On a recent June morning, Roman Kantserov and I were already in conversation when interpreter Vika Bulakhava joined the Zoom call. Bulakhava waited in silence, her camera off, as Kantserov and I finished speaking in English.<\/p>\n
For the last three years, Bulakhava has been kind enough to interpret my English and Kantserov\u2019s Russian in interviews. The three of us got on a call after Kantserov\u2019s 2023-24 KHL season in Russia, his 2024-25 season and, most recently, his 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
With each year, Bulakhava has had to interpret less and less. After waiting a few minutes while listening to Kantserov speak English this time around, she finally jumped in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was curious if I was even needed here,\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
It was another sign of just how far Kantserov has come since the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him in the 2023 second round. On and off the ice over the last three years, Kantserov has done everything he can to prepare for the NHL. From learning English to becoming one of the KHL\u2019s best-ever young offensive players<\/a>, he\u2019s been putting the work in. Now, he\u2019s fully prepared to embark on that path after recently signing an entry-level contract<\/a> with the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes in my home, you are thinking about this, you are watching the NHL clips, and you think, yeah, maybe I can do the same things, same stuff on ice,\u201d the 21-year-old Kantserov said in English. \u201cSometimes I feel confident. It was not easy (to leave the KHL and Russia), but it\u2019s not too hard. Of course, it\u2019s my home, but I want to play in best league all the world. I am very proud to sign this contract.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blackhawks are just as ecstatic. General manager Kyle Davidson did everything he thought he could this season to assure Kantserov that the organization thinks highly of him and that there would be an NHL spot waiting for him after his KHL contract expired. But as Davidson put it, \u201cYou never know until it\u2019s a done deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Kantserov\u2019s three-year deal includes everything the Blackhawks needed to sign him: bonuses and a clause that allows him to return to Russia if he wants. It\u2019s similar to what Artemi Panarin got when he signed from the KHL to join the Blackhawks. And like with Panarin\u2019s deal, Chicago isn\u2019t concerned with what\u2019s included. Davidson is confident Kantserov is worth it.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a major piece that we\u2019re just really, really excited about,\u201d Davidson said. \u201cHave a lot of faith in what he\u2019s going to do for us.\u201d<\/p>\n Kantserov has watched many NHL games and heard plenty about the league from his Metallurg Magnitogorsk teammates who played in it. He understands it\u2019s on another level from the KHL, and he has tried to prepare. As he compiled a KHL-best 36 goals in 63 games this season, his mindset was to produce like an NHLer.<\/p>\n \u201cMy teammates tell me, Roman, the NHL is a different league,\u201d Kantserov said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s faster, stronger. You need to think faster. I\u2019m staying on practice for extra time and, yeah, I\u2019m trying to shoot faster, quick shots and trying practice on this stuff. If we\u2019re talking about playing the bumper (on the power play), I\u2019m trying to shoot a one-timer and not moving the puck because I\u2019m losing time. I understand it\u2019s a different league. It should be like this game. I understand that it\u2019s going to be fast, so I tried to do everything quickly, even in my league.\u201d<\/p>\n Kantserov\u2019s work on the bumper is one reason the Blackhawks believe his game will translate. Kantserov studied NHL players who have played the bumper, such as Brayden Point, Evgenii Dadonov and Ivan Barbashev, and sought to understand what made them so effective. He saw them battling for pucks on the wall, tipping pucks in the slot, shooting one-timers and supporting their teammates. Those are among the things he practiced and executed, but he also discovered that his brain fits the position.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I can read the game,\u201d Kantserov said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how to explain it. I want to say that I just have an understanding of the game on the bumper. I watched a lot of training, and the first experience turned out to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill can visualize Kantserov\u2019s potential there in the NHL.<\/p>\n \u201cI definitely see him as getting the opportunity right away to play that bumper spot on the power play,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cThat\u2019s a unique position that some guys do really well at, and some guys don\u2019t. Part of it is some guys don\u2019t buy into it right away and don\u2019t like it right away. It takes a while to kind of learn it and understand how effective it can be.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Roman, you can tell that he\u2019s really, really studied it, really bought into it. Because I thought he was really, really good at finding little quiet areas, knowing how to slide in and out of the bumper, which is a big deal now in today\u2019s power plays. I think the static bumper is fine, but guys that can slide in and out make your power play that much more dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n Kantserov had been in touch with Davidson and his staff throughout this past season. But as soon as Kantserov signed his NHL contract, he began hearing from his new teammates, Connor Bedard among them. Kantserov said Bedard congratulated him and looked forward to meeting him later this summer.<\/p>\n Asked about the possibility of playing with Bedard, Kantserov was quick to acknowledge that it would be Blashill\u2019s decision, and he was happy to play wherever. But if he did get a chance to play with Bedard, Kantserov thought it\u2019d be important to stick to his own game.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he\u2019s going to play with Bedard, it\u2019s to make sure that he\u2019s not playing under him, but actually playing his own game,\u201d Bulakhava interpreted for Kantserov. \u201cAnd not missing the chances to shoot the puck and to play with the puck. But he\u2019s open to wherever role it\u2019s gonna be on the team, so he doesn\u2019t have really much expectations. Wherever it will be, that will be.\u201d<\/p>\n Blashill said he anticipates Kantserov to play in a top-six role. He also thinks Kantserov will likely play on the wing based on the rest of the Blackhawks\u2019 roster.<\/p>\n \u201cI had Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg who would play center, but then at times they would play together, and when those guys played together, it didn\u2019t matter who was the center,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cAnd so, whoever I piece Roman with, it\u2019s not gonna matter who\u2019s the center. They\u2019re both gonna spend time down low in D-zone coverage. They\u2019re both gonna spend time in the middle of the ice. I think Roman\u2019s skill set, he can be equally as good at wing as at center and vice versa. I just think it\u2019s great to be able to add somebody with that type of versatility, but yet that type of high-end skill set.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from his future teammates, Kantserov also heard from Artem Anisimov, who is Russian, played for the Blackhawks and settled in Chicago after his NHL career. Anisimov told Kantserov to reach out if he ever needed anything. Anisimov also had Kantserov over for dinner when Kantserov attended the Blackhawks development camp a few years ago.<\/p>\n Kantserov is grateful for Anisimov and any help he gets from the Blackhawks and his agent in his transition from Russia to Chicago. Kantserov\u2019s father will come live with him in Chicago for a few months. Kantserov also said he previously met Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who speaks Russian, and hoped to connect with fellow Russian Ilya Mikheyev if he re-signs with the Blackhawks.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to ask about life in Chicago, where to maybe going to the Russian shop, buy for the potato meal,\u201d Kantserov said and laughed.<\/p>\n Before Kantserov arrives in Chicago, he will travel to Stamford, Conn., to train with other NHL players in late June. He plans to get to Chicago in August.<\/p>\n Kantserov hopes to immerse himself in North America over the coming months and not feel like he\u2019s alone when his father has to return to Russia. He wants to get comfortable with everything from driving to just hanging out with his teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then when my dad comes back to Russia, I can walk with guys, we can go on the street, going on a weekend, maybe for the barbecue,\u201d Kantersov said. \u201cI just need talking. I just need to not be closing in my apartment and sitting in my room, just I\u2019m alone. Yeah, going with guys, walking, of course, buy something. Right now, Russia sanctions, and I can\u2019t buy clothes there, you know, Nike, Adidas, right now in Russia. No shops with this brand. \u2026 Maybe I\u2019m just watching different things and different stuff. I think you understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Kantserov spoke in English for the majority of the interview. He understood nearly everything and used the interpreter only to clarify something he or I said. Davidson said the Blackhawks didn\u2019t plan on having an interpreter for Kantserov because his English had come so far.<\/p>\n One of the differences for Kantserov in North America will be the use of hockey nicknames. Kantserov\u2019s first introduction to it was from Luke Johnson, a former Blackhawks player, in the KHL when he arrived to play for Metallurg.<\/p>\n \u201cMy first year, import guy coming to us, Luke Johnson, he say, you can call me LJ,\u201d Kantserov said. \u201cI heard about this first time. Because in Russia, you know, we have the first name and you can every time scream on the ice. You can scream first name, and everyone understands you. But hockey nickname, I don\u2019t know, maybe just Roman or something else, RK. It\u2019s interesting. Maybe in the future I can create my nickname, but right now, I\u2019m not ready for this.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, though, Kantserov does feel ready for the next step. He said it helps that the Blackhawks are so young. It\u2019d be different if he were joining an older and more established team.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s excited to join because it\u2019s a great moment to join the team because they can grow together and they can develop together,\u201d Bulakhava interpreted for Kantserov. \u201cIf you look at the current Stanley Cup Final, where the teams are established and guys go through five-or-so-year cycles, it\u2019s very hard to get inside of that system and get established and get your own role there. So he\u2019s thinking it will be easier for him to join the Blackhawks, where the team is going through the rebuild, and he can play a significant role on the team and help the team moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a recent June morning, Roman Kantserov and I were already in conversation when interpreter Vika Bulakhava joined…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[4824,385,99],"class_list":["post-695412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-chicago-blackhawks","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}