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DollaBill · 01-21-2021, 02:52 AM

Russian winger Fedor Sotakov became the most recent addition to the Simulation Hockey League’s Season 59 draft class on Monday. The 21-year old made his announcement in a translated article on The Player’s Tribune website. Sotakov is the latest ice hockey product from Novokuznetsk to make the leap to North America. NHL veterans Sergei Bobrovsky and Dmitry Orlov are also natives of the southwestern Siberian city in Russia.

Sotakov stands at 6-feet tall and is a few pounds shy of 200. Scouts love his frame because he’s large enough to withstand the physicality of the SHL, but still light enough to fly around the ice, which is exactly what Sotakov loves to do. Sotakov is one of the fastest skaters to come out the Kontinental Hockey League, where he’s spent the last two seasons with CSKA Moscow. Sotakov set career highs in points, goals, and assists with CSKA in 2019-20, while on the way to winning the Gagarin Cup.

[Image: Kirill_Kaprizov_2015-09-29.jpg]

Prior to his two-year deal with CSKA, Sotakov emerged as a top player with Metallurg Novokuznetsk, following a short stay with Kuznetskie Medvedi of Russia’s Minor Youth Hockey League (MHL). To date, Sotakov’s 2015-16 season remains one of the best in MHL history. Sotakov took home the league’s most valuable player award after posting league highs in points, goals, and plus/minus.

Fedor Sotakov comes from a long line of Siberian hockey players. His father, Vitaly, played professionally for 17-years, to include four years as a centerman with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Fedor’s grandfather, of whom he was named after, played defense for the Soviet Union National Team, winning gold in 1954 and 1956.

Sotakov will be the first of his family to travel to North America, where he will enter the SMJHL for Season 58. In addition to his speed, Sotakov is a pure puck-mover with a wrist-shot about as quick as the blink beneath a goalie’s mask. Another positive about Sotakov, according to scouts, are what he does without the puck. One SMJHL scout lauded the young Russian’s knack for “screening goalies and looking for deflections”.

Few players enter the path to the SHL without weaknesses and Sotakov is no exception. Many scouts say he needs to focus on improving his defense, particularly his positioning. One scout said Sotakov’s strength is “a little underrated because he doesn’t use it…he needs to learn to play more physical”.

Sotakov is scheduled to land in the U.S. on Friday and plans to be on the ice, training for the upcoming draft by Monday.

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nyumbayangu · 01-21-2021, 03:21 AM

That is a smart scout. When you need to interact with your mating partners on your new junior team, being physical with them will assist in the task.

DollaBill · 01-21-2021, 03:24 AM

01-21-2021, 03:21 AMnyumbayangu Wrote: That is a smart scout. When you need to interact with your mating partners on your new junior team, being physical with them will assist in the task.

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