Ilya Samsonov was Washington’s first round draft selection precedes him in his anticipated start in Hershey this season. Photo via NHL.com.
Hershey’s biggest new player is starting between the pipes in Chocolatetown next season. Ilya Samsonov was drafted 22nd overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by Washington, and was confirmed to be at least starting this coming season with the Bears by Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. With the promotion of Pheonix Copley to the NHL in wake of the Philipp Grubauer trade, Samsonov’s time to shine at the AHL level is now.Samsonov, 21, weighs in at 6’3, 201 pounds, which is considerable for a goaltender. He was signed to an entry level deal that pulls him away from Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL and likely puts him third on the depth chart for Washington. Adjusting to the smaller North American rinks and style of the AHL may prove to be a challenge for the young netminder, but Samsonov has already shown to be up to the task in his young career.
As the video demonstrates, Samsonov has quick reflexes and moves quickly in the net to make ten bell saves, somewhat reminiscent of fellow Hershey goalie Vitek Vanecek in many ways. Samsonov has had limited experience playing in the World Juniors for Team Russia in addition to playing with Metallurg for the last three seasons. At 6’3, he has size and agility in the crease, two aspects that are incredibly important in today’s pro ranks. Bears fans have seen the importance of size in goal as Samsonov is relatively similar to Pheonix Copley in goal.
Samsonov has posted a 2.31 GAA or lower in his last three seasons with Metallurg (2.31 last season, 2.13 in 2016-17, and 2.04 in 2015-16) as well as a .925 save percentage as well (.926 last season, .935 in 2016-17, and .925 in 2015-16) which are all excellent numbers for a young goaltender. Metallurg won the KHL championship in 2015-16, and lost in the finals in 2016-17. Samsonov has 14 games of playoff experience under his belt with Metallurg in three seasons.
Aside from the rink size difference that a number of players Washington signed will have to adapt to, Samsonov’s biggest hurdle will likely be the language barrier. So far the young netminder has spoken through a translator, but will need to adapt in order to effectively communicate with his defenders similar to Vitek Vanecek when he played his first full season with the Bears in 2016-17.
Samsonov was widely regarded as the best goaltender not playing in North America last season, and it’s easy to see why. He’s a dynamic young goaltender with all the tools to become an NHL starter eventually, and figures to be a key piece of Hershey’s lineup for the 2018-19 season when we will get to see how his game translates to the AHL level. Having a high caliber duo of Samsonov and Vanecek will be the one-two punch the Bears need against the highly competitive Atlantic Division, and as the Bears learned a couple years ago when they brought back Copley, can mean all the different between winning and losing.
More Player Profiles:
Hershey Bears Hockey Nation 