Dmitry Simashev: “My goal is to play 20 minutes a night”
Defenseman Dmitry Simashev started playing hockey in his native Yaroslavl. In the 2022-2023 season he became the first 2005-born player to play in the KHL.
Throughout that regular season for Lokomotiv, he played 18 games. Dmitry Simashev started the 2023-2024 season with a wrist injury, which led him to return for one match in the JHL. However, the 18-year-old defenseman’s attention remains focused on the senior team. The regular season has been a breakthrough for him: 7 (3+4) points in 44 games, a solid position in the third defensive pair, and an average of more than 14 minutes on the ice. Dmitry has no intention of resting on his laurels and aims to improve with each game.
However, often young players have little room for their own mistakes, even if he said that he’s ready to have all the patience needed to win his full-time spot within the Lokomotiv lineup. “When young players enter the KHL from the JHL, they often make mistakes due to lack of experience,” Simashev explains. “The most important thing is not to get discouraged after mistakes and not to dwell on them, as it will only get worse. You need to let go of the moment, work on your mistakes, and continue to go out and play. When I mentioned patience, I meant that you might get benched. It’s crucial not to suppress yourself psychologically and to become stronger.”
An important feature is learning to deal with one’s own emotions. “I consider myself fortunate to have inherited such a temperament from my parents that I never take unnecessary emotions too seriously,” the defenseman admits. “Of course, I listen to coaches, but I don’t get too worked up. It wasn’t always like this. At times, like many others, I used to introspect a lot, but over time, experience kicked in. I started making fewer mistakes, communicated more with coaches, and realized that they might say something out of emotion. Even when they raise their voices, it’s not just for the sake of it. They want you to play better.”
And while the talk is about emotions, it’s hard not to notice that Lokomotiv’s bench boss Igor Nikitin appears to be a very calm coach. Maybe emotions come through his assistant Dmitry Yushkevich. “Igor Nikitin is indeed a very calm coach; he explains everything to us literally, without raising his tone. I can’t reveal everything; that’s our internal matters,” the defenseman laughs. “We don’t need many stimuli; the team finds motivation on its own. Dmitry Yushkevich is in charge of the defensemen; he mostly makes all decisions regarding us. From the outside, he might seem like a stern coach, but in reality, he is a completely different person in life – very positive. As a coach with significant NHL playing experience, he provides a lot of valuable insights.”
In an earlier interview, Simashev said that he had a bit of a hard time in adjusting to the KHL’s higher level of needed discipline – especially so in Lokomotiv. “There’s a saying that discipline beats skill, and it’s not without reason,” the young blueliner says. “I can’t say that the coaching staff and personnel closely monitor us; we already understand all the requirements and follow them ourselves. Like in any team, we have penalties. If someone oversleeps a training session, a penalty will be assigned. But there are situations when a car doesn’t start in the winter, or a traffic jam causes a player to be late won’t result in any sanctions. We all understand these situations. No one takes phones into the locker room; it just doesn’t make sense.”
Earlier in the season, however, Simashev had to play a short stint in the JHL to find his conditioning back. “I was there for a game against Krylya Sovetov,” he explains. “In the preseason with the senior team, I suffered a wrist injury, so it was challenging to find my rhythm at the start of the season, especially since Lokomotiv had serious matches against Torpedo, SKA, and Traktor. I needed to get back the feel the game. I talked to the coaches of the senior team, and they said it would be beneficial for me to play one game in the JHL. I was all for it because I wanted to play. I came to Loko with a strong desire, aiming to win and showcase my level in the JHL. The day after the match against Krylya Sovetov, I played against Kunlun, and those were quite enjoyable two days. I was glad to return to Loko and play with the guys; I know everyone on the team.”
Simashev has set in front of himself a clear goal: to become a key player for Lokomotiv. “I won’t be modest,” he says. “That’s my goal. I think about gradually transitioning from 8-10 minutes to 20 and becoming a key player. It’s the path of every young hockey player. In February, I’ll only be 19, I'm still young.” He wants to achieve this status as soon as possible. “I believe in myself and my abilities. I constantly communicate with the coaches, they tell me what I need to improve. The most basic thing is to work on everything bit by bit. You need to enhance every aspect of the game, like Kobe Bryant did. He aimed to have no weaknesses, and I strive for the same. I want to be as useful as possible in every area of the ice. I’ll try to play 18-20 minutes already in the 2023-2024 season.”
The late Kobe Bryant has a huge influence on Simashev, as the defenseman himself admits. “I’ve read his book, watched many films, and videos about him. What surprised me the most was Kobe Bryant’s approach to basketball: how he analyzed each opponent before the game, knowing their strengths and weaknesses. It went to the extent that during the match, he understood which direction to exploit against an opponent because he knew his weak foot. Such people are rare. Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player ever. I, in general, love this sport and follow many other players.”
On November’s tail, Simashev had a three-game scoring streak, followed by only two points in the next month and a half. “I scored against Lada and Torpedo; in the game against CSKA, I didn’t even realize I made the assist – I just instinctively passed the puck, and it worked out, I was lucky. I felt confident after the OT goal against Lada, and it helped me earn points in the two subsequent games; I was on a roll. After such moments, in any sport, you can just call it a day (smiles).” The most memorable goal for Simashev was the game-winner against Lada. “It was in OT, and in such a tough game. At the moment, this is the brightest moment of the season for me. I also reviewed my first goal in the KHL, but it didn’t turn out to be very beautiful.”
Earlier on, the blueliner said that he was yet to be hit by a strong shot at the KHL level. The situation has changed since then. “It did happen. In a home game against CSKA, Anton Slepyshev snapped me in the neck. The shot wasn’t very strong, but at that moment, I felt that it hit me in an unprotected area. It was unpleasant, even a little scary: I was dazed, my head was buzzing, but I managed to skate to the bench on my own. I sat for a minute, and everything became normal again. You could say I was lucky.”
Lokomotiv has often met with Torpedo. The Nizhny Novgorod side features a defenseman who can be considered similar to Simashev – Anton Silayev. Both blueliners are very young and enjoy a good share of trust from the coaches and consequent time on ice. “We faced him in the first game of the season,” Simashev recalls. “Not to take anything away from Anton, but I didn’t even know that he was born in 2006 and that he was playing his first game in the KHL. Then, when I saw that he played 20 minutes in his debut game, I thought, ‘Wow!’. He’s a healthy, technically skilled guy: scores, makes good passes, spends a lot of time on the ice every game. Anton is not slim for his size, skates smoothly, and looks very agile on the ice, controlling his body well. It’s clear that he’s a promising defenseman. Hopefully everything will continue to go well for him in the future. I wish him all the progress possible.” Silayev, however, despite Simashev’s praises, lines up for a rival club. As the defenseman said, he doesn’t like to talk about that team. The reason? “2023 playoffs,” he says. And the time for a revenge may come soon.
KHL.ru dossier
Dmitry Simashev
Born on Feb 4, 2005, in Kostroma.
Playing career: 2021 – today, Loko, Loko-76 (JHL); 2022 – today, Lokomotiv.
Achievements: JHL bronze medal (2023).
