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Mika_Kandinsky · 06-04-2019, 12:06 PM

Siberia Sports Talks with Mika Kandinsky About the SHL Draft

Siberia Sports was lucky enough to land another interview with rising star, Mika Kandinsky of the St. Louis Scarecrows. We took a couple hours to sit down and talk with Mika about the upcoming SHL draft, his selection for Russia's international teams, and how things are looking on his junior team, the St. Louis Scarecrows. Mika is coming off of a deep playoff push that saw the Scarecrows being eliminated in 7 games in the semi finals to the eventual cup winning Anaheim Outlaws. Mika scored 3g and 1a in the playoffs, really stepping up his game and production in the big games. Now he gets ready for his draft to the SHL. Rumors are circling that he could be going very early in the draft and it should be no surprise if you read our latest article Siberia Sports Looks at the Upcoming SHL Draft, and Where it Might Take Mika Kandinsky of us making the case for Mika Kandinsky being a lock for the top 5 and even a strong possibility of first overall pick. So without further ado, we present our interview with center rookie phenom, Mika Kandinsky.

SS: Hello Mika! So great to be talking again with you so soon. We always enjoy getting down and having a chat with you. I feel like so much has happened and you've come so far since we first started covering your pro career. From the SMJHL draft last season to now about to be taken in the first round of the SHL draft, what does this mean to you as a player?

MK: Oh, thanks so much. It's nice chatting with you guys too. I like giving some words for all the fans back home in Siberia who are following my career. I'm extremely excited for the upcoming SHL draft. It means everything to me to be drafted into the best league in the world and it means even more thinking that I might go in the first round. And now I'm hearing the talk that a few teams might have me pretty high up on their lists so maybe I'll go at the top of the round. It feels really good, because I've put in so much hard work to come over here to North America and play high end hockey. I train really hard and put my full effort in every single day here to hopefully get noticed and make a name for myself, so to see that happening and the plan all coming together is really great.

SS: Is it different this time around for the SHL draft compared to the SMJHL draft?

MK: Yeah I'd say it's a little bit different. When the SMJHL draft happened I had just come over to North America and I have to say I was pretty disoriented. I just wanted to get to the rink and train, but I had to learn the ropes of the new league and also a new place to play. I was playing in the prospect showcase, but I didn't know anyone here at all. I really was all alone in my hockey adventure here. This time around, I have a great team behind me with the St. Louis Scarecrows and I feel like I have a lot of support. I think I understand the league a lot better and I'm getting more familiar with everything going on around the league. I even joined a fantasy hockey league with some of the other players around the league which I hope is going to be pretty fun. And then it's also different to be drafted into the SHL because it's the big league. It's the best hockey league in the world and I'm pretty honored that I have a chance to be drafted and play for an SHL team. You dream of this as a kid and you think about your draft day and it just means a lot. With the SMJHL it was cool because it was my first pro team, but the SHL is just another level above that and it's going to be really special. Especially since I can anticipate it more this time around and it's not such a whirlwind.

SS: Are you nervous at all?

MK: Maybe just a little bit nervous. I really want to go high in the draft so if that doesn't happen I'm not going to feel to good. So I guess I'm a little nervous about slipping in the draft. Otherwise I'm just trying to enjoy everything leading up to it. I've been hearing from a few GMs and it's been fun to get hints at who might be interested in having me on the team.

SS: Who has reached out to you so far? What do they have to say about you?

MK: I don't want to give specifics, but a handful of GMs have reached out. I feel like everyone is a little more secretive for this draft compared to my junior draft. People seem to be keeping things a lot closer to the chest. They've also had more time to scout us out so maybe they don't feel the need to reach out as much. They just kind of ask some basic questions about who I am, what kind of player I am and what I want to be. They are very curious about how active I am around the rink. I think that's funny that they ask. I'm a top prospect at the moment, I didn't get that status by being lazy in my training and not being around the rink a lot. Then they ask how long I want to stay in juniors. I think that's an interesting question because I don't feel like it's up to me at all! I think I can want to stay in juniors for as long as it takes to win a cup, but if the SHL team needs me they are just going to call me up. I just tell them I want to be in juniors long enough to be good enough of a player to come up to the SHL team and be an impact player right away. I see myself as a top 6 player and hopefully soon enough I'll be a top line center. That's what I expect of myself so I want to achieve that. And if more time in Juniors is necessary then so be it. I don't want to get called up to the SHL and then play 4th line minutes when I could be with my junior squad getting top line minutes and more game experience. I really just want to do what's best for my career and I want to make sure that my development continues to progress to that of a top line center. I like being with the Crows a lot, though, so I don't mind staying down and getting better and developing my game in the junior league. I'm still learning so much from it and being around the guys.

SS: Any other questions that the GMs have been asking you?

MK: I don't know, but a few have told me that they wish I would fall to them. A few teams picking later in the draft had said they wish they could get me but they think that I'll be going too early in the draft for them to snag me up.

SS: What team would you like to pick you up?

MK: That's a hard question to answer I think. I'm not too familiar with all of the SHL teams to make an educated pick. I want to go to a great franchise that is competitive and has a winning culture for sure. I think I'd like to go to a team with at least another Scarecrow player on it. It'd be nice to be in the system with either a current or former teammate from the Crows. I think that could really ease my transition into the league and help me along. Other than that, I'm really not sure if I have a preference as to where I go as long as it's a competitive team that has a good locker room. I think the camaraderie of the players is really important and I learned that from being on the Scarecrows.

SS: Speaking of the Scarecrows, right before the draft you got the news that a lot of players are being called up to their SHL team and won't be on the Scarecrows roster in S48. What was that like getting that news?

MK: Yeah, that was hard. On one hand you are happy for the guys that are getting called up and they are going to be making their debuts in the big league, but on the other hand you hate to see some really good guys leave the team. We are losing all three of our captains and that is a pretty big blow. Especially, for me, losing our captain Michael Fox. That's going to be pretty tough I think. The rookies from this season are really going to have to step it up in the next season to be competitive again. I think we learned well from the older guys who are now leaving, so hopefully we can continue to carry on the winning tradition of the team. But yeah, it's hard to hear that so many people are leaving the team at once. I don't think I was prepared for that when I came on the team initially. I just assumed most guys would be around for a few seasons, and I think they thought they'd be around longer as well. It took a lot of guys by surprise. But I'm really happy for them and I'm sure we will be all staying in touch. And I'm really excited going forward to see what the younger guys can do next year in elevated roles for the team. I think we'll still be pretty competitive.

SS: There's rumors of you going in the top 5 picks in the draft. How do you feel about the other players in the draft and how do you think you stack up to them?

MK: You know I read that article you wrote last breaking everything down (chuckles). Is this you trying to push the article more? Just kidding with you. I did like the article though. Yeah, I think I stack up. I think I can go first overall in this draft. I believe in myself and I know I'm good enough. I think I'm the right choice to go first overall. I want to come in and help a franchise turn things around. I have a lot of confidence in myself because I know how hard I work at my game and that's not going to stop after I'm drafted, no matter where I go and what team I'm on. I think certain teams might pass on me based on need or they don't think as highly of me, but I think that would be a mistake. I went 10th overall in the SMJHL draft and that really worked out for me, but look what I've done since then. I think I should have gone a lot higher but maybe I wasn't in North America long enough to raise my stock for that draft. I think I'm one of the best players in this draft right now and I know I'm nowhere near my ceiling yet. I also have heard that Travis Bitties isn't planning on playing in the SHL so we'll see how that goes I guess. I know a few players who were drafted ahead of me last season haven't worked as hard as I have since then, so I'm confident that I'll be a great pick for any team that can get me.

SS: Our article also pointed out that you stack up well with the players of the previous draft class selected last year.

MK: Yeah, that was really cool to see. I wasn't around those players before I was drafted and I didn't know much about them. It was nice to see that statistically I hold up to those top picks. It gives me a bit more confidence that I can be taken at the top of the draft. But I think you need to stop pushing your article so much in this interview, or you'll have to give me some percentage of the sales!

SS: What are you going to be doing on draft day? I assume you will be going to the draft to hear your name get called. Are your parents going to come over from Siberia to be there with you?

MK: That would be really great, but I don't think they will be able to get over here for that. It'd be really great to have them but it's such a long trip from Siberia. They'll probably be watching at home on the TV though. I'm sure that I'll get a phone call from them after I get my name called out.

SS: What are you looking forward to the most about the draft?

MK: I think I'm just really excited to see what number I'm picked and then to see what team I'll be on. I'll be excited to meet all the guys eventually and get introduced to management and all of that. The Scarecrows did such a great job after the junior draft with me, and I'm hoping the experience will be like that again. Yeah, It's really exciting for me. It's one of the only times where I haven't been as focused on the game itself and I'm getting wrapped up in the professional side of things. It's fun though. I'll be playing a lot of hockey starting tomorrow so I'm not too worried about it!

SS: You were just selected for both Russian international teams so congratulations on being able to represent Russia on the world stage. How does that feel and what is that going to do for your career?

MK: Thank you so much, yes it's amazing. It feels really great to be selected to represent Russia in both the IIHF and WJC tournaments. I'm really looking forward to representing Russia for the first time and competing for a gold medal. I hope that by being selected it helps out my draft stock a bit. I hope everyone will take notice and say, "hey, this kid is playing on the men's team as a junior rookie, kid must have it". So I'm hoping that helps with scouting and all of that for the draft. I think these tournaments are going to be really big for my career. I think I'll get to play with really talented players and I'll be able to learn from them and improve my game through some really high end competition. I love getting big game experience and I think that really helps my overall game so I'll be really looking forward to getting that going. I'm going straight from the draft to the round robin start so it's going to be a little bit crazy.

SS: Has your agent prepped you for anything regarding the draft and what comes afterward?

MK: Yeah, I've been speaking a lot with my agent leading up to this draft. He's been letting me know what to expect after I'm picked and how the negotiations for contracts are going to go. He's even prepping me to talk to the media and how to be prepared to be more in the public eye. It's been pretty helpful to me. I've never had a contract negotiation before so learning a few things about that is going to be really beneficial I think.

SS: Your life is about to change a lot I would imagine?

MK: I guess so! I haven't really thought about that too much. I keep thinking I just need some money to buy equipment! I haven't really thought about earning a living and having some real money for the first time in my life. I guess I'll need to buy a car to get me to and from the rink once I get my first paycheck. I think I'm going to be so focused on the game though that I'm not sure my life will change too much. I'm still going to be in St. Louis so I don't need to find a new place to live or anything like that. We'll see how it all goes!

SS: What do you think your reaction to being drafted is going to be?

MK: I hope I can keep my composure. It's going to mean so much to me to get drafted so I hope I can keep it cool. I'll be really excited, though. I don't think I'll be surprised if I'm picked early so I just hope I don't fall too far or else maybe I'll lose my excitement and I'll be a little sad when my name is called. I'll have my poker face on for the night I think.

SS: After you are drafted will you join your SHL team right away?

MK: Well yeah I'll join them right away for training camp. I also have my eye on some new SHL gear that I'm trying to get my hands on once I'm with my team. I can't wait for training camp. It's going to be a great workout and I'm going to be able to show my team what I've got. I want to make a good impression on management and the coaches right away. After camp and everything, I'm expecting to be sent down to the Scarecrows pretty quickly so I can join them and get ready for the next season.

SS: If you had a choice, who would you want to be drafted to the same team with?

MK: That's actually one of the questions I've been asked by a few GMs. I think it's nice that they want to try and make you feel comfortable and accommodate you if they can. It'd be nice to have a friend on the new team. I think obviously any of the Crows rookies would be great to get drafted with. We all might go too close to each other in the draft though so I'm not sure how much of a possibility that is. It would be really cool to grow with those guys in junior and then go up to the big club together and make an impact. So my first choice would be some other Crows. As far as other players around the league I'd say it would be really nice to play with Atlas Rush again. I really think we had a lot of chemistry in the prospect showcase, so I think it would definitely be cool to be on a team again and see if we can re-create that magic and put it to use on the big stage. Otherwise I'm really not too picky. I know what my role is going to be and I know what I want to do for a team. I'm going to be a professional and I'm going to come in and give it my all every single night to help the team win. It doesn't matter if I get drafted with someone else or not, ultimately. And I don't need to know anyone else on the team either. So far everyone I've interacted with in the league has been great, so I'm sure I'll find a good home with whatever team decides to take me.

SS: Is there a team you'd rather go to based on location?

MK: That doesn't really play a factor for me as much. I think it'd be nice to play someplace warm and sunny because that would be a lot different than playing in Siberia! But, since I'm from Siberia I can just as easily play in harsher areas and still feel very comfortable. That being said, Tampa Bay might be pretty nice and maybe I can learn to surf or something like that in the off season. If they took me first overall that would be pretty ideal in every way for me. They also got a top center last draft so they could really set themselves up for the future by picking me.

SS: Well, Mika, it seems like we are just about out of time for our interview. I just want to thank you again for sitting down and taking the time to talk to use before the S48 SHL draft. We're really rooting for you back home and hoping you make Russia proud and go first overall!

MK: Thank you! It's always a pleasure and let's not get our hopes up too much! I'm just taking it in stride and hoping for the best outcome. You never know what can happen and how these things shape up.

So that wraps up our interview with top prospect Mika Kandinsky. He's a confident and skilled young player and is already comfortable in front of the media. He's ready to be a pro and is really looking forward to the draft coming up. Keep your eye out for more great hockey coverage from Siberia Sports!

Code:
3716 words 2x draft media

~~PenKnight~~ · 06-04-2019, 12:12 PM

Nicely Done!
According to my calculations...
You just made 7.432 Million Dollars!
Most Likely Rounded up to 7.5M which you deserve!

Personally I feel the opposite.
Hoping to go Low in the Draft and get picked up by a Super Power!

sarmo · 06-04-2019, 12:26 PM

Nice. Top line center potential are hard to come by. Best way for teams to get a franchise center is through drafting. I'm sure you'll get prioritized by a team that needs one badly... you'll get that spotlight real fast in the shl as long as you put in work.

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