A towering Goaltender in Ivan Fedotov stands at 6’7 and weighs 214.5 pounds, per the Flyers PR. He was found by former Flyers’ General Manager Ron Hextall in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL Draft. Since being drafted by the Flyers; the now 27-year-old Fedotov made his way up the ranks in Russia. He was playing in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), which is not only Russia’s top league, but it’s arguably the second toughest league in the World. Fedotov spent time with CSKA Moscow in his final season to date in the KHL where he posted a 14-10-2 record, a 2.00 GAA (Goals Against Average), with a .919 SV% (Save Percentage). Moreover, Fedotov was also credited with two shutouts. Simply put, he kicked butt, and deserved an NHL contract.
He finally made his NHL Debut and it was a success, while backstopping 19 sanes on 21 shots faced. Fedotov really showed promise, and was one of a few players that played their butts off in a losing effort on Monday night, “I don’t care if I’m playing for the first minute or whole game. Just want to help the team,” Fedotov said following his NHL Debut.
Since then it’s been a bit rocky for Fedotov. Through six starts he still didn’t earn an NHL victory and he was eventually benched for Aleksei Kolosov. Fedotov just didn’t seem confident, he seemed a bit rattled. His reflex time was very slow, and Fedotov had trouble moving post to post.
He’s had some highs with garnering six career victories, like last night. At times he’s found himself out of the organization, sort of speak. A few weeks ago, former Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella said that Ivan Fedotov would be used in emergency situations, following the recall to Aleksei Kolosov.
Kolosov was playing very well for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the time of the recall, and he liked it down there from what I understand. Fedotov has backed up Samuel Ersson for the past three out of four games played, while starting last night against the Nashville Predators.
Fedotov is used to not playing for stretches at a time, as this has been no stranger this season to him. His last game action before last night was March 23rd, and his last win was dated March 1st until last night.
In last night’s victory, Fedotov appeared to be more confident, while backstopping 28 shots and finishing with a .966 Save Percentage. He was dialed in from puck drop, as he found consistency moving laterally from post to post.
Moving forward, Fedotov only needs to worry about consistency. Fedotov has struggled this season to get into a rhythm. He will play well for a handful of games, then have a bad game. The problem with him is, when he’s bad-he’s bad, there is no in between. Let’s hope this last victory jump starts him, as the Flyers are still making player evaluations for next season.
“I feel more relaxed, and enjoy the game. Make the important saves and help the team,” Ivan Fedotov said of his game last night. “It felt really good, after a couple of bad games. Hopefully everyone feels good right now.”
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