: Thank you. Yeah, it's been a wild ride for sure. When I first got the notice that I'd be called up it was a bitter sweet moment for me. Personally, I felt like I had some unfinished business with the Crows. I really wanted to win a championship in St. Louis and be there for that. But you know, the younger guys were getting better and moving up and I guess it was time for them to take the team over. I felt like I left the team in good hands. It was hard to go. On the other hand, I was really excited to start my career in the SHL. It's a real dream come true for me to have made it this far. I was just excited to get to training camp and start practicing with the team and getting to know the guys. I was pretty in awe of seeing ML on the ice. He's just so good it makes your head spin. So when I found out that I was going to play on a line with him I was really excited about that. I think he's helped me a lot in my transition to the big leagues. So yeah, it was exciting for me. I know Toronto has been struggling in the past and I'm really hoping that I could come in and help make a difference on the team.

SS: Toronto is currently in a rebuild. It seems like they are planning on building a team around you. Does that put a lot of pressure on you as a rookie to know you are such a big part of their plans?

MK: No I don't feel any pressure really. It makes me happy and excited to have a team believe in me that much. I just want to play the best I can and get better and improve my game every day. That's what I'm focused on the most. I like that I'm a part of building this team back up. I enjoy that responsibility and I'm happy to do it.

SS: Right before the season started, Toronto announced that you were going to be one of the captains on the team. What was that like for you?

MK: That was amazing. I didn't see that coming. It is a real honor to wear the C along with my friend Carpet. I'm the captain for all the home games. It really means a lot to me and I wear the C with pride on this team. I like our group and I like the prospects that will be coming up, so I'm just going to be a good role model and influence on all the younger guys when they get here. I don't take this lightly and I'm going to do everything to make the team proud of me.

SS: Well, it certainly seems like you've done that so far. This team has every reason to be proud of you right now. You are currently in the middle of a record breaking season. What has that ride been like for you, and how did you get yourself off to such a hot start?

MK: Well first off, playing on a line with ML and Paq has been incredible. Those guys play at such a high level and it let's me get to my game. We have great on the ice chemistry and I think that is showing in the way we are playing. I owe a lot of my success to ML who is just a fantastic centerman even though he typically plays RW, which is where I am now. It's been a really fun season so far. The team is doing pretty well on top of my own personal performance so we are enjoying it right now. I've been taking it all in and trying to enjoy it. I just go out there and play my game and when I get to my game, the points seem to come for me. What I'm most happy about is how I'm playing 5v5 night in and night out. I'm happy with the way things have gone and definitely happy that I'm able to put some points up.

SS: Do you remember your first goal and how that felt?

MK: Oh yeah, I won't forget that moment. It felt awesome to get my first goal. I was really happy to get it in my first game. We were coming down on the rush and ML gave me some nice sauce in the Steelhawks end and I just took my shot and beat the goaltender. I had taken a bunch of shots before that, so it felt good to have that one go in. It was really great. I ended up having a pretty good first game.

SS: You also scored a hat trick this season!

MK: Yeah that was a really fun game. I still can't believe I was able to get one in my first year.

SS: What is the biggest difference between juniors and the SHL for you?

MK: I think the speed and the professionalism at this level is the biggest difference. You have so many guys who work really hard on their game at this level. Playing against some top guys in the league is crazy when you see how good they are. The skill level is just higher here. I"ve had to adapt to that a little bit and I think I have been doing that. I work just as hard as the other guys so I think it wasn't a super hard transition for me. But, there is definitely a big difference between juniors and the SHL. The guys come and give it their all every night. Then you have to deal with the travel, media, and everything else that goes with being a pro. The guys in the locker room have been great for me in that regard. They really showed me the ropes early on and got me ready for this next level.

SS: Are you guys looking at making the playoffs or is your eye still on the next game?

MK: This far into the season and given the season we have had, I'd be lying if we weren't thinking of making the playoffs. Obviously, that is always the goal of the team. We want to go out there and win and compete. So yeah, we have an eye on playoffs. At the same time we know we have to go out and win the next game. We aren't going to get anywhere without focusing and going out there and getting the win when we need it. I think we are pretty dialed in right now with our game, so hopefully playoffs will come as a result of that process.

SS: Well, thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Mika. Best of luck on the rest of your season.

MK: Thanks guys, anytime!

Pris · 10-17-2019, 01:55 PM

kill it, kid !

*Carpy48* · 10-18-2019, 02:34 AM

ztevans · 10-18-2019, 10:41 AM

**JaytheGreat** · 10-18-2019, 03:12 PM

Keep on killing it! Russia

Rest In Peace Dangel

1st SHL Goal - S52 Game 1 vs Tampa 3. New England Wolfpack , Jakub Bruchevski 1 (Eko Van Otter 1, Delver Fudgeson 2) at 8:10

Scarecrows

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us