Habs Prospect Has Strong Start to VHL Season

Volokhin didn’t start in Khimik’s season opener, but after getting the start on Sunday, he had a very solid performance by stopping 33 of 35 shots in a 4-2 victory.
Throughout the game, Volokhin seemed very calm and poised with his movements. @Hockeyserenity on Twitter put together a video to show highlights from his first VHL game of the season, and one thing that was noticeable during that game is that he needs to work a little on his rebound control going forward, as both goals he allowed were from struggling with rebound control.

The good news is that rebound is very fixable, especially when the goaltender has good positioning to begin with. The 6’3  goaltender stood strong in his crease as he managed to cover all angles for the shots he faced.

Volokhin was tested a lot more during the 3rd period, and as a result, by only allowing one goal, he helped secure the win for his team, which was also his first career win in the VHL. However, he did win a few games with HK Sochi of the KHL last year, so this win may not be seen as impressive. The reality is that Volokhin’s win yesterday was a new step in his development through the Russian hockey system. If he continues to have more games like he had on Sunday, Volokhin will likely get another shot to play in the KHL sooner rather than later. Hopefully, this time it will be with Moscow Spartak. Playing for a team like HK Sochi was definitely a challenge for the 19-year-old Volokhin, who was often left out to dry while playing on the weakest team in the entire KHL.

Last season, he likely should have played more than just 2 games in the VHL, as he was too dominant in the MHL, where he had two seasons with a .938 and .931 save percentage in the Russian Junior league. However, he also wasn’t ready to play for Moscow Spartak just yet, either. Nonetheless, playing with Sochi definitely gave Volokhin experience of playing in arguably the 2nd best hockey league in the world.

By playing in a higher league last season, Volokhin may have more confidence than he had a year ago, which could help him win more games as a whole. As mentioned before, confidence is something very key when being a goalie.

Hopefully, Volokhin continues to build confidence with Khimik Voskresensk throughout his starts and gets back to the KHL to show just how good a goaltender he can be in the near future. Volokhin seems like he has the potential to at least see a few NHL games so far, but to get there, he will need to continue to just follow the steps and build his game as a whole.