“The moment you relax, even for a split second, you get punished immediately.” Mikhail Fyodorov’s success story

Metallurg’s forward Mikhail Fyodorov had his KHL debut in the last season, becoming a pro-team regular in 2025-2026. In this talk, the forward recalled his debut game in the league, his first KHL goal, working with Andrei Razin, the line of Zaripov, Kovar, and Mozyakin, and recalled some youth memories.

Before my KHL debut, it was not that difficult because I had been practicing with the first team for about a week and understood that my debut was coming soon. There is always some excitement before every game, you can’t avoid that, but there was nothing extraordinary. I prepared like I would for any other game and did the same things I usually did before junior games.

It was special to make my debut for my hometown Metallurg — the club that developed me. I went through the entire club system. A couple of minutes before stepping onto the ice, I had a lot of positive emotions. I just wanted to skate the rookie lap as soon as possible, shoot the puck into the net, and get ready. My family was also in the stands, which made it even more special.



The fact that I started my first game on the top line gave me an extra boost. You start from your very first shift, from the opening faceoff, instead of sitting as the 13th forward for the entire game. Sometimes players get five seconds of ice time in their first KHL shift. The coaching staff showed their trust in me by putting me on the top line, and that motivated me even more. When I found out I was going to be in the lineup, the first thing I did was call my parents: they have always supported me, and I am very grateful for that.

Before my first KHL game, I spoke with Andrei Razin. He told me there should be no nervousness: you go out there to play hockey, there is no need to be afraid or overthink things. He tried to explain that hockey is played by people, not names, and it doesn’t matter who is standing across from you on the ice — what matters is going out there and trying to help the team.

Andrei Vladimirovich trusts young players, and that trust is essential. If a young player justifies that confidence through his desire, commitment, and willingness to learn, everything will work out. This is one of the main reasons why so many young players get opportunities in our team. I haven’t received the “shovel to the back” treatment yet (laughs). You can understand the coach as well: he explains what not to do, but if a player keeps making the same mistake over and over again, it leads to a negative result. A player has to understand what he needs to do and avoid repeating the same mistakes and that is the most important thing.

When I first entered the Metallurg locker room, I had a real “wow” moment, I won’t lie. Many players experience that; it’s about the facilities and also about the people sitting next to you. At our arena, the Metallurg and Stalnye Lisy locker rooms are located directly opposite each other. When leaving the junior team locker room, I would sometimes try to peek through the slightly open door of the first team locker room; of course, I was curious to see what it was like there (smiles).

I adapted to the team fairly quickly. I went through preseason with them, and when you spend a long time together, you gradually get used to everyone. You notice how different players behave, how they communicate. It becomes easier — everyone feels like one of your own. You can talk to anyone, joke around, or have serious conversations. And when you have players of that caliber in the locker room, it adds a certain youthful excitement. You watch how they prepare and approach their work, and it is very interesting. This year I learned a lot from the guys and applied those lessons to my own game.



I scored my first KHL goal in a game against Severstal. At that time, I was playing on the fourth line, but during a line change I ended up on the ice with the third line. Alexander Petunin made a pass to the slot, I received the puck and shot into the far corner — it was an incredible feeling.

The difference between the KHL and the VHL or JHL is that in the KHL you simply cannot lose focus at any point. The moment you relax, even for a split second, you get punished immediately. The opponent takes advantage of the mistake, and it can lead to a goal against or a dangerous scoring chance. You have to stay focused from start to finish.

The speed is also much higher, and the players are more experienced. They know how to act in different situations and play with a cooler head. In the JHL, everyone is young and emotional, everyone wants to rush forward. There are fewer calm, simple decisions; players often try to make the game more complicated, even though the overall skill level is not as high. Sometimes that makes it harder for certain players to make the transition from junior to professional hockey.

Speaking about our team’s style of play, I feel quite comfortable in it. In general, a player has to be able to adapt to any system the coach implements, otherwise it becomes difficult to make the lineup. We are a fast team — people say we are not the biggest one physically (smiles). At the same time, we do not lose out in physical battles against opponents, and we play the body quite often.

Quick counterattacks and maximum puck control are our strengths, because it is difficult to play without the puck. We have strict rules when it comes to playing in the defensive zone, neutral zone, and offensive zone. Defense starts in the opponent’s zone immediately after we lose the puck; it is not like we only focus on attacking.

This year I had my first KHL playoff run, and it brings us back to the concentration topic because in these games the cost of mistakes becomes even higher. The hockey is somewhat simpler here as there are no unnecessary complicated decisions or unjustified risks; the key is to play reliably defensively.

In the first two rounds, we did not move away from our style and continued to play our game, trying to dictate the pace. If we had avoided some of our mistakes, things would have been even easier. The series against Ak Bars was interesting and challenging. Kazan is a big team with its own system — an aggressive style with pressure all over the ice.

As a child, I went to hockey games quite often. My parents started taking me to the stands from an early age. When I became more aware of the game, of course I followed the Zaripov – Kovar – Mozyakin line: a classic (smiles).

Each of them had their own role: Mozyakin was the sniper, Kovar focused on faceoffs, battling for loose pucks, and doing the dirty work, while Zaripov was the playmaker. At the same time, all three of them could both make a pass and finish a play themselves. If you take one player out of that line, it is no longer the same: they complemented each other perfectly.

I would name Sergei Mozyakin as the best player in KHL history. He is a record holder and a legend. As for my childhood hockey memories, in 2014 Metallurg played against Lev Prague in the Gagarin Cup Final, and my parents and I were sitting in the stands. A puck flew out of play toward us, my father managed to catch it, and I still have it at home to this day (smiles).

When I started playing regularly in the KHL, I caught myself thinking that I was now facing players I had previously watched on TV. In the game against Lokomotiv, it was very interesting to play against Alexander Radulov and see how he operates on the ice. Against Dinamo Minsk, I paid attention to Vadim Shipachyov — he is a player of the highest level.



But during the game, you don’t really think about those things. When it comes to my own team, there are many players I can learn from. I watched Ruslan Iskhakov closely and we talk about specific situations. I also pay attention to Roman Kantserov and Vladimir Tkachyov. It’s fascinating to see how Vladimir feels the distance between himself and the opponent. That is something not everyone can do.

For young players who dream of making it to the KHL, I would say: be patient. It doesn’t matter how much ice time you get or how quickly you are brought into the team: you have to wait for your opportunity.

Sometimes a player in the JHL gets 20-25 minutes per game, is constantly on the ice and involved with the puck, but then moves to the senior team and becomes the 13th forward, playing only three or four minutes. That is very difficult. You have to understand that this is your role at that moment, not get frustrated or overthink it, but stay patient and keep working hard.

Another important quality is the ability to learn. A young player has to absorb information like a sponge and apply it on the ice.