The Albany River Rats are not off to a good start to the 2003-04 season. After the first nine games, the River Rats have only recorded two wins, two ties, and one over-time loss, and find themselves at the bottom of the East Division of the AHL. But while the River Rats continue to struggle, several rookies and prospects are already making an impact, and this time we will introduce two young Russian forwards, and also take a brief look at the River Rats’ goaltending woes.

Young Russian rookie right wing Aleksander Suglobov (8 games played, 3 goals, 3 assists) has seemingly had little trouble adjusting to North American hockey. In the games he has played, Suglobov has already displayed plenty of speed and excellent puck handling skills. With the River Rats, the 21-year-old Suglobov is receiving a ton of icetime, and is also seeing time on special teams. On the power play, Suglobov has sometimes been playing the point, unleashing what is a deadly but still fairly inaccurate shot. At times, the very intense Suglobov will carry the puck for too long in the offensive zone, trying to create plays completely on his own instead of passing to better placed teammates. However, this lack of on-ice vision should be possible to improve on with more experience and ice time.

Although he is a new face on the River Rats, Russian right wing Maxim Balmochnykh (4 games played, 1 goal, 1 assist) is not new to North America or to the AHL, having previously played for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. After spending the last year in Russia, the 24-year-old Balmochnykh appeared at training camp for the New Jersey Devils this past September, only to disappear again before the season began. Many thought they had seen the last of the feisty winger, but news finally broke of a personal family tragedy that had forced Balmochnykh’s return to Russia. In the few games that he has played since his return, Balmochnykh has shown that he is a terrific skater with excellent speed, great puck handling skills, soft hands, and a fiery attitude to go along with it.

On the other end of the ice, the River Rats have found themselves in a bit of trouble. Finnish goaltending prospect Ari Ahonen underwent arthroscopic surgery sometime in late September or early October to repair an undisclosed knee injury. Ahonen is believed to be returning to play sometime in November. In his absence, 26-year-old Scott Clemmensen has been the only goaltender in the AHL to start every single game for his team. Despite getting pummeled by an average of over 29 shots per game, Clemmensen stands with a respectable 0.910 save percentage.

In the December update, we will take a look at the progress of a couple of Finnish forwards, and a talented young Canadian center.

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