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The 2004 NHL second overall draft selection Evgeni Malkin is playing in his second World Junior Championships with the Russian team.

The 6’4 185-pound Penguin pick is also playing for the second year for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Russian Superleague. He began to play with men in the Superleague at the age of 16, at the same age as his Team Russia teammate Alexander Ovechkin. Magnitogorsk is in the south part of the Ural Mountains, far away from Moscow, and Malkin was indeed born in that locality.

As an 18-year-old player, he has 20 points (6-14) in 34 games played so far this year in the Russian’s top league. This ranked him in the top 15 scorers of the league before he left for the WJC. He has increased his production from last year’s 12 points (3-9) in 34 games.

Malkin is recognized as a strong player and a fine passer. He helped Team Russia to win the gold medal last April at the Under-18 World Championship in Minsk, Belarus.

He is having a good WJC tournament so far in the U.S. He was named the Russian player of the game against the Czech Republic in the round robin.

Playing with the undrafted Sergei Shirokov and Nashville Predators 2004 selection Alexander Radulov, Malkin’s production at the 2005 WJC is seven points (1-6) after four games played, which is good enough to place him in the top ten scorers before the semifinals.

Comments from Mark Kelley

Pittsburgh Penguins European scout Mark Kelley commented on Malkin to Hockey’s Future on January 1 in the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.

Asked how Malkin has improved since last season, Kelley said "I think that he is a more mature player now, he is stronger physically and his skating has also improved since last year. He is also a more all-around player. I mean, we are ecstatic with our choice. He is having a great season in the Superleague. He started the year playing very well.

"Since a month or so ago, he’s really started to become an offensive force there," commented Kelley with great enthusiasm.

Kelley also stated that the Pens like the fact that Malkin is competing very hard. "We also like the fact that he is also having fun on the ice too."

According to Kelley, the Pens have not signed Malkin after the draft for many reasons. "The first reason is because of the lockout, the second is because there is no agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation."

Hockey’s Future met the Russian center in his hotel in Grand Forks on Saturday while Russia was waiting to know their eventual opponent in the semifinals.

HF: You have 20 points so far in 34 games in the Superleague, are you satisfied of your season over there?

EM: I wish I had scored a little bit more goals, I get scoring opportunities but I need to work. I work on myself and probably I’ll be scoring more goals.

HF: What have you improved this year in your game?

EM: I think that I got stronger and perhaps a little faster. I play my game, the same game I’m used to playing. It is a passing game. I play for my partners.

HF: Do you share with the likes of NHLers Sergei Gonchar and Petr Sykora who are playing with Magnitogorsk because of the lockout?

EM: I’m talking a lot with Sergei Gonchar about the NHL. He shares with me how to train better and how to be well prepared to play in the NHL.

HF: Is it good for you to have all these NHLers playing in the Superleague this year?

EM: Yes, it is great. It is fun to play against them and also to watch them play and learn from them.

HF: Does it help you to become a better hockey player?

EM: Of course, it does. When you face a higher competition, you improve yourself.

HF: It is your second World Junior, how is it so far compared to the previous one?

EM: It is completely different this year. We are playing much better. We finished in first place of our group so we are already in the top four. We didn’t have a great tournament last year. This year’s tournament is in the U.S. and the press is more present.

HF: Are you happy for having been drafted by Pittsburgh?

EM: First of all, I am very happy for being chosen in the second position. I didn’t care who would draft me. I just wanted to be selected and then have a chance to play in the NHL.

HF: Is it a dream for you to play in the NHL?

EM: Like any little boy, I have been dreaming of playing in the NHL. I’m looking forward to play in this league one day and being successful at it.

HF: Have you talked already about contract with Pittsburgh?

EM: My agent is keeping in touch with Craig Patrick. They are talking here and there but nothing is settled yet due to the lockout.

HF: Is there any chance to see you in the NHL next season if the lockout is over?

EM: Yes, I do think so.

HF: Even if you have signed a five-year contract with Magnitogorsk?

EM: It has been talked over. Magnitogorsk will let me go if I want to play in Pittsburgh.

HF: Do you have a role model?

EM: I don’t have one particular player but I like [Sergei] Fedorov, [Joe] Sakic and [Peter] Forsberg.

HF: Which are your main interests outside the hockey world?

EM: I go to the cinema, I play pool and I like to share some time with my friends.

HF: How do you react with all these comparisons made with Ovechkin?

EM: I’m very happy to be compared with one of the best hockey player in the world right now. We are two different players, we have two different personalities. I love to play with him. We have the same goal, winning the gold medal here.

HF: Would you like to play against Canada in the final game in Grand Forks?

EM: At this point, it does not matter. As long as we will get there, we will play against anybody.

Simon Richard is the author of La Serie du siecle, Septembre 1972, a book about the Summit Series published in 2002.
Copyright 2004 Hockey’s Future. Do not duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.