Thousands of miles away from his home, unfamiliar with the United States and even North America as a whole, Mikhail Yegorov moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 2023 to continue his hockey career. Within a year he has made a home away from home and grown as a hockey player.
“It turned out to be a really great spot for me,” Yegorov shared. “People care about me with this team. For a young guy who moved away from home and not knowing anybody or anything in North America, it’s really important to meet those people and Omaha gave me those (people). The organization is great, we’re treated amazingly. The coaching staff and everybody there are always there for me. My goalie coach, head coach, and my billet family played a big part in that. I found a really good spot to live in.
“Everything got together starting from on-ice stuff and off-ice too … It’s meant to be.”
The support and resources of his team, the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, helped Yegorov grow his game. Last season, the 18-year-old played 43 games for the Lancers. During that year he adapted his game to be effective in North America and reworked his on-ice performance.
“Coming into North America I was more of a young goalie, inexperienced, and too excited,” Yegorov explained. “Playing more on reflexes. Not knowing North American hockey didn’t help either. As I started playing more, getting more time, understanding different aspects of the game in North America, and working with my goalie coach on an every day basis, it really helped just to set my feet and see my strength, be more experienced, be more calm with this, and take a little bit different approach with the game.”
The hard work paid off. After his first season in North America, Yegorov was selected in the second round (49th overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils. In fact, the Devils traded up to grab the 6-foot-5 goaltender while he was still on the board. That moment was a monumental step in Yegorov’s journey which started in Russia and has brought him halfway across the world. It was also a moment he shared with his family as Yegorov returned to Moscow after the NHL Combine to watch the draft with his family.
“I decided to go home for the Draft because it was really important for me to share this moment with people that I love,” Yegorov recounted. “My dad, my mom, my sister, they all were there. I pulled up the live draft stream. It was actually funny because I had a little bit of a delay and I got a call from one of my advisors and because New Jersey traded for the pick, I still had Utah Hockey Club pick up as the 49th pick.
“I didn’t pick (the call) up because I wanted to see it on the screen all on my own and with my family,” Yegorov continued. “I kind of spoiled everything but to see New Jersey trading for a pick and picking me right away was an incredible feeling. It was a great night. It was probably around 6 p.m. in Moscow. My mom prepared some dishes that I liked and we just spent time together. It was really important for me.”
His second year in Omaha is off to a promising start. Yegorov was named the USHL Goalie of the Week in mid-October after leading the league with a .982 save percentage and a 0.50 goals-against-average during a pair of games that week. Yegorov also picked up his second shutout of the season during that span.
As the season continues on for Yegorov, who is averaging 2.97 goals-against and has an .893 save percentage through eight games played, he has two goals in mind for this season: one on the ice, and one off the ice.
“Right now my goal on the ice is to get to the playoffs and lead Omaha Lancers as a true leader,” Yegorov shared. “There are different kind of leaders obviously but (I want to) be the one who shows the team the (hard) work, is always there for the team, and brings the result. I think it’s really important for me and can be a huge step for me.
“Off the ice, obviously I just want to grow as a person even more, be more conscious and more mature,” Yegorov continued. “Do everything I can to grow and become even more grown up. These are just two goals I want to achieve … right now I want to be a good person, I want to be a good hockey player.”
Photo credit: Omaha Lancers
