UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE
by Ihor Stelmach
Some 50 Ukrainians active in hockey's minor leagues
It's time for our annual mid-season glance at the minor league scene of professional hockey, Ukrainian- style. Professional hockey beyond the ranks of the National Hockey League continues to grow by truly amazing proportions. 1995-1996 sees a record seven professional minor league circuits, nearly doubling the highest previous total existence of leagues (four). Realistically speaking, hockey pundits have divided the seven minor leagues into two tiers: the two highly competitive developmental leagues (AHL and IHL), and the remaining five (ECHL, Colonial, Central, West Coast and Southern).
Why the growth to a whopping seven minor leagues, totaling a double-whopping 85 teams in a span of only three years? Three reasons: popularity of the sport through successful expansion by the NHL into two highly marketable and well-populated states (California: San Jose, Anaheim; and Florida: Panthers, Tampa Bay); recent successful franchise relocations from non-supporting small market cities to potential hockey hotbeds (Quebec to Colorado, Minnesota to Dallas, with Winnipeg to Phoenix next year; more national television exposure through NHL contracts with ESPN and the Fox networks. These primary reasons, coupled with forward-thinking leadership from a new young commissioner, the resolution of prior labor strife and the growth of youth hockey and rollerblading, have prompted many more new entrepreneurs to risk venturing into new minor league franchises all over the United States.
For Ukrainian players this translates into more jobs and a better opportunity to be spotted by an NHL scout. For ex-NHLers a little long in the tooth, it is a way to hang on to their chosen profession for a few more years. For the many Ukrainians emigrating from Ukraine, it means a better chance for employment with a future hope to be noticed. For professional Ukrainian pucksters, it's a win-win proposition.
Here's a condensed version of the Uke minor league hockey scene, concentrating on the two major developmental leagues affiliated with National Hockey League clubs: the American Hockey League and the International Hockey League. (Player stats provided: games played-goals-assists-penalty minutes. Stats through January 31.)
The 1995-1996 version of the American Hockey League consists of 18 franchises: six Canadian and 12 American. All have working agreements with parent clubs in the NHL.
In the Eastern Conference, Prince Edward Island and St. John's (C Mark Kolesar 41-18-11-29-35 and Brent Gretzky, 38-7-13-20-36 ) are battling for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The St. John Flames, boasting three Ukrainians (C David Struch, 25-7-11-18-47, and right wings Todd Hlushko, 219-7-16-20, and Jeremy Stasiuk, 12-1-1-2-2) are trying to hold off Fredericton and the Cape Breton Oilers (player/assistant coach Mike Krushelnyski, 26-11-11-22-44) in the middle of the pack.
The Springfield Falcons (D Steve Cheredaryk 27-0-1-1-36) sit comfortably atop the Northern Division of the Eastern Conference. Providence and the Worcester Ice Cats (GT Mike Buzak, 13GP-755MIN-5W-3L-3T2.54GA) are running neck-and-neck for second, while the Portland Pirates are mired in fourth. Worcester is the only AHL club with a dual affiliation (St. Louis and N.Y. Isles). Young goalie Buzak is property of the Blues. Portland is the second of three AHL teams to have three Ukes on its roster. (All three are defensemen: Scott Humeniuk 29-4-10-14-50, Alexander Alexeev, 21-1-4-5-19, and team penalty leader Frank Bialowas, 39-3-1-4-147.
Out West, the Albany River Rats are way ahead of the pack in the Central Division. The defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils have plenty of help on the farm, including veteran netminder Peter Sidorkiewicz (15GP-815MIN-8W-4L-2T-2.94GA). Adirondack (second leading team scorer LW Dave Chyzowski, 46-28-24-57-68, tops in team goals), Cornwall (veteran minor league LW Peter Ambroziak, 31-6-9-15-47) and Syracuse (D Yevgeniy Namestnikov, 32-9-16-25-44, and RW Bohdan Savenko, 44-8-12-20-39 ) are closely bunched in the middle of the Central pack. The Amerks of Rochester (D Sergei Klimentiev, 41-3-1922-48, RW Jay Mazur, 16-5-2-7-16, and D Aaron Boh, 12-0-4-4-10) are far behind in fifth place, despite the presence of three Ukes.
Pacing the Southern Division are the Binghamton Rangers (D Lee Sorochan, 21-1-5-6-14). Hershey's Russ Romaniuk (21-14-10-24-36), recently reassigned by the Flyers, has scored at better than a point-per-game clip with the Bears. He tallied three goals for Philadelphia in 12 games with the big club. Baltimore's third leading scorer is LW Mike Maneluk (42-22-24-46-35). Right wing Dave Nemirovsky (3-0-2-2-0) was assigned by the Florida/Carolina Panthers to the Canadian Junior team to compete on the international level.
Of the above 23 mentioned Ukrainian hockey stars currently toiling in the AHL, a realistic evaluation of their current-to-future status reveals the following:
Prospects: Namestnikov, Klimentiev, Savenko, Alexeev, Nemirovsky, Cheredaryk, Buzak.
Maybes: Maneluk, Kolesar, Gretzky, Sorochan, Stasiuk.
Hangers-on: Chyzowski, Romaniuk, Krushelnyski (already coaching), Struch, Ambroziak, Humeniuk, Hlushko, Mazur Bialowas, Sidorkiewicz.
The 1995-1996 International Hockey League totals an unbelievable 19 franchises, of which only seven have working agreements with NHL organizations. The IHL, a notch below the AHL in almost every sense of the word, has expanded to include 12 independent teams. Like its counterpart, the IHL is divided into Eastern and Western Conferences, two divisions each. Twenty-one known Ukrainian professional hockey stars currently skate on squads of the solely American-based IHL.
Cincinnati (D Dave Marcinyshyn, 35-5-6-11-76) leads the North, and is generally regarded to be one of the two top teams in the entire league along with Las Vegas. Michigan ranks above Fort Wayne (RW Pat Elynuik, 35-18-20-38-39 - possibly past an NHL return) and Indianapolis (RW Ryan Huska, 21-2-3-5-8 ) for second in this division.
The Cleveland Lumberjacks and Orlando Solar Bears are competing for the top spot in the Central. A trio of Ukrainian Lumberjacks includes third leading scorer and long-time NHL veteran RW Mark Osborne (39-20-24-44-83), defense hopeful Drake Berehowsky (45-2-13-15-86) and veteran IHL sniper Dave Michayluk (26-8-7-15-10). The Pittsburgh Penguins have not yet given up hope on defenseman Greg Andrusak (45-6-27-33-86), who has been reassigned on loan to the Detroit Vipers. Yearning for a strong second half are Atlanta and Houston (RW Vadim Slivchenko, 51-19-18-37-30 - a Ukrainian version of Theo Fleury).
Over in the Midwest, the Milwaukee Admirals (C Mike Tomlak, 46-5-16-21-30, C Tony Hrkac, 17-4-17-21-6, and Garry Gulash, 3-0-0-0-4) are being dogged by the Chicago Wolves (RW Greg Pankewicz, 17-4-12-16-42, including 28 games with Portland, AHL). Kansas City (D Alex Osadchy, 17-0-4-4-39), the Minnesota Moose and Peoria Rivermen are virtually tied for the next three division slots. Ukrainian Moose include the much-traveled Alexander Godynyuk (25-3-8-11-46 totals with three different minor league clubs) and C Jeff Antonovich (1-0-0-0-2). Ukrainian Rivermen are veteran RW's Greg Paslawski (35-11-14-25-20), Keith Osborne (29-10-14-24-18) and D Dan Ratushny (35-6-11-17-35).
The aforementioned Las Vegas Thunder rule the Southwest, as they have for a few years now. Utah is the only team here with any hope, while Los Angeles (C Wayne Strachan, 42-11-18-29-27), San Francisco and Phoenix are clumped together in spots three through five. Among the Ukrainian Roadrunners in Phoenix this season are C Mike Boback (36-13-26-39-17 - second on the team in scoring) and C Gary Shuchuk (19-4-14-18-60). Shuchuk has been up with the parent L.A. Kings for their past 16 games.
Evaluation of Ukrainian pucksters at this stage of their hockey careers:
Prospects: Slivchenko (if size is no factor), Andrusak, Strachan, Shuchuk.
Maybes: Ratushny, Berehowsky, Huska, Osadchy, Pankewicz.
Hangers-on: M.Osborne, Boback, Elynuik, Paslawski, K.Osborne, Tomlak, Hrkac, Michayluk, Godynyuk, Mar-cinyshyn, Antonovich, Gulash.
MINOR UKRAINIAN UTTERINGS: C Antonovich in top 25 league scorers while with Quad City (Colonial League) prior to recall by Moose... GT Sergei Tkachenko top-rated goalie for Central League's Oklahoma City...Notable Ukes in brand new West Coast League: third leading scorer Shawn Ulrich (Alaska) and Steve Dowhy (Bakersfield), check in at eighth...GT Todd Bojcun is Southern League's second-rated goalie; Bojcun between the pipes for West Palm Beach...
Ukrainian minor league profile No. 1
Klimentiev, Sergei
Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres)
Defense
Shoots left
5-11, 200 lbs.
Born: Kyiv, Ukraine, April 5, 1975
Buffalo's fifth round selection, 121st over-all in 1994 entry draft.
| Season | Team | League | GP |
G |
S |
PTS |
PIM |
| 1991-1992 | SVSM Kyiv | CIS Div. III | 42 |
4 |
15 |
19 |
... |
| 1992-1993 | Sokol-Eskulap Kyiv | CIS | 3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| 1993-1994 | Medicine Hat | WHL | 72 |
16 |
26 |
42 |
165 |
| 1994-1995 | Medicine Hat | AHL | 71 |
19 |
45 |
64 |
146 |
| Rochester | AHL | 7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 25, 1996, No. 8, Vol. LXIV
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