Man of the Week: Dmitry Voronkov
KHL.ru’s weekly column goes on with Dmitry Voronkov. The young Ak Bars forward is one of the best players for the Zinetula Bilyaletdinov’s squad, and is getting closer to break the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career.
Dmitry Voronkov is considered to be a promising prospect in the world of hockey due to his combination of size, skill, and potential. At 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, Voronkov has a rare combination of size and skill that makes him a difficult player to defend against. He also possesses impressive speed and a powerful shot, which makes him a dangerous offensive player. In addition to his physical abilities, Voronkov has also shown good hockey sense and a strong work ethic, which are key attributes for success at the professional level. Overall, his skillset and potential have made him a highly-regarded prospect in the Russian hockey pipeline and a player to watch for the future. However, the future is also now for Voronkov, who has under his belt a participation at the Winter Olympics, in 2022, and at the U20 WJC – both ended with a silver medal.
Just as with most of the other Kazan players, Voronkov had a rocky start of the season, with just one helper in his first fourteen matches. Ak Bars struggled to get wins and at the start, it was questionable whether they could even reach the playoffs despite the powerful moves on the summer transfer market, when they signed Alexander Radulov, Vadim Shipachyov, and Vyacheslav Voynov. After the team fired coach Dmitry Kvartalnov, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov returned at the helm of the team, and Ak Bars returned to a leading position in the Eastern Conference, with youngsters Voronkov and Ilya Safonov emerging as two key players for the Kazan side. Voronkov has currently amassed eighteen goals, trailing just Alex Radulov within the Ak Bars’ lineup. And the real games will start just now.
Early years
Dmitry Voronkov was born on Sep 10, 2000 in Angarsk, a city along the Trans-Siberian railway and close to Irkutsk – a major center close to the Baikal Lake. He started playing there, for the local Yermak team, which now plays in the VHL. Even at a young age, Voronkov stood out among his peers.
“He was always into hockey and worked hard. Dima always had his head in the game, so there is nothing surprising about what he has achieved. When I was 12, I went to play in another city, and when we faced Yermak, Voronkov was head and shoulders above everyone,” said his friend and former teammate at Yermak, Nikita Skorikov, in an interview with Sport-Express.
At just 15 years old, Dmitry made his debut in the students’ hockey league and immediately became one of the top scorers and snipers on the Yermak’s junior team. But what set him apart was not just his ability to score, but also his willingness to engage in physical battles, dig into the corners, and use his size, which is rare in youth hockey.
In the 2017-2018 season, Voronkov made his debut for his hometown club in the VHL. As a 17-year-old forward, he didn’t get much ice time, didn’t score any points, but he fearlessly battled against adult men, which caught the attention of Ak Bars’ scouts. In the summer of 2018, Dmitry went to Kazan.
“My agent called me and offered me a chance to attend a tryout at the training camp. Yermak didn’t try to keep me and wished me a good journey and further growth,” Voronkov said.
Growing up further
That try-out ended well for Voronkov, who in the end moved to Kazan. He started playing for Irbis in the JHL, then moved up to Bars of the VHL, and Zinetula Bilyaletdinov – Ak Bars’ head coach at the time – called him up to the senior team for three regular-season games and another one in the 2019 playoffs. In the next year, he was a full-time member of the team, but this time under Kvartalnov. Voronkov didn’t receive any call-ups to national teams at the U18 level, but in the 2020 World Junior Championship, Valery Bragin simply couldn’t overlook the forward who was making a name for himself in the KHL. Voronkov had a stellar debut tournament for Team Russia, scoring 7 (3+4) points in seven games and winning a silver medal, becoming one of the team’s top performers at the tournament.
During the next season with the support of Kvartalnov, Voronkov became a true leader of Ak Bars, and this was evident in the hottest moment of the season – the playoffs – which he played magnificently. He scored 10 (6+4) points in fifteen games, becoming the top scorer and sniper of his team, and in the conference finals against Avangard, it was Voronkov who led the resistance against the future champions, scoring four goals in the series. And all of this at the age of just twenty.
Naturally, all this couldn’t go overlooked by the national team staff, and at his young age, Voronkov has already a World Championship and an Olympic participation under his belt. And with all this leadership, experience, and a rare combination of strength and skill, Voronkov is called to an even bigger role for the Kazan in the upcoming 2023 playoffs.
