Dmitri Simashev, a 20-year-old defenseman who towers over his competition at 6-foot-5, is looking to break into the NHL this season — and so far, he’s done an excellent job. He’s been a standout in each of his preseason games and the coach gladly raves about him whenever his name comes up.
The native of Kostroma, Russia, has close relationships with both of his countrymen remaining at training camp. He and Daniil But have been teammates since they were children, and he’s been staying with veteran Mikhail Sergachev and his family.
“He’s got all the tools, and I’m sure he’ll be a great player right now (and) in the future,” Sergachev said of his housemate. “Right now, it’s on him to make the team, but I feel like he can bring a lot. He can do anything.”
Sergachev said Simashev reminds him of himself at his first NHL training camp.
“I remember myself, being in my first pro camp in Montreal, I didn’t know if I was going to make the team or not. They had, like, eight (defensemen) on one-way contracts. We pretty much have the same thing here, so he’s got the same feelings. I see him going through it and I try to calm him down a little bit.”
Sergachev had turned 18 just months before his first camp, so he was probably more of a long shot to make the team than Simashev currently is. But that didn’t stop him from accomplishing his goal. He played in three of the Canadiens’ first four games before being sent back to the OHL, and he’d later return for the final game of the season.
He pointed out the effect that longtime Canadiens defenseman and fellow Russian Andrei Markov had on him at that age — and he hopes to provide similar leadership to Simashev.
“It’s fun,” Simashev said. “I think I’m a good uncle for his son. Every day, I just play with him (so) Sergy can just chill out for a little bit. I just can play with him, so it’s fun.”
Sergachev’s son, Theo, is two and a half years old.
“He tries to play (hockey) in (the) house, like, stick and puck,” Simashev said. “He beats me every time.”
What does Dmitri Simashev do well?
Simashev’s skating is already miles ahead of most guys his age. He also reads plays well and has an excellent hockey mind. But those aren’t the only reasons head coach André Tourigny is so fond of him.
“What we like about him right now is his focus and consistency in training camp,” Tourigny said. “He’s doing a really good job of every day bringing the same thing and being consistent in his play and being really well-prepared.”
Tourigny frequently says that the difference between an NHL player and an AHL player is rarely just skill level — it’s the ability to bring that skill on a consistent basis.
“A lot of people can do it for two weeks. Now he needs to do it for the next 15 years,” Tourigny said.
Simashev spent two full seasons (and another partial year) in the KHL — widely regarded as the best league outside of North America. He made it to the Gagarin Cup Final in both of his full seasons, winning it the second time around. While many kids his age are coming out of youth-exclusive leagues, such as the CHL and the NCAA, he’s been playing against fully grown men for years.
He has assists in two of his three preseason games so far. In one of them, he skated on Utah’s top defense pairing alongside Sean Durzi. He got the third-most ice time of any Mammoth player and he even saw action in overtime.
Again, it’s a small sample size, but fans have to like what they’ve seen from him so far.
Does Dmitri Simashev have a shot at making the Mammoth roster?
As Sergachev mentioned, the Mammoth are a defense-heavy team — an intentional move by management after the blue liners struggled to stay healthy last year. If Simashev makes the team, it means a veteran loses his job.
Don’t take that to mean it’s not possible. If the staff believes it’s best for both the player and the team that he stays with the big club, they’ll make it happen. After all, the development of their sixth-overall pick matters a lot more to them than that of a fringe roster player who’s already seen his best NHL days.
“It’s up to him,” said Tourigny. “If he helps us in the present and he’s capable of performing at the best of his potential in the NHL right now, that’s what’s best for him. If he’s not capable, if he’s just surviving, then he’s better to go in the lower level and (have) the chance to perform.
“If you try to speed up the process and you just try to survive, you don’t progress it.”
If Simashev doesn’t make the team right away, it’s nothing to worry about on his part. Maveric Lamoureux didn’t immediately make the cut last season, but as soon as injuries struck, he got called up. He stayed in the NHL a full month, and he likely would have been there longer if he hadn’t suffered a long-term injury himself.
Expect Simashev to be given the same route to prove himself.
“I think when you’re young — at least for me — maybe I thought I was better than I was," said 16-year veteran Ian Cole. “So, I think there’s a bit of a youthful exuberance and, at least for me, probably a little bit of ignorance, thinking that I could come straight out of college and immediately be in the NHL. There’s a learning curve, and it’s something that takes time and experience to work your way through.”
“We don’t get to see a lot of Russian good defensemen, so hopefully he’s going to be one of the greats,” Sergachev said.
