From Russia with love, via Moscow to Frankfurt to Vancouver to Victoria. And not without some regrets, about not being able to stick in the pro KHL, and now with much jet lag to get over.
Vladimir Bobylev said he was wide awake at 3 a.m. Sunday, staring at the ceiling of his old-now-new-again billet bedroom. At least there was lot to think about as he whiled away the sleepless hours before his first practice back in the Western Hockey League with the Victoria Royals on Monday morning.
Bobylev returns to the Royals lineup tonight against the Portland Winterhawks at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the first contest of a three-game homestand before the Christmas break, which also includes another meeting against Portland on Wednesday before closing out against the Vancouver Giants on Saturday.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited. I missed the boys,鈥� said Bobylev, a 19-year-old native of Lipetsk, Russia.
That last word he said, 鈥渂oys,鈥� might be instructive as Bobylev returns to junior hockey following his first stab at the pros, in which the 19-year-old had a goal and assist in 20 KHL games before being released by Moscow Spartak following a short stint in their minor-pro system.
He鈥檚 excited even if the jump to the pro game didn鈥檛 work out, at least for now.
鈥淭here were some hard questions and tough decisions,鈥� said Bobylev about being demoted, which is tough on the psyche of every player.
But there was some sweet to the bitter.
鈥淭hey were big [players in the KHL] and it was a good experience for me to play with skilled and smart players like that,鈥� said Bobylev.
Players who were men, not boys.
鈥淚 only got six or seven minutes each game to play. And I was on the last line and I had to hit every guy [play physically],鈥� he added.
But there is more to Bobylev鈥檚 game than that, as his 28 goals and 67 points last season in Victoria attest. That caught the attention of the pros and Bobylev was taken in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Bobylev said the Leafs want to see him get ice time, even back in junior, rather than languish on a pro bench in Russia.
The Royals are happy to offer the six-foot-two, 202-pounder that opportunity. Why wouldn鈥檛 they be? This is a significant turn of events for the Victoria club, which is 16-14-3.
鈥淲e鈥檙e getting an experienced, bigger guy back who scored 28 goals last season and also led our team in fighting majors,鈥� said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
鈥淗e has the ability to score goals and also play a heavier game. [Bobylev] really complements our group.鈥�
It鈥檚 a group that went 2-2-1 on a recent road trip despite missing Anaheim Ducks-drafted sniper Tyler Soy, forward Blake Bargar and 2017 NHL draft-projected defenceman Scott Walford to injury (all listed Monday afternoon as out another 1-2 weeks with upper-body issues). Captain and veteran blue-liner Ryan Gagnon also missed most of the road swing, due to a four-game suspension that ends Wednesday. Add those players and Bobylev to the mix, and the Royals will be greatly enhanced for the second part of the season.
Bobylev said Lowry stressed Monday that individual success only follows team success: 鈥淗e told me to think team, and don鈥檛 play for myself.鈥�
Look for last season鈥檚 successful line of Bobylev, Soy and Jack Walker to eventually be reunited.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping after Christmas to be playing back together,鈥� said Bobylev.
Culturally, Bobylev noted his English might have regressed a bit because of only speaking Russian the past five months, and he seemed a bit rusty expressing himself in his first media scrum Monday after his return. But he was slowly rolling back into linguistic form by the end, pointing out his cracked two front teeth he got as going away gift from Russian hockey when the puck accidently came up and rattled them during his final practice last week in the minor-pro VHL.
Each WHL team is allowed to carry two European imports. The Royals have played with only one so far this season, defenceman Marsel Ibragimov, and have a roster spot open for Bobylev.
The Royals鈥� two Russian players billet together in Victoria and have become good friends.
鈥淗e [Ibragimov] missed me,鈥� quipped Bobylev, with a chuckle.
So did the rest of the Royals.
鈥淚 want to help the team make the playoffs and make a [Memorial Cup] push,鈥� said Bobylev.
He definitely looks to have the requisite goals, and hits, in his arsenal to help in that quest.
Portland will provide a stiff first challenge tonight on Bobylev鈥檚 return. The Winterhawks (18-13-1) managed to pull out of a nine-consecutive-loss freefall to go 10-1-1 in their last 12 games.
