http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=738838
Quote:
He's had but a cup of coffee across the Atlantic, but that hasn't impeded Russian defenceman Rushan Rafikov's confidence when skating against North American boys.
Last season, the Calgary Flames prospect appeared in his only stint of North American game experience playing in the 2013 Subway Super Series, where he and the Russian selects took on teams assembled by each of the three CHL member leagues.
He's back for more this week as he found himself back on Canadian soil for the 2014 edition of the series, this time, ready to show the boys of the CHL what a 19-year-old who skates regularly with men in the VHL - Russia's AHL equivalent - can do.
"I'll be beating them at their hockey," Rafikov said with conviction through a translator. "It's going to be an aggressive, physical series and I'm going to skate fast and play the local game."
Rather than enter the CHL's annual Import Draft and go the major-junior route, Rafikov opted to develop in Russia, where he and his agent felt it would be best to honor his contract with the MHL's Yaroslav Lokamotiv.
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so that helps explain why no CHL team took him in the import draft... he decided to stay in Russia
Quote:
When asked where he feels he's at in his development and what the Flames can expect from him at camp, Rafikov responded with further confidence.
"I have reached my peak," he said. "The coaches are happy with my performance. I'll be finishing the season in Russia, getting some training and make it to the next Flames camp and we'll go from there."
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article also says that reason he missed this years camp was because he submitted his paperwork late