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Life in the fast lane Panthers' prospect wanting to taste NHL life again
By Josh Goldfine, Special to CNNSI.com It has all happened pretty quickly for 20-year-old Florida Panther farmhand Denis Shvidki. Just a year removed from junior hockey, Shvidki opened the season with the Panthers before setting a pair of AHL All-Star Game records earlier this month. One of the most skilled offensive prospects in the game, Shvidki started his hockey career at the age of nine and moved away from home to play in another part of his native Russia just five years later. Panthers Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher recalls that the youngster’s rare offensive talents were evident back then. “He was a kid that we liked as a 15-year-old at a tournament in Sweden,” Fletcher says. “He represented Russia for several years and was always one of, if not the best player in his age group.” Shvidki, who won a Silver Medal for Russia at the 1998 World Junior Championships and a Gold Medal in the same tournament the following year, finished third in scoring for Barrie of the Ontario Hockey League with 35-59-94 in 61 games during the1998-99 season. For a young player coming over to a foreign country, it was not an easy transition for Shvidki, both on the ice and off. “It was a new area, a new life for me with new people and a new language,” he recalls. “Everything was new. But, I was dreaming of the NHL since I was young. That’s why I came over here. It’s hard at the beginning, though. You’re like, ‘What am I doing here?’ You hardly know what’s going on sometimes.” Shvidki’s acceptance of North American customs and the English language (remarkably, he is nearly fluent) took a bit longer than his mastery of OHL goaltenders. Slowly but surely, though, he assimilated himself into society in Barrie. Having his mother and sister join him for the second half of that first season certainly helped Shvidki to overcome the frequent waves of homesickness.
“It was great having them here,” he recalls. “I want to bring my whole family here some day. It’s an easier life over here than in Russia.” Shvidki’s North American debut was enough to convince Fletcher and the rest of the Panthers brass that the 6-foot, 195-pound Russian was worthy of the 12th overall selection in the 1999 NHL draft. “It was a big surprise when Florida drafted me,” said Shvidki. “They talked to me before draft day, but they thought they wouldn’t have a chance to draft me. It was a good surprise. It’s a good team in a nice area.” Shvidki made the organization’s choice look particularly shrewd by tearing apart the OHL in his second season. He placed fourth in the league in scoring with 41-65-106 in 61 games for Barrie, ranked seventh in goals, second in assists and fourth in plus/minus (+46). That performance, combined with an impressive training camp, convinced the Panthers that Shvidki may have been ready to make that rare jump from Juniors to the NHL. He did end up making the leap and scored his first career goal against Carolina on November 14. But, just four points in 20 games with the big club meant a ticket to Louisville of the American Hockey League shortly thereafter. Fletcher says that such a move was to be expected. “It’s a difficult transition, and we haven’t had many players do it successfully” he explains. “Ice time is usually an issue, and he was only playing 8-10 minutes a game in Florida. We wanted him to play 20-25 minutes, maybe more, and be a big fish in a small pond in Louisville.” Shvidki has done his part in the minors by posting 12-10-22 numbers in his first 27 games and earning a spot in the mid-season All-Star Game. The selection caught Shvidki off-guard. “It was a surprise for me, since I had only played about 20 games,” he says. “I asked everyone how the game worked, and they all said to have fun. For me, though, every game is serious.” Shvidki matched his attitude with his performance by setting AHL All-Star game records with four assists and five points in PlanetUSA’s 11-10 loss to the Canadian All-Stars. Fletcher acknowledges that Shvidki’s time in the minors may be coming to a permanent conclusion. “He just needs to play more,” says Fletcher. “He is working on his play away from the puck and being more responsible in his own zone. He had always been the best player on his team and had a tendency, like many top Junior players, to carry the puck too often. He is gaining confidence and shouldn’t be in the [American Hockey] League for long.”
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