The team's 2019 second round draft selection had been playing with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), however, due to the rise of COVID-19, the league opted to forego the remainder of their regular season and move straight to their playoffs with the standings where they rested at the Olympic pause. Torpedo was on the outside looking in, effectively ending the 22-year-old's season in Russia and allowing the Canes to get him stateside.
"Getting him to North America and getting him accustomed to the size of the rink and style of play is going to put him a little bit further ahead than if he didn't have this opportunity," Canes Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke shared regarding the assignment. "Everything happens a bit quicker here, the shot locations are a little bit different. We're thrilled that we're able to capitalize and get him here sooner than expected."
Kochetkov signed a two-year contract in May of 2021 before being loaned back to his native country. Finishing the KHL regular season tied for the sixth-best save percentage on a non-playoff team is quite the feather in the cap for the #36, especially at his young age.
"He's an incredibly athletic goalie, first and foremost," Yorke continued. "He does a nice job using his quickness to go from side-to-side. He reads the game very well though, so he doesn't have to rely on his quickness. His ability to see the game and aniticpate the side-to-side passes before they're happening is a big strength of his."
Kochetkov now joins a crowded crease in Chicago, where the Wolves also carry Alex Lyon, Jack LaFontaine and albeit not healthy at the moment, Eetu Makiniemi. Lyon, who has earned points for the Canes in a pair of outings this season, currently touts the third best goals against average (GAA) in the American Hockey League at 2.16. One of the two goalies ahead of him? Eetu Makiniemi, who has a 2.06 GAA and ranks sixth in save percentage (SV%) at .922. Makiniemi, who signed his contract the same day as Kochetkov last May, is also in his first season playing professionally in North America.
"With Pyotr, Jack, Eetu and Alex, we're benefitting from having lots of goalies and that allows us to evaluate them on a day-by-day basis. The great thing is Chicago is very a deep team and we expect them to have a deep run in the playoffs, which will allow all of these goalies ample time to play in meaningful games," Yorke concluded with.
The addition certainly only bolsters the goaltending depth of the organization, which also touts Beck Warm and Dylan Wells after the above listed quartet.
Chicago's next scheduled games are Saturday and Sunday, when they host Iowa.
Worth A Click:
Canes To Host Stadium Series Game at Carter-Finley In 2023
Going Outside: More On The Canes Outdoor Game
Hurricanes February Schedule
