Ottawa Senators prospect, Vitaly Abramov is an electrifying player to watch. Standing at 5’9 and weighing 171 lbs his style is akin to Artemi Panarin of the Columbus Blue Jackets including blistering speed, quick hands, agility to create time and space, with a proven instinct to score.  After a successful first season in the professional ranks, including making his NHL debut, Abramov is already preparing for next season in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and becoming a key piece of the Ottawa Senators youth movement.

Abramov started playing hockey when he was four years old thanks to his father who has been his greatest influence on his hockey career. “He is so passionate about hockey, and he has helped me tremendously in many situations throughout my career to date,” said Abramov.  “I really appreciate everything he does for me and his continued support.”

Growing up playing in the Chelyabinsk hockey system, Abramov followed in the footsteps of elite Russian talent coming out of Chelyabinsk such as Sergei Makarov and Sergei Gonchar to current day superstars like Evgenii Dadonov and Evgeny Kuznetsov.

At the age of 16, Abramov made the decision to come to North America and played for the Gatineau Olympiques in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).  “I wanted to get drafted to the NHL. My dream is to play in the NHL and I wanted to position myself closer to them and increase my opportunities of getting scouted. This is what many players from Europe do since scouts can see you on a more constant basis.”

In junior, Abramov was a scoring machine recording 93 points in 63 games in his first season. He was named QMJHL Rookie of the Year, and was drafted that summer by the Columbus Blue Jackets, 65th overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry draft.

 “I was at the draft with my parents and sister.  When they call your name it is such an amazing feeling; like you are on the cusp of achieving your dream of playing in the NHL. You go on the stage at the draft but you are already envisioning the show and making your NHL debut.”

He followed up his rookie campaign by recording 104 points in 66 games in 2016-17 which earned him the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the leading regular season scorer as well as the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy as MVP of the QMJHL and named to the First All-Star Team. 

Once the Olympiques were eliminated from the playoffs that season, the Blue Jackets assigned Abramov to their American Hockey League affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters and thus began his professional career.  He played four games for the Monsters, notching a goal and three assists.

Abramov continued to put up points throughout his third junior season which began in Gatineau.  He was traded to the Victoriaville Tigres for the team’s final 40 games of the regular season where he posted an additional 78 points.

Although his decision to play junior hockey in North America led to him being drafted to the NHL the challenges he faced in his adjustment were more off the ice. “It was a big challenge coming over, leaving parents and friends back home to venture to the unknown. In the beginning I really was homesick and missed them a lot. Also, I came over without knowing a word of English.  To make matters more complicated, I was living in Quebec where everyone mainly spoke French. I spent time with an English teacher and after three to four months I picked up the language.  From that point on I felt at ease and at home.”

Abramov attended the Blue Jackets training camp ahead of the 2018-19 season.  Although he would be assigned to the AHL to join the Cleveland Monsters, he gained a lot from the experience. “It was pretty hard, honestly. The pace was torrent and I remember how intense the camp was both on the ice and on dry land. The roster was also quite stacked on a fully loaded Columbus team. Such a solid team where I could watch and interact with Artemi Panarin as well as learn the ropes of professional hockey. At training camp what really stood out for me was the speed of the NHL being way higher than in junior. I learned that I needed to make decisions with the puck a lot faster in order to play at the NHL level.”

Additionally, he learned that in order to get his chance to play in the NHL, “I just need to listen to the coaches, learn the system and play defensively. Always listen to what the trainers say, work on it and apply it.”  This resolve would come to pay off.

Playing his first season of professional hockey in the AHL was good for Abrmaov and his development. He fared well with Cleveland, scoring 12 goals and notching 22 assists in 52 games. Then, on February 22, 2019, he really got a taste for the business of pro sports when he was traded along with Jonathan Davidsson and two conditional first-round picks to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman.

At the time leading up to the trade, Abramov was honing in his skills on the right wing and playing defensively. “I was on the ice when the trade was made. I was in full practise mode and then the coach called me off and said, ‘Wait, you may now be a part of a bigger deal.’ When he called me, I had no clue what was happening. I just went to him to see what was going on. The whole thing was so unexpected. I didn’t know what to think, and frankly, didn’t know much about the trade deadline. I didn’t really care about it.”

He welcomed the opportunity to play for the Senators organization, which almost felt like a home coming as he was assigned to the Sens’ AHL affiliate in Belleville, Ontario which is not far from Gatineau.  Playing for the Belleville Senators has been a great experience for Abramov. In 18 games he tallied four goals and three assists and adapted nicely into the Senators system.

Then on March 21st, 2019 Abramov’s hard work paid off as he was called up by Ottawa to make his NHL debut in Calgary when the Sens took on the Flames.  It was an experience he will never forget.

“It was a tremendous learning experience. I realized that I am able to play at the most elite level in the world. Getting the call up was so exciting. Now that I have had a taste, I want more. The experience fuels me now as I prepare for next season.”

Reflecting back on an eventful rookie campaign, Abramov commented on what was challenging in his adjustment to pro hockey. “The hardest challenge for me was to live on my own, because I had always lived with my family or billets who would take care of me. Now as a professional, I have to take care of myself and cook. The hardest part on the ice was that that the system was different and everything was faster. Mentally, I was prepared for it, but it took me a while to figure it out.”

Something that helped Abramov throughout the season was constant communication with his friends and family back home in Russia. “I would communicate with them pretty much daily. It helps being able to keep contact with them and the internet makes this easy.”

Abramov has represented his country at International hockey events, most notably winning gold at the 2014 Under-17 Championships. He also played for Russia at the 2018 World Juniors. “It is an enormous honour to represent your county. You grow up watching the national team and then one day you end up playing or them. You are inspired and captivated playing on behalf of your teammates, family, nation and adding to the legacy and hockey history of your nation.”

Outside of hockey, Abramov has quite an interesting past time, and perhaps the secret to his high hockey IQ. He enjoys playing chess on a daily basis.  Aside from that, he enjoys watching Netflix and YouTube videos during his down time.

Abramov is also well aware of the services provided by the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) which represents AHL (and ECHL) players.  He sat in on PHPA meetings held throughout the year with the team and is grateful for the important work they do for the players to ensure their well being.

Abramov is spending the off-season back home in Russia gearing up for a strong summer of training including working on his shot and defensive play hoping to make an impact on Senators management this Fall.  While the team focuses on their young players, the timing is right for Abramov and his Panarin-esque style of play to fit into the lineup and help turn the team into a perennial contender.

Note – this interview was conducted in Russian and translated to English by Evgenia Stroganova