KIRILL PETROV WANTS TO STAY; Kirill Kabanov welcome in Moncton if he doesn’t make NYI
2:20 pm: Their China plans scrapped, Charles Wang and Garth Snow do the right thing. As first reported by Katie Strang of Newsday, training camp will be held on Long Island.
1:10 pm: In a one-on-one conversation with Point Blank, Kirill Petrov said he would play in Bridgeport for as long as the Islanders needed him, if they felt his development would benefit. “Two years, whatever.” In an ideal world for him, he joins the Islanders organization full-time immediately and leaves AK Bars and the KHL on proper terms. To the young man’s credit, he seems to want to do right by everyone.
12:20 pm: Only an hour into Islanders Prospect camp, a pair of vital and positive storylines have emerged.
Kirill Petrov, through interpreter Kirill Kabanov, said he wants to “make it right with the KHL” and play in the Islanders organization this season.
Kabanov, having no trouble speaking for himself, said he hears regularly from Moncton head coach (and former NYI assistant) Danny Flynn, and the Wildcats welcome him if Kabanov does not make the Islanders in 2010-11.
That’s not a bad start to what is usually a few days of drills and little news.
Petrov and Kabanov were part of the first group of Islanders prospects to hit the ice at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, along with late 2010 first round pick Brock Nelson. Soon after, they met the media in the locker room hallway with Kabanov playing the role of interpreter. Their thoughts:
Petrov, re-asserting his public commitment to the Islanders: “In the KHL, I didn’t get a lot of icetime. I will fix everything in Russia. I will really work hard here and do my best to play in the NHL.”
Asked if Saturday’s scrimmage before home fans is more than your typical game of shinny, Petrov said, “It’s a really big deal. I want to play hard and have fun.”
I asked Kabanov to provide a review of Petrov’s ability. “He’s really good. Unbelievable. He’s going to be in the NHL soon.” When I suggested to Kabanov that he might want to tell Petrov all the glowing things he said about him, Kabanov joked, “No way”!
Kabanov, on his first days on Long Island and first time on Coliseum ice: “Really exciting. This was my first day at the Coliseum. I’m liking Long Island. It’s not noisy and it’s also close to the city.”
Invaluable Islanders development coach Eric Cairns has taken Kabanov under his enormous wing. After spending some time with Emerson Etem in Los Angeles, Kabanov is now living with the former Islanders defenseman. “Right near the beach,” said the 17-year-old Russian. “It’s very nice. Eric Cairns is a lot older than me, but he’s become one of my closest friends.”
Comments on this post.
78 Responses to KIRILL PETROV WANTS TO STAY; Kirill Kabanov welcome in Moncton if he doesn’t make NYI
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Adam says:
great news CB… thanks for working hard to get us stuff like this. this is just great.
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JD says:
very good news with both guys. Glad to hear Kabanov staying with Cairns. Hopefully he can grow up and contribute here in the not so distant future.
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Can’t wait till Saturday to see kids in action. Thanks CB. Go Islanders and to heck with KOvi!( Even though I am kind of disappointed with the way it came down).
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Shremp Co 13 says:
I really think both can crack this line up. Hence why garth didnt prob want to sign Kovi cause that would take away roster spots/time away from our home grown talent. I cant wait to watch these guys take there lumps and also prosper
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sean b says:
awsome piece
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Lance says:
I see the Islanders took your advice about Cairns and KK. Lol! Good move by the Islanders.
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isles72 says:
kinda cool the isles taking a hands on approach to Kabanov .Sounds like he’ll work out with the isles all summer /live with Cairnsey then head to Moncton in September.
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D. says:
I can’t wait to see them all on saturday.
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teddyfusi says:
Dank news. You get the feeling from interviews that kabanovs bad reputation is way overhyped. This organization is on the verge of some great things
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IsleFan73 says:
Thanks for the update CB. Anybody trading or sending Petrov to Siberia today?
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Melvin says:
Prior to this draft, I was always wondering about Petrov and the lack of Russians on the Islanders (there’s some prospects, yes, but none on the roster yet). Not that it’s ever come up nor would it affect his overall desire to play in the NHL, but when you’re a young kid who can’t speak English, it must be a little scary. More so when you know there’s not (at the very least) a fellow countryman there to help.
It seems now he’s got someone to help him with that small aspect. Can’t hurt.
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dman says:
“Eric Cairns is a lot older than me”… ouch
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Kaszycki's Krew says:
Any idea on how attendance will be on Saturday night? Just curious if it will be a few hundred fans, a crowd the size of a Tue night game vs. Nashville or 10,000 people like Tavares night?
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Chris in DC says:
Good news; both these kids sounds like they’re oozing with talent, which is something this team still sorely needs.
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UIF says:
Any bit of positive news is certainly welcome. It’d be cool if “the 2 Kirills” story turns out be a big reason for an Islanders turnaround a few years from now.
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Pete says:
Glad to hear about Cairns taking in Kabanov.
And kudos to CB for having this healthy dialogue with Kabanov. I think Kabanov’s baptism by fire from the Canadian press and then the Russian press, and then the scouting press all took a huge toll on his 17 y/o mind.
I think this is great that Kabanov can go out there and have a fun interview and not have to address charges of being a “traitor” or a “headcase.”
Keep it up, CB…you might have more to do with this kid’s growth than you may know!
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Scott says:
re:11
My guess anywhere from 500-2000 people.
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Islander86 says:
It seems that both Russian boys need alot of grooming and personal attention (Especially Petrov who does not speak English).
If he makes Isles this season, maybe Snow would sign Russian UFA to help Petrov to adjust? -
I like good news and for what it’s worth on the hockey end (I’ll put PR aside), Snow got unsolicited high marks from some agents in a Puck Daddy piece today.
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Brian says:
Good news, looking forward to seeing these guys play on Saturday.
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a REAL hockey fan says:
.. Good news so far, hopefully the kid will have the right attitude and work ethic to match his talent!
.. Got to love Eric Cairns, sounds like hes playing a VALUABLE role in these kids development. Nice to have a 6’6 monster as your best bud lol
.. I think we all must be patient with this kid, remember hes a 17 yr old who doesnt speak the language, that is a big adjustment for anyone! Give him some time to develop and adjust to ALOT of things
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Steve M says:
Nice little feel good start to the camp. As an Isles fan you have to like hearing all that. Wonder if one of them can play both wings. Would be cool to see a krill combo on a line one day. I’m starting to get the urge to make the trip to the barn for saturday.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
If Petrov needs any help with translating – I can help
It’s very important for him to feel comfortable around other guys. I expirienced this too: language barrier could be very frustrating and can lead to emotional breakdowns. Trust me, having Kabanov by his shoulder helps a tonn. Good luck to my russians comrades! -
linyrox says:
I am really getting a great feeling from Kabanov. He reminds me of a friend of mine from years ago that people often misunderstood who eventually became someone that is well liked and highly regarded. Also, his brother is famous in Russia. That is a weird thing to deal with. Good to see he is in with a character guy like Cairns. After looking around for all things Isles 2010 UFAs, I think these two could really benefit from time around Zenon. So, hopefully they will get to training camp.
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Terrance says:
“Invaluable Islanders development coach Eric Cairns has taken Kabanov under his enormous wing.”
Funniest line of the story.
CB, thanks for the afternoon laugh.
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Trent says:
Do you think in a couple years we will be speaking of Kabanov and Petrov in the same sentence as Zetterberg and Datsyuk? Wouldn’t that be awesome. Then if JT grows into the player we think he may be, the future looks bright. Hang in there Isles fans, its beginning to show promise. Great job CB!
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geduffer says:
This sounds great. Neither Kirill sounds like a prima donna, which is wonderful. Hopefully we can look forward to the two Kirills joining Okposo, Bailey, Tavares, El Nino and Brock Nelson to form the core of a championship team down the road.
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islz says:
Finally some good news. All the complaining and negativity was making me Ill-ya.
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billscanlon says:
Just show the kid the youtube video of Cairns beatdown of Corson in the 2002 playoffs. “keep in line or else”
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Madchef says:
really no excuse IMO for Petrov to not be an islander this year. He is 20, big forward who can score. We don’t have anybody fitting that description do we. We dont sign FA’s. Why cant he score 15 goals this year and play on the 3rd line.Kabanov is too young to make the team and saying he is welcome in Moncton means see you next year.Kinda stinks that a player we drafted may possibly want to stay hear is the best news I have heard regarding this team since the FA period started. Petrov needs to make this team, hopefully he man’s up.
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admin says:
Post updated at 1:10…CB
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Brother Rat says:
Great article on the Kiryas! KK seems brimming with personality, and will hopefully bond with KP to help him along with the transition. Great to see they respect each other, and hopefully they’ll have a positive effect on each other. Talent and charisma, what we need on our squad (and what the Isles’ marketing team needs, surely). I’m trying to swing back down to LI for the scrimmage, which should be fun to see. As they may not sell many tix, all seats should be great.
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JayK says:
“And now, Kiril, let me show you how I handled Shane Coursen….”
“And now, Kiril, let me show you how I got two assists in a playoff game against Tampa Bay, but unfortunately, they were for the Lightning.”
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Peter says:
Cool article.
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hale78 says:
klemteniev is in bport too and if petrov does go down there he could certainly help petrov
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Orange&Blue says:
I hope these kids are really good because our draft picks are basically the only ones who want to play here and the only hope we have. We are going to have to depend on our youngsters since we can not seem to sign anyone. I hope Petrov goes to Bridgeport.
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Alex says:
Great read so far!
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I like the update. Sounds better than the tweets from yesterday about Petrov. Based on my limited understanding of the situation, it just doesn’t seem like he’s being developed in the best way in Russia…much rather see him in the AHL this coming season. Seems to me like his eventual NHL career would hit the ground running with some big minutes at the Bridge learning the NA game.
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Doug says:
I love this! Go Isles!!!!
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Adam C says:
If all it takes to get Petrov to the NHL is his entry-level deal – give it to him, it is a no brainer. If you dont, we may never see him again. Let him play with team and will see what happens, we did it with everyone else, why not him?
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Strummer's Army says:
Geez, I guess if Eric Cairns asks you to turn down the music or put the dishes away you do it.
All positive news from camp today and we needed some, so thanks Botta.
I looked at photos of the prospects arriving on the Isles website. Interesting but it would be better if they could add captions with the players names.
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Seth says:
How does Petrov look on the ice?
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brian says:
Maybe Petrov and Kabanov can make the Hall of Fame together?
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Billy-no-not-Jaffe says:
It couldn’t hurt for Petrov to spend some time in Bridgeport with the “other” Russian K………Klementyiev.
It’s easy to forget just how young these kids are, and how 18-20 year olds percieve things around them.
All good stuff so far……just dont get a separated shoulder or hip injury in the drills. -
Ethan K says:
I think we’ll be very impressed with the skill level of BOTH Kirills, especially considering when we drafted both of them. Off ice problems held them both from being top 10 picks.
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drive45 says:
Someone should drive the Kirll’s out to Brighton Beach to see how many Russians live nearby. Kabanov seems well adjusted to the US, but Petrov would benefit from seeing the Russian community.
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Ricardolikland says:
These future stars are making ranger n devil fans wish they had teenagers like we have.
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thepolishprince says:
Well, seems like I may have misinterpreted Petrov’s remarks that were posted by CB yesterday. It sounds like he just wants a fair shot to show what he can do. I say give it to him.
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jamal says:
Great stuff. Can’t wait to see these kids on the isles someday, great young talent and personality…fits right in with the team. Give the isles 3-5 years for these great prospects to develop and we could have a team contending for the cup
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Al S. says:
Finally back to the positive vibes we were building prior to the IK episode.
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Donna says:
Great in depth coverage as always. I think its great that Kabanov can help translate for Petrov. It has to be daunting to such a young man not to speak English. Hopefully someone takes Petrov to Brighton Beach, I’m sure he’d like the fact that he could walk into store after store and not have to speak a word of English, be able to buy all his favorite foods/products from home etc. and to think its just a short drive from the Coliseum.
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JtorBust says:
It should be a requirement for all young players to move into the Cairns house and learn how to drop the gloves.
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BR says:
Great story, CB. Glad to see both Kirills underscore their commitment to the organization and doing what is necessary to make it.
Speaking of the ice, I’ve seen on at least one Isles message board that the Coliseum ice making equipment was upgraded during the olympic break, and that the players have remarked on a significant improvement in quality. Haven’t seen this reported in any print media. Could you please look into this?
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Every one who can attend the scrimmage on Sat should go! Cheer Hard! Make them feel wanted.
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Examiner says:
Thanks Chris. Each update makes this day even better for Isles fans. Happy to know Kabanov and Petrov seem to be hitting it off. Saying all the right things now is a great start for these 2.
Camp on LI is great. Now I just hope the fans come out an support the team.
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Doug says:
CB,
Now that training camp is on LI, we’ll get a up close view of how bad the Islanders will be this year…
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Merrick (#20) thanks for the heads up on the Puck Daddy piece. Worth reading, esp. for those quick to knock Snow. Agents in piece praise Snow; pan Sather.
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Lance79 says:
Would be nice to have them both here this year but I doubt we’d have the roster space.
As it stands we have Tavares, Bailey, Okposo, Moulson, Schremp, Nielsen, Comeau, Hunter, Weight, Parenteau and Konopka with Joensuu and Matt Martin knocking on the door.
That’s 13 forwards competing for 12 spots plus a reserve. Now throw in that Snow has to spend the money for a forward to get to the cap floor (we can’t really pick up any more defensemen as we’re pretty full on the back end) unless of course he’s picking up Huet or Thomas or some other high priced goalie.
Bottom line: I see Kabanov going back to the Q and Petrov at best coming to Bridgeport and otherwise going back to Russia. Barring a big shakeup, it’ll be next year before we see either as regulars.
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I’ll be there on Saturday afternoon tailgaiting my face off in the parking lot. Everyone come show your support to the next wave of New York Islanders… show them how much we care about our team!
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Great news about training camp. If you want to build a relationship with the fans keeping training camp at home is a good way to do it. It also lowers costs, which I would think would be a benefit for Charles.
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Isles 22 says:
yesterday, nobody wanted him here, today everyone likes him…go figure
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Wizard of Isles says:
anyone know if you can buy tix at nvmc on sat?
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Irish Isle says:
Its great to see the two Kirills have great interaction.
Hopefully both will be big parts of the club’s future.
“As it stands we have Tavares, Bailey, Okposo, Moulson, Schremp, Nielsen, Comeau, Hunter, Weight, Parenteau and Konopka with Joensuu and Matt Martin knocking on the door.”
The best player gets the Ice time. If Petrov has a great camp, and he earns a job, he gets a spot. I would rather see Petrov on the ice than Parenteau.
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I got my tickets (5 total). Great way to look at the kids up close.
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Mario says:
Where is everyone talking smack about Petrov now? Glad to see him want to play in Bridgeport. I will get to see him about 40 times. Cant wait. Good luck to all the guys in camp. How did Kabanov look?
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I forgot about Klementyev , good call post #36
since kabonov cant play for b’port at least Petrov would have Klementyev there –pending KHL ”making it right” …..whatever that ends up meaning .
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doc says:
As opposed to many of yesterdays quick to judge opinions… Petrov doesn’t sound so much like a prima donna anymore. Hmm… guess he grew up overnight…
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Hockey1919 says:
Glad that the panic over the past few days has settled down. Nice to hear from Petrov directly on his intentions without a third party translation.
Also good news that Kabanov can head back to Moncton. Me fear would be that he would have to find another organization to tag up with if Moncton had completely soured on him.
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Thanks for giving us fans some information on prospects, because lawd know the Isles won’t. I really hope the two Kirills can grow into both strong players and people.
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Mike L says:
If my memory serves correctly, Cairns was known as the stable one living in the “animal house” with Shawn Bates and Steve Webb. I guess there’s no better person to keep Kabanov in check than Cairns. Hopefully he also gets kept out of the influence from his father.
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
Positive news … positive news … and positive news … Which is more than I can say about the topic of your next thread.
I make no delusions that the young cast of budding future stars have 40 goal potential … but I’m glad that we aren’t going to be saddled with a long term contract of a certain NHL veteran that may only be productive for another good 5 years… which may not be completely inline with the Isles’ trajectory towards Stanley Cup contention.
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i’ll be there saturday with a camera and pretty excited.
but after the Janks thing…seeing the Kings jump back into the Kovalchuk race – i’m not sure how much more i can handle.hopefully no more bad news before saturday. this roller coaster has left me fragile.
kabanov seems like he has a great personality. i wonder how far away he is from cracking the lineup.
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pat says:
if the islanders r still 9 million under the minimum for the cap.. doesnt that mean we still have to go out and sign some players.. obviously they will be overpaid second or third tier players. where do they even think these kids could play even if they were good enough to make the team. theres no room
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Islanders1932 says:
I am so happy right now…this is amazing news to read after a long day at work
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Ari From Long Island says:
Cannot wait to see Kabanov and Petrov make some magic on the ice as full time Islanders!
Thats great news. I’m really glad to start hearing some positive things again…I can’t wait to get this baby started!