Ivan Fedotov is Enjoying a Fresh Start in Columbus! 🤩 | Media Availability
Obviously last year you get traded in the Blue Jackets organization. Have to kind of come in on a moving treadmill, so to speak. What’s it like now to be at camp and you kind of know what you’re in for and just be able to be here with the guys at this time of year? Yeah, it’s kind of like a fresh start, you could say. Um, it was a little bit tough uh getting traded in the middle of the season and uh it’s finally nice just to just to be here and and meet everybody, see everybody. Um, every day I find I’ve gotten a bit more comfortable. Um, and and you know that that goes on and off the ice. So, um, I’m happy where I’m at. I think, uh, everyone’s, you know, excited. Um, it’s big time of the year, so uh, I’m I’m happy where I’m at. Yeah. What was the experience like in Cleveland once you got there? You got to play a lot of games with that group. Uh, you know, a tight-knit group that had played a lot of hockey together. How was it like kind of fitting in there and getting your feet wet? Yeah, I’ve never been traded before, so that was a that was a first for me. Um I knew a couple guys on that team uh earlier um just you know throughout uh um our our careers. Uh Cole Clayton who’s with San Jose I knew really well. So um he helped me a lot. But um that group’s like family to me now. And um the coaching staff uh Vogues was really really good. Um, so, um, again, like as the as a couple weeks progressed there, I got more comfortable and, um, you know, I could show off my game a bit more, too. Yeah. Yeah. I was just say, how do you feel like you did perform once you got there, got comfortable? Obviously, you know, was team that was in a playoff race for much of the year. There was some adversity that along the way with some injuries and stuff, but it did seem like, you know, they didn’t get to the ultimate goal, but it was still a team that, as you kind of said, very much was a team. Yeah, there was lots of ups and downs. um when I arrived there, they had like a 14game win streak or something like that. So, um that was cool to see. But, um yeah, I think, you know, I just started playing my game and you know, being reliable, being consistent, being hard to play against. Um I was unfortunate with a season season ending uh injury at the end of the year with my wrist, but um you know, that’s part of my my job. you know, there’s ups and downs and um I was hoping to get back in the second round, third round of playoffs, but we just came short. So, um again, like it’s like a fresh start. Um I’m excited to be here and and I’m trying to make an impact as much as I can here. Yeah, you did mention the wrist. Everything good now? Yeah, it’s all good. Yeah, no issues. I don’t even notice it. Yeah. Excellent. Um Don Wadell, the GM has mentioned a couple times as you as a guy that that is in the mix for a roster spot coming into camp here. What’s your mindset and does it mean anything to you to to hear that uh that you know you’re you’re definitely in the plans as as things go forward? Yeah, I mean I’m not here to not make the team. Um I’m here to make the team and and that’s my only goal right now. Um day by day mentality. Um I’m just going out there trying to compete. Um show show what I can do. Um try not to to do too much out there, but um enjoy the process too. Work hard. Take advice from the older guys. Um, today I was paired with Gabbransson, so uh, that was great to to be with him and just be around him. Um, but yeah. Where do you feel like your game has kind of grown the most the past couple years as you’ve, uh, you know, progressed at the pro level? Um, I think offensively, I’m still trying to get that part of my game uh, back, but I remember now I was younger for like my first year pro, it was, you know, a little bit more panic. Um, where now it’s like, okay, like I’ve got some time. I can know make make my plays but um I don’t know I think it’s just uh you know time um and you know with that comes you know responsibility and and being a leader too. So I think you know I I have a voice in the dressing room now. Yeah. How would you describe your game? We haven’t really had a chance to see you play very much. Uh what what’s kind of do you feel like are the strengths of what you bring to the table? Yeah. Uh I’m a smooth skater. Um I’m hard to play against. I find I move pucks really well. Um I love getting up in the rush, you know, that’s what I live for. Um being being part of that fourth man attack. Um having a really good stick, good gap, you know, good details, being a guy that you can put out there and key minutes of the game. Um and from there, it’s just being a good teammate, too. I think that’s a really big part of my game, too. Yeah. I want to ask you, too. uh they announced in Pittsburgh that Fury is going to go back and and play one more game against the Blue Jackets and you had a chance play some some time with him in Minnesota. Uh just what was that experience like from everyone talks about his personality and just how much he loves the game. What was your experience playing with him uh up in the Twin Cities? Yeah. Uh honestly, it was very surreal to be around Flower. I got to be a part of some of his games and um you know just being around a guy like that who’s been in the league for so long. really cool to see like growing up playing video games with him. Um just stuff like that and just to be a part of his career and um I was part of one of his milestone games. I forget what it was but I think it was most wins and I think we won we wanted a shootout against the Rangers that night. So that was that was pretty amazing. So that type of stuff is um you know you you you take you take with with you for life and um yeah it’s cool to be around him. Yeah, I’m guessing you probably laid low and tried to stay out of the way as far as the pranks went. But did did you see kind of those things happen and were you able to avoid that as far as that went? Yeah, I seen a couple pranks go down. He’s a master of them. Um yeah, my favorite is probably Dooh. Brandon D. He took all his clothes and gave him like a bunch of fur fur coats and fur boots. Um that was a good one. But um I think that’s what you know what flower does best besides his elite goalending. He’s he’s a legend off the ice. Yeah. And people talk about too just his love for the game and just like how much he loved being out there. Uh did you see that up close? Like it it seems like a guy that every day even at 39 40 wanted to come to the rink every day and just play hockey. Yeah, it’s actually amazing how much he smiles and and how much he enjoys it. Uh when we’re on the ice, he’s always he’s always yelling and and you know making jokes and um he’s the hardest worker I’ve ever seen, but at the same time he he enjoys it. He he smiles and he’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had. Well, uh welcome to Columbus, Ivan. How’s the first uh couple days of the Blue Jackets experience been for you? Uh thank you. Everybody were welcoming. So yeah, feel pretty good. So couple first days uh I had really really good. So nice feelings. Uh a lot of Russian guys, you know, they they told me like if you need everything, just let me know. The same thing like uh from the staff from the guys. So yeah, uh really appreciate it and yeah, feel feel good. Uh we just uh uh in the beginning our way. So, uh, yeah, tomorrow is a game day, and we’ll see. Yeah, Dean, I don’t know if they’ve told you yet, but Dean told us that you’re going to play tomorrow. Is there some excitement to get out there and just see some some live action and see another team? Yeah. Uh, that’s good. You know, uh, as soon as possible, get back in the net, uh, especially after the long off season. Uh, yeah. Um, yeah. So, like I said, uh, great feelings. Uh, I’ll be ready for tomorrow. Excited. And, uh, yeah, just I want to enjoy on the ice. Uh, and play the hawk. Yeah. You get traded, I think, four days before training camp or whatever it is. Is it kind of a an interesting feeling of you? You’re probably planning on everything being in Philadelphia. Just what’s it like to kind of have to make that change real quick? Uh, yeah. It’s it’s great timing. Uh, for sure. Especially, you know, my wife’s pregnant and yeah, it’s three days left when the baby will come and like uh so but yeah uh that’s part of the business. I was uh you have to be ready all the time especially like uh in uh that situation like that. myself. But uh feel good like I said uh very good expectations and uh yeah uh I know what I got to do like on the ice and just you know like uh my my best part right now is like uh just be patient. So and uh I’m sure yeah every everything will be fine. Yeah. And it’s a it’s a fresh start too in some ways. You get a good chance. Is that something that excites you? Yeah definitely definitely agree. Yeah. So, uh like I said, yeah. Uh I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself. So, but uh feel, you know, the more thing for me right now, I feel different. So, feel different than last year. Different a couple years ago after this summer. So, I did a really good job. So, uh with uh with my mind, you know, like mindset everything. Yeah. I had a lot of time when I uh when I was was able like uh analyze everything uh how was it so far like after the first year how was it like and uh I definitely sure I’m the right way right now. Yeah. How much did that experience a year ago first NHL season? You know things are you know you’re seeing it all for the first time. How much were you able to learn from last year and how much do you think that will help you going into this upcoming season? Uh I would say uh I got a lot experience uh from the last year. So uh it was a good moment and bad moment. So a lot of different things like uh inside outside. So that’s that’s make you you know like uh uh more stronger like uh with your mindset with everything like uh when you feel not comfortable uncomfortable when you feel comfortable how you got to like you know uh keep your mindset like uh sharp how you got to find the way get back when you feel bad and stuff like that. So uh like I said feel you know uh every experience good or bad so it’s that’s that’s good because if you if you had like the bad experience you you have some feedback how we got to like uh keep moving forward so how you can uh improve your yourself like and find the way get better every day. Yeah. And you mentioned coming here there are a number of Russian players. Do you know did you know any I think you knew Carill at the very least coming in. What’s what’s it like to at least come to here where you maybe have some familiarity with guys. Uh I know they really well. So because like yeah with March we we’ve been together on the world championship in in Ria like five years ago. Uh then Olympic Games. So I know everybody pretty well. So uh uh except like the Chini. So yeah. But he’s good guy. I definitely sure yeah everybody will have very good connection and yeah we already be able like uh help each other whenever that’s need. So yeah. Is it good to be on March side this time as opposed to last year? Yeah. You know after the first practice uh I told him like hey don’t do it again. Yeah please. Like yeah. Uh so but yeah if you want to try let me know. Yeah I want to be ready for that. So but no. Oh yeah, it’s kind of like little little joking and then yeah, right away in the first practice I told him, “Yeah, I want to play the break breakaways. Uh let’s do it.” And yeah, and some guys like joined in our group and we played a little bit and have competition. Uh yeah, so I lose the first series then I uh then I got two so one I I won. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, it’s it’s it you know like like I said, it’s great uh to feel feel good like uh when you join you know to the new team uh it’s something something different you know uh when I got traded like yeah I was thinking a little bit uh how it going to be like you know uh for sure uh I’m excited but yeah it’s like you know like the the new season upcoming coming and yeah it’s four days like until to during training camp. So, but yeah, I’m like I said, yeah, I’m definitely sure I’m in the right spot on the right way and yeah, happy be to be here. So excited and just ready, you know, like uh hard work as much as I can and play play the same thing. three days of teaching. How productive were today? Um I think very productive just with uh the attention to detail was uh fantastic and again I think we talked about it but um it’s the players know how we play and it was so nice to watch um the players teach the players and um you know when there was a correction to be made it was made prior to a coach getting over to a player and um saying, you know, we do it this way or whatever. So, yeah, our attention to detail, but after that, the work ethic um you know, the compete was was real good. Um and that’s obviously uh you know, a good step and a good sign and um good visual for us. So, now you get four games in four days to see. Yeah. Uh how much of that is it still? Does that how you look at it? Yeah, and you know, obviously we’re gonna kind of ease into it with our guys obviously and um so we won’t see, you know, everybody clearly with the four games as we talked about, but yeah, we want to see we want to see that detail and then, you know, we want to see some people play in games um against, you know, it’s one thing to compete in in practice. Um it’s another once uh once you get another team out there. So, yeah, it’ll be nice to see guys, you know, that, you know, maybe have shown really well so far in three days and how they progress in uh in in a real game. And you’re switch, you said you would switch up lines and you have. Um, is that just to be prepared in the event of guys not being available or is that to mix things up in games to sort of have a different look? A little of both. Um, you know, we’ve got uh we’ve got a thought process of who we think’s going to start, say projection of game one of the regular season. Um, but it’s nice to see some, you know, combinations. And honestly, we flipped uh yesterday after the practice because we thought some people had kind of stepped up a little bit and we wanted to see them in uh in roles with maybe you know one of our guys or the guys that have been here and and uh what have you and see how they you know conducted themselves uh in that manner. So, um, yeah, you know what? I think last year we just kind of stayed with the same lines if I remember correctly. And, um, you know, I this year we’ve got a little more depth um, with NHL, you know, players, guys that have played um, in the league. So, it’s nice to uh, you know, to have that flexibility and move some people around. And we saw some good things today. We’ll we’ll sit down now and evaluate a little bit. you know, not evaluate, but just, you know, guys will just throw out that they like so and so together. We’ll see it through, uh, you know, obviously seven hockey games. Talk about the fans all the time, but to be able to have them in here for two different sessions and both that after the fact, just how nice is it to have them? You usually don’t have it in the main rink either. Yeah. Well, that’s the thing we just talked about. It’s nice to have it in the main rink. We thought that it would be over there just because of you know they maybe want to have um you know intimacy or whatever but it was because it obviously wasn’t full but this morning session was that that whole side was pretty much full. So um I think some people went home watch football a little bit but um but yeah it I mean our fans are we’ve talked about it a lot. I mean, they’re they’re so passionate and obviously to come out and and uh watch um you know, the third day of training camp is uh is is is pretty exciting for the organization and the city. Does that also add some energy to the proceedings just having some people in the building and it maybe breaks it up a little bit too? It’s a it’s a good point because third day is kind of the hump day, right? guys are, you know, they skated. You can skate all you want, but now once you’re doing a drill or you’re competing and we we did a little more pushing and shoving um you know, we had some scrimmage and some competition, five on five um as well as four on four, three on three. So once you start pushing and pulling, you get a little more um exertion out of the guys as opposed to just skating, which they’ve done all summer um or a lot of the summer. So, yeah, we saw some fatigue, but it’s nice to have the fans here to uh to give them that little boost of uh of energy to push through and um you know, yeah, it was uh it was nice to have them give us that opportunity. Name for that drill at the end. Um I don’t know if we actually name it. It’s just it’s just it’s like a I don’t know you call it a betting, you know, shootout cuz when they put their sticks up, they they’re betting on a guy to score. Um and it’s fun to to hear the banter, you know, if a linemate doesn’t put his stick up, you know, gets chirped. And I think Zach Winsky got everyone right except for Fabro, which he felt uh he felt that he had to put his stick up because it’s his partner. and um he wasn’t happy with himself, but it’s he’s a team a good teammate. Um so he did that, but I’m sure he he cherked fabs about it. You feel bad for guys that I don’t feel bad for anybody. No, guys take off and there’s not one stick up in the air. No, I’d like them to stick it up their butts. That would be the best, right? And a couple times it happened, right? Basically the whole group went um because they, you know, they didn’t uh have confidence. So, it’s it’s it’s yeah, it’s fun to see. It gets them, you know, chirping back and forth. And obviously, it’s a it’s a hidden um skate, right, too, because it’s it seems like it’s fun, but you go over and back, you know, what is there how many guys are on the ice? 26. You go you go over and back uh 20 times. That that’s a pretty good skate. I know this summer you uh met with um Diggor Chico. Yeah. Um, how important was that just to to have that meeting to kind of air air things out before coming here and then, you know, shifting to now? What have you seen in these have he shown you at least in the first three days kind of what you thought you’d get, you know, effort wise? Yeah. Yeah. I be honest with you, we didn’t expect him to not have effort when he when he got here. It’s just it’s just the communication and it’s um um you know no different than any other player, you know, or or communicating. Obviously, I I had a meeting with him because of what was said and that’s okay. It’s just words. Um so, you know, but yeah, he’s he’s worked his tail off as uh everybody has here in camp. You being a former player for a long time in the NHL, I’m sure. I mean, you can kind of understand that player’s perspective sometimes. Did you kind of take that into the conversation there? It was a different time when you played. I know that as well. Take what into consideration. Uh just like what he was maybe upset about or or felt that he needed to wanted to show what what he could do here. I guess when a player when a player doesn’t play, he should always be upset. Like if if he isn’t, then we don’t want that player. So yeah, should he be upset he didn’t play? Um absolutely. And um it’s fine to uh to voice your opinion, but uh end of the day um you know there’s some responsibility from us as an organization, but there’s a responsibility of the player as well. So um you know hopefully hopefully you know it’s a fresh start, it’s a fresh season. Um and we’ll we’ll just see you know where it uh where it lands here. like you keep a open mind obviously and and so he could I mean we could see him maybe earn a a key role here. I can see every guy that’s in camp earning a key role on our team if they if they uh if they deserve to play um for the Columbus Blue Jackets and they do the right thing then they’ll play. Is there a little bit of a different Is there a little bit of a difference in how you evaluate the goalending situation just given that the starter kind of up in the air? would Jet and Elvis maybe get a little bit more play than normal when you have a decision like that. Um more than normal? No. Um just because like you want to get them in like you can’t obviously we got seven games. They can’t play you know three and a half each, right? Um we got four games in a row. Um, I’ll tell you this, you know, we’re trying to even it out with our pro goalies, obviously. Um, but then there’s a balance of you want to get some some guys in, too. That’s for experience and all of that. So, it it it’s the goalending position is no different than than every other position. We want to try to make the right decision of how many games they play um and then andor how many minutes. So, um, you know, do we want to get Jet and and, uh, Elvis, two goalies that were here last year, um, up and running and and playing, uh, you know, hockey games. Uh, absolutely.
New goalie, Ivan Fedotov, Daemon Hunt and Dean Evason met with the media after day three of OhioHealth Training Camp and the Blue Jackets first open practice of the season.
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