EVERETT — Nikita Scherbak was left off Russia’s preliminary roster for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships.
Anyone who was at Xfinity Arena on Wednesday night was left asking themselves, “Why?”
Scherbak put on a highlight-reel show Wednesday in the Everett Silvertips’ 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs, and it was a pointed reminder to the Russian coaches who snubbed Scherbak just what they’ll be missing.
Scherbak’s inclusion on the Russian team for World Juniors seemed a foregone conclusion. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound native of Moscow is the full package offensively, with a rare combination of size, speed, skill and vision that prompted the Montreal Canadiens to select him in the first round of this year’s NHL draft. It’s almost unheard of for an NHL first-rounder who’s in his 19-year-old season not to make his country’s team for World Juniors.
But when Russia released its preliminary roster of 38 players last Friday, Scherbak’s name was nowhere to be found.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Scherbak said following Thursday’s practice at Xfinity Arena. “It’s Russia, you never know. I don’t really want to talk about that. The coaches pick who plays in World Juniors. I just want to say, ‘Good luck,’ to Team Russia in World Juniors.”
Scherbak’s performances with Everett wouldn’t seem to be the reason for his non-inclusion. He leads a first-place team in scoring with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 21 games. His rate of 1.57 points per game is the third-best in the Western Hockey League, only trailing the Kelowna duo of Rourke Chartier and Nick Merkley.
The full breadth of Scherbak’s abilities were on full display Wednesday as he had two goals and an assist in an electrifying performance. The night was capped off by a breathtaking end-to-end dash during which he undressed one Spokane defender, blew past a second, then deked his way around the goaltender to score the all-important insurance goal late in the game.
“He had a great night,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said following Wednesday’s game. “He’s a difference-maker in games, he showed that tonight. Especially that last goal, it’s a very talented goal, hard for a lot of people to make that kind of play. It’s why we wanted a guy like him on our team.”
But evidently not everyone wants Scherbak on their team. He played for Russia during the Subway Super Series, appearing in the games Nov. 10 and 11 against the WHL all-stars. Scherbak went pointless in the two games, though Russia won both 3-2. Scherbak scored during the decisive shootout in the first game.
On Wednesday, Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo Sports translated a story in the Russian press in which Russia World Juniors coach Valeri Bragin spoke about Scherbak being left off the roster. Sapurji’s translation, presented in two Tweets, said: “We don’t like (Nikita Scherbak’s) effort in these games at SSS. Other players that we have, played better. We gave a chance to everyone; (those) who used it — got a spot on roster.”
Scherbak said he wasn’t told the reason why he was left off the roster by anyone involved with the Russian team. He was disappointed he won’t get a chance to play for his country at World Juniors.
“Of course you’re frustrated, but I’m trying not to think about that,” Scherbak said. “I’m just going to keep going and play my game. Every time you enjoy playing for your national team, and I hope I will play for the men’s national team in the World Championships (in the future).”
While Scherbak won’t be bringing his abilities to the international stage, the Silvertips aren’t complaining. World Juniors are Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Montreal and Toronto, meaning Scherbak would have missed a minimum of five Everett games had he made Russia’s team. That number could have ballooned to as many as 11 based on leaving early before the Christmas break for Russia’s selection camp, as well as recovery time following the tournament. Instead, the Tips will have Scherbak’s services uninterrupted.
As for Russia, it remains to be seen whether it will regret leaving Scherbak behind.
Tips add a forward
Everett moved to address its depth issues up front, bringing in 19-year-old forward Jake Mykitiuk from the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Mykitiuk, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound native of St. Albert, Alberta, spent his 16- and 17-year-old seasons in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars. He spent the past two seasons in the AJHL with Spruce Grove, with whom he won a league title last season, and the Sherwood Park Crusaders. This season with the Saints he had 10 goals, 13 assists and 74 penalty minutes in 31 games. Mykitiuk gives Everett 14 forwards, though Dawson Leedahl (knee) and Logan Aasman (upper body) remain out injured.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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