October 21, 2000

Prime Time for Alexander Frolov

Alexander Frolov
Torpedo Yaroslavl
19.06.82
191
87

Who is that guy living next door to you? That's the question which interested many hockey fans and experts at the 2000 Junior World Championships for Under-18 teams when they have been amazed by the very impressive 5 goal streak produced by the guy from Team Russia in just four games.

His name is Frolov. Now Alexander is Los Angeles' 20 overall choice of the 2000 Entry Draft with a much promising hockey future.

At the age of six, he was sent by his parents to the hockey school of Spartak Moscow. Vladimir Kuznetsov, his first coach, has managed to select this gifted boy among the dozens of others. He is the one who presented this skillful player to the coaches of the junior Team Russia.

This crafty left winger already gives indications of being an NHL-caliber sniper. He is a brilliant skater and a prolific goal score. He's good in front of the net, a fierce competitor and has deceptive quickness with the puck.

Though Alexander is still young, he has already been playing for three distinguished senior-level teams of different Russian hockey leagues.

He made his pro debut in 1998/1999 with Spartak Moscow. In March of 1999 the players of the senior club team refused to step onto the ice until the moment they would get their salaries. Spartak Moscow, at that time, was stuck in a very difficult financial situation. The team was on the brink of poverty. So the governing body of the club offered the juniors of its hockey school to replace the players who were refusing to play. Alexander Frolov was one of the juniors who stepped onto the ice that time in the game against the seniors of Neftyanik Almetyevsk. The Spartak lost 1:7 but one must note that there was no goal allowed when Frolov was on the ice. He was only 16 years old at the time. Soon there was an end to the money squabbles and the players on strike got their salaries. Alexander has been forced to watch the game from the bench but he simply preferred to go on playing for Spartak-2 in order to keep himself in top shape.

At the age of 17 he, left Moscow for Yaroslavl where he hoped to make the roster of Lokomotive. There have been lots of talks in the mass media and hockey circles about his transaction to Yaroslavl but it's still not clear why he has been benched by the coach of Lokomotive. Every coach sees the game from the different angle. He selects the players for the specific model of his team's play. It's still difficult for Alexamder to comment that situation. As a result he has ended that season with the farm team Lokomotive-2.

Despite all the failures in his yet relatively short pro hockey career he is still garnering the attention of many hockey specialists and coaches. He has been selected to represent Russia Under-18 team at the 2000 WJC in Switzerland. He has been quite happy with his play there. Five goals scored in only six games is not a bad result!

Now he is at the top of his game and hopes to help his new club, team Krylia Soviets Moscow, to return Russian Hockey Superleague. For him, big hockey life just starts and let's hope he will be the next Eric Lindros.