Pavel Buchnevich // Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Blues forward Pavel Buchnevich, who recently extended his contract for six more years, spent the summer in his hometown of Cherepovets, a city with a population of 300,000 located 370 miles from Moscow. He began his preseason training, skating with kids from the local hockey school and some local pros.
"Since the end of July, I've been skating three or four times a week and hitting the gym regularly to stay in shape," Buchnevich said in a one-on-one interview with RG. "In the summer, I build the foundation to feel good during the season. On July 20, I participated in Panarin’s and Sergachev’s charity game, but I had only skated three times before that. It was tough during the game; I couldn’t move my feet in the third period."
"I used to skate with players from the KHL, like Bogdan Kiselevich, Daniil Vovchenko, and Makar Khabarov," Buchnevich said. "Someone was always on the ice, and we played 5-on-5. I skated alone or with Severstal U18 in August to do high-intensity exercises. My coach is Sergei Sakharusov, and we played together for one year. He retired as a professional hockey player and became a coach, and he has some pretty exciting skating exercises. By the way, kids can do some exercises better than I can. I can’t do some anymore."
Buchnevich spends the final stage of his preparation in St. Louis. He arrived there in September, a few weeks before the opening of the training camp. He enjoys living in Missouri after the bustling life in New York.
"It's great. No traffic jams. Everything is fast. I like it!" he says.
Buchnevich admits feeling nostalgic for his first season with the Blues when Vladimir Tarasenko and Ivan Barbashev played on the team.
“When I was traded to St. Louis, I started playing more and got more powerplay time. We had a solid team with three strong lines. The players' level was very high. But we were unlucky with injuries in the playoffs. We had many good stories when Tarasenko and Barbashev played with us. It was a fabulous time. We communicated closely with the guys, went to dinners, and got together at someone's house. It's good to have Russians on the team."
"Now I mostly communicate with Alexey Toropchenko," Buchnevich said. "It's easier to communicate in Russian. With Alexandrov, of course, too. It's just that Nikita has been playing in North America for a long time and speaks English well. He is in contact with everyone. Maybe his mentality is a little different, but he is still Russian and speaks Russian well."
Russian Bergeron
Buchnevich wants to be a versatile player and play center next season. He was first tried in the NHL as a center in the 2022-23 and spent the end of last season entirely in this position.
Buchnevich admits he has no one to work with on faceoffs in the summer, but he pays close attention to this during the season.
"I can't play against a 15-year-old kid. It's pointless", Buchnevich smiled. "I talked to assistant coach Steve Ott, who played in the center a lot, so we worked on faceoffs. At the end of the season, after each practice, we worked on them. He said everything comes with experience, and I must practice as much as possible. Ott said, 'You go up against the strongest centers, like [Patrice] Bergeron, who has been playing this position for many years, and you have just started. It will be difficult.' He tells me what to pay attention to. I may forget about it in the game, but it is automatic for the players used to play center."
"We practiced powerplay on pregame skates, and I stayed to work extra. Someone shoots, someone takes shootouts, and I practice faceoffs. I hope this will give results."
Buchnevich said the teammates jokingly called him "The Russian Bergeron" when he first tried to play as a center.
"That was the first time I was put as a center," Buchnevich said. "Everyone giggled. During the game, all the guys helped me, talked to me, and told me what to do. They understood that playing in the center was new to me and that it needed time."
"McDavid is a mix of Messi and Mbappe in hockey"
Buchnevich believes that Dallas is the best team in the NHL regarding faceoffs:
"The Stars are the strongest team in the league in terms of faceoffs. They have left-handers and right-handers on each line. You always go against the strong side. It's tough."
According to Buchnevich, the top three centers in the NHL are Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Aleksander Barkov.
"I haven't played against McDavid on the dot; I've played against [Leon] Draisaitl. But if this isn't about faceoffs, then, of course, I've played against McDavid a lot. You prepare for a game with him differently. His speed makes him a unique hockey player. He scores 150 points when two players are against him. If he only played one-on-one against me, he would score 300 points. He's unique. His hands are powerful. It's great when you can handle the puck at that speed. It's an art. Connor is a mix of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in hockey."
Daria Tuboltseva
