April 1, 2000

Unnoticed as a junior but in the spotlight as a senior player: ALEXEY KOZNEV

The history of world hockey had seen many examples of players who were considered as the brightest prospects at the junior level but didn’t manage to grow into stars or even decent players at the senior level and vice versa.

There aren’t many athletes who transformed from "ugly duckling" into "beautiful swan". There are many different reasons for that: A lack of bent for senior level hockey including hardwork and patience. I do not know exactly how things are with such athletes in many hockey-playing countries, but here in Russia a pool of young and senior prospects could be much richer if this country had something similar to the North American university hockey system.

Just to give you a brief idea of what I’m driving at, imagine the situation when a child at the age of six was sent by parents to a hockey school such as Dynamo Moscow or Khimik Voskresensk. They predetermined his destiny. So he attended it until 16-17 years old and of course had the chance to earn enough ice time to progress in his hockey talent mainly with his junior teammates of the same age. At the age of 17 he is already a graduate. What shall he do after that?

Of course the coaches will select the most talented ones, usually not less than two or three of the brightest prospects, who will make their pro hockey career in their local club team. As for the rest of the athletes, it’s up to them whether to wait for their lucky chance of joining its local club team next year (if there will be a need for theirs service) or just quit with pro hockey. For example there are lots of graduates of Dynamo Moscow who were born in 1976, 77 or 78 who have still not been called up by a club. Each age group may consist of about 100 players. Some of them may be acquired by other teams. Sometimes their hockey teachers pull strings for the guys whom they consider may turn out to be gifted in two or three years. They send them to their hockey friends who work with the clubs of the Russian senior league.

The most disappointing thing about all this is that many of these gifted players may forget quite soon the precious experience of team playing. Each human being is individual in its development. One may already reach 1.90 cm in height at the age of 17 and never grow a centimeter more while another and the other goes on to add in height each year until age 25. The same thing is true with the development of athletes. There are no boundaries for the realization of the human potential. Where is the guarantee that there wasn’t another Bure, Fedorov or Samsonov among all those young graduates?

Alexei Koznev, a native of Cherepovets and a product of its hockey school, is the brightest example of the case I’ve just described. He graduated at the age of 17, and since there were not enough good players to make the lineup of his local club team due to the recent mass departure for North America and other countries he was invited to join the senior team of Severstal Cherepovets in the 1992/93 season.

So he played for his local club team for three years running, but the coaches considered him as having no prospects. They never recommended him for the Russia Junior Team. Imagine what it must mean for a player whose heart thoroughly belonged to hockey. Alexei had to look for a way out of the situation because he didn’t want to quit hockey. Luckily Igor Petrov, an experienced forward and the captain of Severstal, had some good contacts in hockey circles. He made his personal recommendations to the head coach of St. Petersburg SKA, Boris Mikhailov, who soon agreed to putting Koznev in the lineup of his team.

Alexei remembers, "I phoned Boris Mikhailov, who quickly realized the situation I was in and offered me a place on his team."

In 1995-96, his first season for SKA St. Petersburg, he finished with 10 goals, 6 assists and 16 points in 50 games. The next year he already managed to earn the title of the best scorer of SKA, leaving behind such experienced players as Alexander Zybin, Yevgeny Shastin and Alexander Belyakov. He was the first on his team in points for the next two years running. Since that moment many hockey specialists, analysts and observers paid attention to this prominent forward.

Alexei is an excellent skater… has deceptive quickness with the puck and can rush end-to-end… a creative goal scorer with a quick shot … plays with intensity and is always involved in the play … has good vision and excellent hockey sense … a hard working forward … a finesse player … a team player.

When asked what shortcomings he can find in his play he says, "I think that there are no evident gaps in my hockey education though without any doubt I never stop polishing many aspects of my play. As for my principle shortcoming I desire to score each year more and more goals. I still need to learn how to use each scoring chance created by my teammates. I want to be more cool and confident."

On the question why he is the second on his team in penalty minutes Alexei says, " Actually I do not like a rough game though I may demonstrate an effective body-check and be involved in fighting. After all I am the captain of my team."

Yes, this 24-year-old forward is a leader on the ice. He accepted the role of team captain during the 1999/00 season and made a great progress in his play.

Alexei became a fan favourite of the St. Petersburg crowd. The appearance on the ice of the player who wears # 9 on his jersey is always greeted with a vociferous cry and loud ovation, and the captain knows how to thank his home crowd for it. The frequent visitors of the Yubileiny Ice Palace, the club arena of SKA St. Petersburg, got accustomed to the effective play of the first scoring line consisted of Boltunov- Koznev- Matveichuk. The fans know that #9 will do his best on the ice. This season he demonstrated an exceptionally good play. He had a scoring streak of 4 games with 4 goals. Alexei finished eighth in the top ten of the Russian league‘s snipers race with 16 goals.

Moreover, this season he made his pro debut on the roster of Team Russia and he is a candidate for playing in the World Championships which will be held on the home ice of his team SKA St. Petersburg.

When asked about his plans for future he says, " First of all to become a full member of Team Russia and then try myself somewhere overseas."

On the question of if he has ever been invited for a tryout by any North American team he answered, " Not yet but I believe it will happen one day."

Why not? Though he has never been noticed by NHL scouts, this 24-year-old forward has a real chance to enter this draft year without being rated by the NHL’s Scouting Bureau. The history of the NHL knows the cases when even older players have been drafted by NHL teams - like Soviet hockey veteran Helmut Balderis.