Path to stardom: Pavel Moisevich
KHL.ru starts telling stories of those who showcased an exceptional level of playing despite their young age with a talk with SKA’s goalie Pavel Moisevich. The Belarusian netminder had a fantastic start of his KHL career, establishing a record for the longest shutout streak at the start of the season and at the start of his career, without allowing a goal for more than 200 minutes.
Pavel Moisevich was born in Shchomyslitsa, a small town near Minsk. He was attracted to the role of a goalkeeper quite early, although he only started playing hockey at the age of 11. “My father wanted to be a hockey player when he was a child, but he didn’t succeed,” Moisevich explains. “We were all avid fans of Dinamo Minsk. I was always especially fascinated by goalies—their gear looked like knight’s armor to me. I started playing hockey quite late, at 11 years old, but quickly caught up with everyone. My brother, born in 2002, was also a hockey player. I always practiced with his team and sometimes even played, which greatly helped my development. For the first year, I played as a defenseman, then I became a goalie.” Moisevich went through Yunost Minsk’s school and in 2022, he moved from the Belarusian Higher League to the Sochi system. However, he didn’t stay there long. In November, Moisevich was then traded to SKA. During the 2022-2023 season, Pavel played only four games in the VHL and nine in the JHL, but the next season was a breakthrough for him. SKA-Neva’s new coaching staff believed in Moisevich and gave him regular practice. Thanks to his confident play, the Belarusian netminder soon got his chance in the senior team and justified it by not conceding a single goal for a record-breaking 242 minutes from his KHL debut. This shutout streak helped Pavel gain trust and secure his place in the team, and on Mar 1, 2024, he had his debut in the elimination stage, replacing Nikita Serebryakov in the first game of the series against Torpedo.
“Playing in the playoffs was unexpected and exciting,” the goalie says. “Even compared to my KHL debut. Many people call playoff games a different kind of sport because everything is more serious and faster, and any opponent becomes more dangerous. In knockout matches, all teams play with more confidence, and every player tries to give their all. It was good that the guys encouraged me, I got into the game, and played reliably.”
With Serebryakov being SKA’s first option between the piping, Moisevich knew he would enjoy little time on ice. But he didn’t get there unprepared. “I prepared myself mentally and psychologically. It’s more nerve-wracking to be the backup goalie in the playoffs. I understood that I was behind Nikita Serebryakov, one of the top goalies in the league. But I still prepared myself as I knew I could have a chance.”
In game two, Moisevich didn’t play, but the game lasted 94 minutes. “You can’t envy Nikita Serebryakov in this situation,” the young goalie smiles “I got tired just standing there for five periods, and he was playing. I can only imagine how exhausted he was. It’s noticeably harder to play a full game in the KHL compared to the VHL or JHL. The pace is faster here, so the goalie needs to move quicker as well. I’m working on my conditioning, and if I get the chance to play multiple OT periods in the KHL, I hope I’ll be able to handle it.”
Moreover, guarding the crease for Torpedo was fellow Belarusian countryman Ivan Kulbakov, who was excellent and was hard to beat for SKA’s forwards. But of course, his attitude didn’t change. “I consider all Belarusians playing in the KHL to be strong players; they deserve to be among the best. It’s always nice to see familiar faces from the national team on the ice. We can joke and laugh, but only during the post-game handshake, because during the game, they are opponents, not friends.”
After Moisevich’s move to SKA, he didn’t enjoy much space as the club’s system was stacked with several high-potential goalies, just as it is now. However, he never surrendered, even after playing only 13 games in the entire 2022-2023 season in St. Petersburg. “In the 2022-2023 season, not only did I play little, but I also didn’t play very well overall. In the summer, however, the SKA-Neva coaches worked hard with me; they gave me a lot of playing time and trusted me. Apparently, the coaching staff of the first team noticed this and invited me up. I was lucky to make my debut in the KHL.”
And not only did the Belarusian netminder debuted in the KHL but also secured his position, winning the competition against Artemy Pleshkov and Sergei Ivanov. “I didn’t think about this, and I won’t,” Moisevich says. “There are many talented goalies in SKA, and if you start thinking that you are better than someone else, you will immediately be overtaken and lose your place. Competition motivates you to keep working and not stop. You always want to get better.”
Not only SKA features some good young goalies, but there are several of them playing in the league’s teams. “I like Ilya Nabokov’s technique,” the goalie explains. “He won the starting position for Metallurg and played just fine. I would also mention Sergei Ivanov from Admiral. He has improved a lot, even though he was always considered a strong netminder. The loan definitely helped him. Sergei and I have a good relationship. I think he will return to SKA even stronger than before, and we will compete for a spot in the main team.”
Moisevich faced a strong challenge when SKA in October traded for goalie Serebryakov, last year’s top goalie, who was acquired as the team’s first option in the crease for the St. Petersburg powerhouse. “In fact, before the season, I didn’t even think I would be called up to the KHL,” the goalie admits. “I didn’t worry much about Nikita Serebryakov signing. I understood that he is a master who truly deserves the Best Goaltender award in the KHL. I just worked and played for SKA-Neva, from where I was unexpectedly called up to the first team, as I said.”
Serebryakov’s height is 181 centimeters. In modern hockey, many consider him to be small. For a comparison, Moisevich stands at 196 cm. “There are advantages to everything,” he explains. “Serebryakov is indeed not very tall, but he is very fast and flexible, and this mobility helps him a lot. As for me, I am tall and large, covering a lot of space in the net, but I don’t have the same speed as Nikita.”
Once he had his debut in the KHL, Moisevich posted better numbers in the KHL than in the VHL, without considering his record shutout streak. “That streak in the first games gave me confidence. The guys really supported and helped me, and the opponents just couldn’t score. I don’t get fixated on my statistics.” However, in early November, Moisevich played 57 and a half minutes in a game against Vityaz. He didn’t allow a single goal, but it still didn’t count as a shutout in the statistics.
“I didn’t think about it; I just went out on the ice and did what was required. I couldn’t get a shutout as per the rules—I was three minutes short,” he laughs. “It means I need to play a full game without allowing a goal for it to count. I’ll work on achieving more of that.”
That game ended after SO. Moisevich did feel the difference. “Of course, the skill level of KHL players is different,” he explains. “Stepan Starkov, who used to play for Vityaz, gave me tips from the bench on how the opponents take their shots. He was right—the opponents did exactly what he said, which helped me a lot. After every practice, we work on shootouts. I’m working on this aspect, but I don’t consider it my strong suit.”
Moisevich’s record-breaking shutout streak was exciting, but also hard. “When I had gone over 200 minutes without conceding in the KHL, I did wonder—what’s going on with me?” the goalie explains. “Why am I getting so lucky? The guys and the coaches joked about it, but I tried not to dwell on it too much. I knew that at some point, I would get one in the KHL.” However, allowing a goal didn’t break him. “After I allowed a goal in the game against Vityaz, I came to the bench during a delayed penalty and told the goalie coach that conceding in the KHL is actually quite unpleasant. On the other hand, I felt relieved because I knew the talks about the ‘Belarusian goalie doing something incredible’ would finally stop. I was trusted with the next two games, and despite the losses, I think I played okay.”
After those losses at the start of 2024, the goalie only played once in January. But it looks like he kept his cool. “There is very tough competition in SKA. There are many talented goalies here who deserve to play in the main lineup. January unfolded the way it did, and I don’t hold any grudges about it. I understood that the team had the experienced Nikita Serebryakov, and I never minded giving up my spot to him. Right now, he is definitely the team’s number one. He is the leader of the goaltending line, teaching young players a lot and helping us along with the coaches. I just have to keep working hard and keep up with him. I always want to be the first goalie, especially for a club like SKA. I will work towards that.” And considering the steps forward he had, it doesn’t look like a mission impossible.
