The London Knights are already off to the best start this season and they just got better.
Skilled Russian forward Ruslan Gazizov has his visa and has made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean and is now getting set to make his Ontario Hockey League debut.
London selected Gazizov 12th overall in June’s CHL Import Draft but has had to wait through some paperwork delays.
The patience paid off.
“Ruslan is an offensively gifted player with very good hockey sense and dynamic skill,” describes London Knights associate general manager Rob Simpson.
The 6-0 Knights are the last remaining unbeaten team in the OHL and are set to play in Owen Sound against the Attack on Wednesday. Gazizov is not expected to be in the lineup. He’ll get a few days to acclimatize.
Unlike a number of players his age from Ontario, Gazizov was able to get onto the ice and get into games in the 2020-21 season.
Gazizov played for both the Avangard Omsk under-17 team and with Omskie Yastreby of the MHL. The MHL is the Russian junior or minor league that feeds the professional leagues, the Supreme Hockey League and the Kontinental Hockey League.
In 13 games with Omskie Yastreby, Gazizov had three goals and four points. He was one of the offensively dominant players on Avangard Omsk U17, putting up four goals and 11 points in just six games.
He has not played yet this season with his sights set on London as he enters his National Hockey League draft year.
Gazizov also starred for Russia at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games where he had five points in four games. He scored one of the four goals in a 4-0 victory over Team USA to help capture Russia’s first gold medal at the games.
Canadian Hockey League teams can only dress two import players in any game and Gazizov could still be joined by Russian defenceman Kirill Steklov at some point. Steklov is currently playing in the Vityaz Podolsk system and has spent time in the Kontinental Hockey League and its two affiliated lower leagues. Steklov played for the Knights in 2019-20.
London also has Russian-born Abakar Kazbekov on their roster, which should help Gazizov’s transition to North America.
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