Day: April 15, 2019

Back in 2014, the Rangers selected 18 year old Russian netminder Igor Shesterkin who was set to join St Petesburg of the KHL for his second senior season, as a backup netminder.  Since that date, the now 23 year old goaltender has hardly put a step wrong, backstopping his team for the last three seasons with a sub 2.00 GAA and a save percentage that reached an impressive .953 this past year.

In coming to New York, he’ll face the usual challenge of adjusting to a new country and a new language.  Fortunately for the Rangers, they have a handful of Russian speakers, with the likes of Vladislav Namestnikov, Pavel Buchnevich and Aleksander Georgiev all on the current roster.  If, as expected, he ends up in Hartford to start, then he’ll have fewer fellow Russians, and as such he may find the transition takes a little longer.