Ufa’s starting goalie as a rookie. Semyon Vyazovoi’s success story

The hero of today’s issue is Semyon Vyazovoi. In the 2024-2025 season, the goalie appeared in 28 regular-season games, made his playoff debut, and was named among the finalists for the Alexei Cherepanov Award as the league’s Best Rookie. Semyon shares his thoughts on the series against Spartak, his childhood dream of joining the Ufa club, and the Green Derby.

“I remember being nervous before my KHL debut last year — it was my first game in the league, and I needed to prove myself,” the goalie recalled. “We beat Sochi 6:4, but I didn’t play particularly well, and I was sent down to the VHL again. Honestly, I had expected that. With Samonov and Yezhov on the roster, I knew there was little chance I’d stick with the first team. I figured there was a 95% chance I’d be sent down to Toros no matter how I played — the VHL season was in full swing, and they needed me for the playoff push. Of course, I was a bit disappointed, but overall, I took it in stride. I understood that bad games are part of the process — there’s no avoiding them.”

He seemed keeping his cool before his debut match. “Before the game, I was only thinking about technical details,” Vyazovoi confirms. “How I’d react in different situations, how to get into the game, how to communicate with the defensemen. Just routine stuff, nothing too serious. Our goalie coach was the one who told me I’d likely be starting: ‘The plan is for you to play this game.’ I told my girlfriend right away, and we were really happy that I was getting the chance to play.”

Before the start of the season, the goalie understood that he was poised to have a bigger role within the team. “Ahead of the 2024-2025 season, I had conversations with our coach Viktor Kozlov and our GM Rinat Bashirov. They told me they were counting on me and hoped I’d break into the lineup and help the senior team. Of course, hearing that gives you more confidence — and a sense of responsibility too. You don’t want to let people down when they’re counting on you.”

That conversation helped the goalie, who seemed to be ready. “I already knew about half the guys on the team, and overall, everyone was really supportive,” he said. “No one came down on me for mistakes. It’s a great group, and everyone helps each other out. I didn’t have any issues adjusting off the ice. On the ice though, I had to adapt — the KHL is much faster, players are smarter, the shots are heavier. The atmosphere is incredible — packed stands, especially at home in Ufa. Our goalie coach, Dmitry Mezentsev, helped me a lot — we worked on technique, conditioning, and the mental side of the game. Alexander Samonov was also always supportive after tough games. He’d say, ‘You’re not going to stop everything every time — rough stretches happen, there’s no way around it’. The first time I ever stepped into Salavat Yulaev’s locker room I was about 12, and even back then I dreamed of being there for real. I’m really happy that dream came true.”

Of course, it wasn’t all easy. Hardest thing are always there, especially for young goalies. “The toughest games were probably against Ak Bars — the Green Derby,” he admits. “Mentally, it was very challenging. I was still getting back into shape in the VHL, then I rejoined the senior team and suddenly I’m told I’m starting against Ak Bars. Whether it’s in Ufa or Kazan, those games always have full arenas — and the emotions are just incredible.”

Fast forward to the elimination stage, and Vyazovoi became a starter for Ufa, just like he dreamed. And he quite succeeded at that, with a nomination for the Rookie of the Year award in the upcoming Closing Ceremony. “The playoffs this year turned out to be very interesting — both for the team and for me personally,” he describes his season. “I wouldn’t say I became the starting netminder during the series against Spartak — it just happened that way. We won the first game, lost the second. Alexander Samonov was a bit worn out and needed rest. I stepped in, played poorly, and we lost. The series score became 1–3, so the coaches had to come up with something, and they decided to put me in again. I kept playing simply because we kept winning. Overall, I managed to get into the game pretty well, but I burned out a little emotionally, so I didn’t have much left in the tank for the end — probably because it was my first playoffs. Before going in, I spoke with Dmitry Mezentsev, and he told me not to think about the score or how important the game was — just focus on your game. You have to enjoy hockey — that’s why we all stepped onto the ice in the first place.”

However, despite Vyazovoi’s strong play between the piping, Salavat Yulaev lost 1-4 to Lokomotiv in the semifinals. “It’s hard to say what exactly we were missing in the series against Lokomotiv,” the goalie explains. “We could’ve advanced — even though many thought we had no chance. But the games were close. Sometimes luck just wasn’t on our side, and sometimes I let in goals I probably shouldn’t have — like in the game when we tied it up after being down 1–3 in the series, and then I gave up a goal that really shouldn’t have gone in.”

In the first game of the series, Vyazovoi had an impressive two-assist performance. “To be honest, that was just a coincidence,” the Ufa native recalls. “The first one happened when I was simply deflecting a shot, and the second came when I left the crease to stop the puck and sent it along the boards — Alexander Chmelevsky picked it up and scored. I heard that no other goalie has ever had two assists in a single playoff game, but honestly, that doesn’t matter. The most important thing in the playoffs is winning games.”

Despite the outback of suffering from a semifinals exit, he is happy with this season. “I can definitely call this season a successful one for the team — we reached the semifinals and earned bronze medals. I think that’s a solid result. From a personal standpoint, the season was a good one, even though there were some rough patches. But overall, I look back on it positively.”

Still young at 22, Vyazovoi probably heard plenty of advice when he was at the start of his path, and now it’s his time to share. “To young guys dreaming of making it to the KHL, I’d say: don’t be afraid. If you’re given a chance, take it. Sometimes when you move up to the pro level, you start overthinking things — worrying that it might not work out — and you start playing differently. But you just need to play your game, the way you know how, and everything will come together. Of course, nerves are part of it — that’s totally normal — the key is not to be afraid.”

KHL.ru dossier

Semyon Vyazovoi

Born on Feb. 26, 2003, in Ufa.

Club career: 2020-2023: Tolpar (JHL), 2022-2024: Toros (VHL), 2023-today: Salavat Yulaev.

Accomplishments: KHL bronze medalist (2025).