How team's didn't give this guy a contract is beyond me. At the worst, his skating will limit him to the AHL. At best he makes significant strides and is an absolute beast to handle on the bottom 6.
How team's didn't give this guy a contract is beyond me. At the worst, his skating will limit him to the AHL. At best he makes significant strides and is an absolute beast to handle on the bottom 6.
Isn't the last time he was eligible to be signed as a free agent a year and a half ago? At that point Yegor was carrying a lot more fat, skating very sluggishly, and had a more hunched posture. I think teams looked at him and saw a guy that didn't have the build to become a pro athlete.
Isn't the last time he was eligible to be signed as a free agent a year and a half ago? At that point Yegor was carrying a lot more fat, skating very sluggishly, and had a more hunched posture. I think teams looked at him and saw a guy that didn't have the build to become a pro athlete.
His last Columbus camp he was actually very noticeable and thought an offer was coming. He had scored at a goal per game pace through Traverse city prospect tournament, was invited to main camp and actually played in an exhibition game in the NHL pre season. Was kept around a day or two after all other junior players were sent back to junior and with Columbus lack of prospects and picks thought an offer was coming. It never happened obviously, he came back to Cape Breton with a huge chip on his shoulder and a few personal goals (world Juniors, 50 goals and to be drafted).
This kid is a PLAYER. Wow. And Sens chief scout Trent Mann (y'all best learn that name soon) was just on the radio and reiterated his FULL confidence that Sokolov was going to score goals in NHL someday, bottom line.
Ive been following him fairly closely since the draft because of the cool stories about him being a super likeable and nice kid. And knowing his story (ie being passed over twice), and being stuck in Canada with his billet family due to covid - but that video of his billet mom grabbing him and bear hugging him when the Sens announced his name (in the 2nd freaking round no less!!) pretty much brought a tear to my eye.
Maybe its the fact that Im dating a Russian girl right now, or because the Sens are loaded with lovable Russians like Zub and Sokolov. Or because of the doc-series I watched on the Russian monarchy recently... But Im all about the Russkies these days.
За нашу дружбу!
Yet no one signed him...Except Ottawa after they drafted him...So who really gave him a shot??To be fair the sens weren't even the first team to discover him and give him a shot.
Nobody gave him a shot, he worked hard and improved his game to earn his shot. He was a fairly high ranked prospect slated to be a 2nd to 4th round pick. If Ottawa didn't draft him someone else would have.Yet no one signed him...Except Ottawa after they drafted him...So who really gave him a shot??
I heard on draft day that Ottawa,s management was asking his former teammate Batherson about him....And u are right Soko had the right attitude and desire to get better,which the most important part for any player wanting to make the NHL one dayNobody gave him a shot, he worked hard and improved his game to earn his shot. He was a fairly high ranked prospect slated to be a 2nd to 4th round pick. If Ottawa didn't draft him someone else would have.