{"id":81262,"date":"2025-06-19T05:08:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T05:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/81262\/"},"modified":"2025-06-19T05:08:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T05:08:17","slug":"toronto-maple-leafs-prospect-vyacheslav-peksa-embracing-north-american-grind-in-pursuit-of-nhl-dream-the-hockey-writers-toronto-maple-leafs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/81262\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Vyacheslav Peksa Embracing North American Grind in Pursuit of NHL Dream – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russian goalie Vyacheslav Peksa is at his second year within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, who picked him in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft<\/a>. He played mostly at the ECHL level, with the Newfoundland Growlers and the Cincinnati Cyclones<\/a>. He also had a couple of games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. In this translated interview, Russian goaltender Peksa opens up about life in North America, his development within the Toronto Maple Leafs system, and what the future might hold.<\/p>\n

** You can read the original interview by Dmitry Lyovin at metaratings.ru in Peksa\u2019s native Russian here<\/a> **<\/p>\n

The goalie spent his last couple of years within the Toronto organization. He doesn\u2019t have a clear path in front of himself for the next future, however. \u201cI\u2019m just resting for now,\u201d he confirms. \u201cI still have one year left on my contract, and things will become clearer in June or July. I don\u2019t like to make predictions in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VyacheslavVyacheslav Peksa, Cincinnati Cyclones (Photo credit: Cincinnati Cyclones)<\/p>\n

This winter, however, he wanted to return to Russia. \u201cThere was such a moment,\u201d Peksa says about that period. \u201cI spoke a lot with [Russian coach] Artyom Anisimov, since he coached me in Kazan. There was real interest from Ak Bars, but the club couldn\u2019t reach an agreement with Toronto. In any case, the second half of the season in America went much better for me than the first, so I proved to myself that I can play at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Differences between Russia and North America found their way very quickly as the goalie approached the rink for the first times. \u201cCoaches are different,\u201d he explains. \u201cIn Russia, they prefer the old-school goaltending style and give the same set of drills. Both at Ak Bars and Irbis, they followed the traditional training approach. In North America, there are more creative drills: with resistance bands or a huge 10-kilogram medicine ball, for example. That\u2019s something they don\u2019t do in Russia. As my coach Kirill Korenkov says, a goalie is 80% mentality and only 20% physicality. In Toronto, we have four coaches across the whole system. You can only work with all of them at the same time during training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related: Maple Leafs Finally Have Solid Goaltending Depth in Their Organization<\/a><\/p>\n

Playing and practicing in different environments is important when a player is young, and a change of scenery made Peksa a better goalie. \u201cI think technique is the most important. When I first arrived overseas, I had to make big improvements because I didn\u2019t have much technique,\u201d he laughs. \u201cIn North America, all the skaters have great, sharp shots, so you need to react to them quickly. In those situations, only positioning and technique help.\u201d And most importantly, do those shots hurt? \u201cOf course,\u201d Peksa firmly says. \u201cThey haven\u2019t invented gear yet that prevents bruises. The guys shoot at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peksa didn\u2019t find a difficult environment in Toronto, despite there being enough good netminders. \u201cIn the summer I trained a bit with Joseph Woll<\/a>, Dennis Hildeby, and Matt Murray \u2013 Toronto\u2019s main goalies. All of them are friendly, smiling, no one pressures anyone. If there\u2019s competition, it\u2019s only in your own head. You always want to prove something to yourself.:<\/p>\n

Peksa Moving Up the Ranks in North America<\/p>\n

Peksa has spent most of his North American career in the ECHL. The league is often compared to the VHL, the second-tier Russian league, as for quality of play. \u201cI think the level of the ECHL is still higher than the VHL,\u201d Peksa explains. \u201cAt least for me as a goalie. The thing is, North American hockey is extremely offensive. Good defensemen are the ones who score 60\u201370 points per season, even with a minus-40 rating. Goalies have it tough in this league because the offense is solid, and there\u2019s practically no defense.\u201d There is also more trash talk and fights. \u201cIn America, referees allow players more than in Russia. If they see a situation heating up, they won\u2019t blow the whistle. As for trash talk, there\u2019s a lot of it: during commercial breaks, the skaters constantly yell things at your back, and I try to \u2018forget\u2019 the English language at those moments so I don\u2019t react. Of course, there are good guys who are just doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite not getting many chances to play at a higher level, Peksa kept on playing in the ECHL and develop his game, even if he wanted to return back home during the season. \u201cI want to make it to the NHL,\u201d he admits. \u201cYes, sometimes you have to take a step back and make a tough decision, so I don\u2019t rule out the possibility of ending up back in Russia. Right now, it\u2019s too early to talk about that \u2014 problems should be dealt with as they come. I\u2019ll start thinking later about what to do next season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"VyacheslavVyacheslav Peksa, Cincinnati Cyclones (Photo credit: Cincinnati Cyclones)<\/p>\n

Moving to North America isn\u2019t always easy to Russian players, but Peksa didn\u2019t have any particular problem in adaptating to his new environment. \u201cHonestly, I felt no culture shock,\u201d hw confirms. \u201cI didn\u2019t have sky-high expectations. I wasn\u2019t particularly interested in conquering the country or fully exploring it. I only agreed to go out if I was invited by teammates. Hockey remained the most important thing for me, so I mostly just went home after practice and spent time alone. Surprisingly, I never felt bored.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also played two games in the AHL this season. However, that wasn\u2019t enough to get a good impression about the league. \u201cI played only one full game. It seemed to me that the level of defense there is much higher than in the ECHL, because more skilled defensemen play in the AHL. In general, it\u2019s a league you can and should play in, but it all depends on whether you\u2019re given a chance or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another difference the goalie quickly spotted between home and his new environment is the fans. \u201cThey come to games to have a good time. For example, even if the team is losing by a large margin, the fans stay until the very end to support their favourite club. That doesn\u2019t happen in Russia,\u201d he says. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s because beer is allowed to be sold at games in America \u2014 fans are just enjoying themselves, relaxing, and having fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Differences, Rituals, & Goalie Goals<\/p>\n

Goalies often have rituals or superstitions, but Peksa doesn\u2019t seem to have any. Instead, he was impressed by one of his teammates with the Marlies. \u201cI can tell you about our forward, [Joseph] Blandisi<\/a>,\u201d the netminder explains. \u201cWhen things aren\u2019t going well for him during a game, he puts his stick in the trash can during the intermission. The guys spit in there, pour stuff on it, throw things in \u2014 and Joseph takes the stick back out without even wiping it off. That\u2019s his ritual to attract \u2018garbage goals.\u2019 It was new to me \u2014 I\u2019ve never seen anything like that in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scoring goals as a goalie is always popular, but the Magnitogorsk, Russia, native doesn\u2019t seem so attracted to it. \u201cScoring goals isn\u2019t really a goalie\u2019s job,\u201d he confirms. \u201cWe have different responsibilities. If it\u2019s a six-on-five situation, I\u2019d rather send the puck off the glass than aim for the net. It\u2019s an unnecessary risk. Even if you score, people will forget about it in a year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, Peksa in North America put up some much-needed mass. \u201cTwo years ago, my playing weight was 74 kilograms, now it\u2019s 88,\u201d he says, confirming that he\u2019s now more than 190 pounds. \u201cThe team told me I needed to bulk up because I was pretty skinny. Well, here you go \u2014 now I\u2019m stronger. I feel much more comfortable at this weight, because at 6-foot-3, it\u2019s hard to be under 80 kilograms. It\u2019d be much harder on the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mental strength is key for goalies. \u201cIt\u2019s important to pursue your goal no matter the obstacles,\u201d Peksa says. \u201cIf you\u2019re doing something \u2014 do it all the way.\u201d He\u2019s also clear on his main goal. \u201cI want to establish myself in the NHL. First of all \u2014 just play one game.\u201d If he keeps on progressing that way, he may not be so far from it.<\/p>\n

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