Man of the Week: Andrei Altybarmakyan

KHL.ru continues its weekly column with Andrei Altybarmakyan. The HC Sochi forward was one of the main attractions at the recent KHL All-Star Game in Chelyabinsk.

Not only did Andrei Altybarmakyan help the Bobrov Division taking again the crown of the All-Star Game winners after a breathtaking final against the Kharlamov Division (7:6), but he also was one of the fan favorites for his barbecue-stick attempt in the shootout competition.

“I don’t know how the guys brought this barbecue stick here, I’ve only seen it here, it weighs five kilograms, I guess. The idea was developed with the club’s press department. Probably it was necessary to spoil the audience with a barbecue to get votes,” said Altybarmakyan after his performance. 

However, the meat wasn’t enough – the fan preferred Metallurg’s Nikolai Goldobin and his magical attempt with a magnetized puck and goggles borrowed from Ilya Vorobyov that gave him a Harry Potter resemblance.

However, Altybarmakyan’s performance was one of the most appreciated and he is already part of the KHL All-Star Game’s history - He was one of the first junior players to earn himself a KHL All-Star call-up via his performance in the JHL Challenge Cup in 2017 and this season he became the first of those prospects to return as a senior pro after his debut appearance in Ufa. This season, Altybarmakyan is HC Sochi’s top scorer with 15 (6+9) points in 36 games, tied with Nikita Feoktistov.

Early years

Andrei Altybarmakyan was born on Aug 4, 1998, in St. Petersburg. He started playing within the SKA’s junior system, making his JHL debut in the 2014-2015 season with the SKA’s Silver Lions affiliates. He spent three years there, also debuting as a pro with SKA’s VHL affiliates, SKA-Neva in 2016. After the 2016-2017 season, he was picked in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks following a 45-point season with the Silver Lions and a good VHL debut.

2017-2018 was another important season for the forward. He had his debut in the KHL with SKA lining up for 14 games for the St. Petersburg franchise, and was picked to represent Russia at the 2018 World Juniors in Buffalo. It was a disappointing edition for Team Russia, who suffered from a quarterfinals exit by the hand of the then-bronze medal winners of Team USA. Altybarmakyan scored that night for the Russians to tie the game at two in the third period, but that wasn’t enough.

First stint in Sochi

After his first 14 games with SKA, Altybarmakyan never played anymore with the St. Petersburg franchise. After starting the 2018-2019 season within the SKA system, he was traded to HC Sochi, with whom he played 38 games in that campaign, gathering his first goals and points at the KHL level. On the Black Sea’s shores, the forward felt at his ease and slotted right away quite high in the team’s depth chart, increasing his production to 17 (6+11) points in 2019-2020. However, after spending the latest two years with Sochi, Altybarmakyan decided to move overseas and joined his draft organization, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Move to North America

Once overseas, Altybarmakyan was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, the Blackhawks’ affiliates. He would spend the next two years in the American Hockey League, totaling 43 (15+28) points in 94 games – a respectful production also considering how he was barely 22 when he jumped in his new adventure.

However, despite winning a spot in the team and producing at a decent pace, the rebuilding Blackhawks didn’t tender him a new contract and he left North America as a free agent. A return home was almost a sure thing at that point, but as it often goes, the process wasn’t without its dark aspects.

Return home

“In fact, the reasons for me leaving the team are trivial,” Altybarmakyan told KHL.ru this summer. “In North America, the free agent market opened on Jul 13. My agent called me the other day, and told me that the teams that wanted to take me were still playing in the Stanley Cup. I, of course, did not know that, and Chicago did not give me an exact answer regarding a new contract. I didn’t want to wait long at my age. Plus, I wanted to come back, I missed my homeland, the Russian food, the language. I wanted to show in Russia what I learned there. I talked to the club, and signed a contract with Sochi. I’m glad I came back. I hope to have my best season.”

And it indeed is his best season. While the Sochi franchise is sitting on the bottom of the Western Conference’s standings, Altybarmakyan even made it to the All-Star Game, where he delivered with his excellent media presence and, not last, his play – as said, he helped his divisional team to win the competition.

“[Bobrov Division’s captain Alexander] Nikishin announced a tricky trick from me in the finals? The trick was that we had to win, everything else was more pressure. We made a couple of good passes, scored and everything was fine. Now we must rest. The fans were enjoying the atmosphere, watching the matches, we came here after the games, didn’t sleep a lot, and it’s a little hard in just two days at the arena. I want to fly home and rest (smiling). It was a 100% useful weekend – I got great emotions, and I’ve been so excited to greet all the guys all in one place. I think it only helps, one hundred percent.”

Altybarmakyan signed a two-year deal in Sochi, and while this year the team is perhaps taking its time to grow and further develop younger players, next season may be a good one for the forward and Sochi to return to the postseason.