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Kirill Ustimenko, or should we give him his nickname of “Usti” was primed and ready for his journey with the Flyers organization, when he signed his ELC (Entry-Level-Contract) last year. Ustimenko appeared to be happy, giddy, and carefree with the Reading Royals in 2019-20. The guy appeared to be ecstatic in his first professional season in North America, and winning will do that for a person. His eyes were like a kid at a candy store throughout his tenure with the Royals.
The former MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg product in Ustimenko, appeared to be confident, and one could see the jubilation on his face after he made save after save for the Royals this past season. It should come as no surprise he was able to adjust to the rink size, as Ustimenko registered a 1.78 GAA, and a .927 Save Percentage in 46 games played for the MHK Dynamo in 2018-19.
It appeared Ustimenko understood his role within the Flyers organization, and that there was no reason to rush his development when the organization has netminders like Carter Hart and Brian Elliott leading the way with the big club. Ustimenko was able to adjust properly to the North American rink size, as he posted a 19-4-5 record, a 2.40 GAA, and a .919 Save Percentage in 31 games played for the Royals. Moreover, Ustimenko garnered two shutouts, and only allowed 70 goals against on 867 shots faced. For his efforts, he also managed to play in five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, as Chuck Fletcher traded Phantoms backup netminder J.F. Berube to the New York Rangers to pave the way for Ustimenko late in the season. That’s how well Ustimenko performed, he earned that last recall to the Phantoms before the season was shutdown due to the Coronavirus.
Ustimenko needed a good 2018-19 campaign in a big way to prove his worth to the Flyers top brass. Well, he did just that for the Dynamo team, and in doing so Ustimenko proved to Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher that he shouldn’t be forgotten about as a Goaltending prospect within the system. Some pundits had Sandstrom pegged ahead of Ustimenko, however, Ustimenko grabbed the starting role for the Royals by the horns from the first drop of the puck.
The young up-and-coming netminder in Ustimenko has reflexes like that of a cat. His lateral movements from post to post were smooth and faster than I personally ever witnessed from him this past season. I believe he got stronger which helped, but I also believe his skating was better, as well, and that factored in him being able to move post to post smoother than in years past. Moreover, Ustimenko tracked the puck well, and made tough saves look routine. Ustimenko really made a name for himself with the Royals, and he really showed the world why he could be a third round steal for the orange and black.
Of course, this young netminder performed so well for the Royals this past season that barring injury, Ustimenko will more than likely at the very least be the backup Goaltender for the Phantoms next season. Don’t panic Royals fans, his counterpart Felix Sandstrom more than likely will be the starter for the Royals next season, so the Royals should have some good Goaltending next season, as well.
