Interview with American striker Alexander Khmelevsky: transition to Salavat, life in the USA, Russian language, NHL – August 12, 2022
Daria Tuboltsev
Interview with Sasha Chmielewski.
One of the major acquisitions of Salavat Yulaev this offseason was Alexander Khmelevsky. The 23-year-old striker is an American of Ukrainian origin. He spent the last four years with San Jose, playing successfully in the AHL, but failed to gain a foothold in the NHL. He played for the US national team, won bronze medals at the 2021 World Cup, and silver at the youth championship two years earlier. During the summer, Chmielewski received a qualifying offer from the Sharks, but did not accept it. And instead decided to try his hand at the KHL. In an interview with Sport24, Sasha said:
- why they chose Salavat;
- how is his Russian language;
- why the contract with San Jose disappeared;
- how his relatives reacted to the decision to leave for Russia.
“We usually speak English with our parents at home”
— How long did it take to get from the USA to Ufa?
– It took a long time, about 45 hours. My plane to New York was delayed by 6 hours, so I missed my second flight to Dubai. In the end, he flew the next day, from Dubai already to Ufa.
Haven’t adjusted to the new time zone yet?
Not yet, they will gradually get used to it. today (the conversation took place on Thursday, August 11 – ed.) I passed the medical examination. Everything is in order, I hope tomorrow it will be possible to start training. I really want to go on the ice with the team.
— How long did it take to get a visa in Russia?
– About two weeks.
– Since the signing of the contract with Salavat, have you begun to practice Russian more?
– Yes. We usually speak English at home with our parents. So accustomed to, still live in America. Only in English, so that I could improve my language before coming to Ufa. And it became much easier for me to go in for sports, I began to think less before saying something.
— Have you already seen something in Ufa?
– quite a bit until I left the airport for the arena. I know that there is a river and an embankment. I think later there will be time to get to know the city a little better.
– Tell us how the issue with your transition to Salavat was resolved. When did the agent offer you this option?
I don’t remember what day it was. But that happened when San Jose made me a qualifying offer. My agent Dan Milstein said that his colleague Stas Romanov suggested the option with a club from Russia. I chose how everything works in the KHL and Salavat. After studying the question, I gave a positive answer. I learned that the head coach of the team is Viktor Nikolaevich Kozlov, a coach with a big name who played in the NHL for many years. The figure of the head coach played a role in signing the contract.
– You called the coach by his first name and patronymic. Have you already got used to the fact that in Russia they turn by their patronymic?
– Sometimes it’s hard to remember all the middle names, but it’s better not to forget the patronymic of the head coach.
— Have you ever thought about the possibility of playing in Russia?
– When the season is on, you don’t have time to think about any options for continuing your career, you just hope that you will play your game, get into the NHL and so on. When the season ended, I thought that I returned to San Jose and continued to fight for this club. And, of course, then I could not get sick that I would go to Russia. But at the same time, I kept in mind that this is possible, that the KHL is a league of a good level.
“I was not lucky with my debut in the NHL”
San Jose made you a qualifying offer. You do not have it with the population in terms of amount and duration?
— You are right, it was just a qualifying offer. I think this is not enough. And in the end I chose a different path.
– You did not believe in the trust of the club?
— I would not say that I did not consider trust. Most likely, I hoped that they would appreciate my game, that they would trust me more than it was. I think I presented myself well in past events in both the AHL and the NHL.
– You had 19 games for San Jose last season in 13 minutes of playing time. Did you, as a creative player, have to play in the third or fourth line?
– I understand that this is the NHL, that there are very high competitions. I was always happy to play for San Jose, no matter how much playing time I was given. I think that I played well in the NHL, in the sense that I used it in every moment. I am a creative player, but sometimes I had to work on defense, do the dirty work. I had a hard time with these components, but that means they just need to be added to wear when in use.
Was there a big difference between the NHL and the AHL for you?
– I will say that there is a difference, of course. In the NHL, everyone thinks faster, everyone knows where to be on the ice. The slightest mistake and you will get an own goal.
– Were you worried when you made your debut in the NHL?
– A little, but I was not lucky with the debut. I was supposed to play the first match in Colorado, flew there, but something happened to the documents, and I did not pay attention to the application. I had to wait a week for my debut, it happened in the game with Anaheim. I was no longer nervous, because I expected it to be Colorado. In my own game, by the way, I passed the ball.
What was a memorable moment for you in the NHL?
I probably won’t name one. I remember how we played with “Vegas”, lost with a score of 2:4, equalized two minutes before the end and then won on shootouts. I played against McKinnon and McDavid, these are also memorable moments.
Is it even possible to arrest them?
– I would not say that we need to talk about the detention. You need to play smart, keep in mind that both attack very quickly, you need to play carefully against them, be very attentive.
“You shouldn’t stay in the AHL”
– In the AHL you played very successfully. At the same time, it is considered that this is a league where there are a lot of negotiations, fights, and so on. Did you feel comfortable there?
“It was hard in the beginning. Adaptation took time. I was warned about this. When you want to get everything at once. I saw a big difference in my game in my second and third years. Then I got used to it.
The Barracudas finished second from the bottom in their division. Is it harder to score points in a weak game than away?
– Of course. In the past, it was a problem for us to score goals, we constantly gave the opponents the opportunity to score. We had a lot of young guys in the game. In the AHL, young teams succeed success.
– Did you think that after three years in the AHL you need to take a step up?
Yes, in my second season I can already feel that I have risen one step higher. In the first two years I played 60 games in the AHL and the equipment that if they call me in the NHL, I will be ready.
– Nikita Zadorov, who now plays in Calgary, said that young people should not stay long in the AHL, because there will be no progress. Do you agree with him?
– Yes, you should not linger in this league. First round players are given more chances in the NHL, they are given playing time right away. Hockey players, detained later, met more difficult. But maybe after spending more time in the AHL, the evil ones will play, they will have more motivation to work to get into the NHL. But on my own I can say that in the NHL you progress much faster.
– Do you consider moving to the KHL as an opportunity to reset the availability?
I don’t think it’s a career recovery. It’s just a new experience, an opportunity to discover yourself. I spent three years in professional hockey. I’m 23 years old, I don’t need a restart, I just need to go forward and help my team win.
“I think they just forgot about me in the draft”
– What is your hockey path connected with?
My dad always liked to play football. But it so happened that he put me on skates when I was 18 months old. At the age of four, I already skated well. I liked it, I started doing more and more. I have always loved hockey, I was good at it. Hockey has become my life.
– You have two younger brothers. How are they doing in hockey?
They both play in the Junior League in the USA. They have talent. The middle brother is going to college, I hope he gets into the NCAA. We have a very hockey family.
– Your parents were never covered in hockey? How did it happen that their three sons went to hockey?
No, it’s not covered at all. The brothers pulled up. My parents gave us a lot, everything is sexy for me and my brothers, they supported us.
– Usually Americans go to the USHL, then go to college and leave the NHL. Why didn’t we go the standard way and go to the Ontario league?
— At the age of 12, I moved from the airport to Michigan. The Plymouth Whalers were there, playing in the OHL, and now they are no longer there. I looked at this team game and for me it was like the NHL. At the age of 16 I got into the Ontario league, I liked it there, and I returned there as a soldier.
– Are you very upset that you were only killed in the sixth round in the NHL draft?
— Yes, I was upset, the project was a dream. I didn’t expect anything else. But what can you do … I then got angry, the late choice gave me energy and motivation to work even harder. I wanted to show everyone who thought I was a weak player that I wasn’t.
Why do you think they took you so late? Because of not the best season when you scored 43 points in 58 matches?
— I would not say that the season was bad. I don’t know why it happened. I think they just forgot about me.
– You played for the US national team at the junior and youth levels, while under the USDP program you always have two matches. Why didn’t they stay?
– I was in the camp of the U-18 team, but I was not taken to the team. I don’t want to stay in the USHL so I went to Canada. At the time, the Ontario league was stronger, but it depends on the year the players graduated.
“I won’t forget knee-deep snow in Moscow”
– Russian fans remember you from the semi-finals of the MFM-2019. In the second period, you scored against the Russians, in that match against the Russians, and your puck was the winner. Remember that meeting?
I will not forget this game. I remember that I was very nervous before that match, I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat. We are lucky that we won. I was very happy to score the winning goal. Big moment in my career.
– You were sent to the US team for the senior world championship this year, but you did not get into the application. Have you had an injury?
No, there was no observation. My dad had major heart surgery and I needed to fly home to be with my family. In the US team, two players were created instead of me, who fit well into the squad.
“Did everything go well with your father?”
Yes, he’s better now. I’m very glad everything worked out.
– How did your parents react to the decision of your problem to go to Russia?
– They kept him. They always wanted the best for me, it was important for them that I was happy. I thank them very much for helping me with Russian. Without the Russian language, it would be much harder for me. Okay, I speak two.
– What was it like for your environment when you announced opposition to the movement to Russia? Still, because of politics, there can be different rejection.
– Normal. I must say right away: I do not understand and do not deal with verification. If you want to talk about checking, it’s for my dad. But this is not for me. My family and my friends supported my decision, no one condemned me.
— Do you have Russian-speaking friends in America? Guys who, like you, were born in a family of immigrants?
– Yes, he played in Dynamo Minsk. There are also friends who speak Russian. As a result, there are generally a lot of Russians and a lot of people who love hockey.
– What is your name in the USA: Sasha, Alexander?
– Call me “Sasha”, I have never been called Alex. I also like Alexander, but most often they call me Sasha. Sometimes my parents, when I was guilty, called strictly Alexander.
— Have you ever been to your parents’ homeland, Ukraine?
— No, I’ve only been to Russia a couple of times, I’ve never been to Ukraine. I was in Moscow once and once in St. Petersburg.
– Do you have any memories?
We played hockey tournaments. The first one was in Moscow. I won’t forget knee-deep snow. In St. Petersburg I was in August at the Tretyak tournament, in the final we met with Dynamo and the actors.
– Ufa also has cold winters.
— Yes, I heard. I will prepare. Winter here is not like cycling.