Whether goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov will have as long and successful a career as Ron Hextall is not yet known, but he seems to have the same energy.
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The 23-year-old bouncer has made headlines several times since early March. He put the icing on the cake Thursday by knocking out the Philadelphia Flyers in his first National Hockey League (NHL) game in almost two months.
Despite appearing in just 20 games with the Canes this season, the Russian set an organizational record for most shutouts by a rookie in a campaign at four.
His two previous starts with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League had been tumultuous, to say the least.
On March 3, he scored the first goal of his career against the Manitoba Moose. The recordings made the rounds on the internet: he not only found the back of the net, but also threw himself on the bay window to celebrate.
The Winnipeg Jets school club captain, Quebecer Jimmy Oligny, couldn’t stomach the masked man’s wave of joy. 25 seconds into the game he rushed Kochetkov and a general scrum resulted in his ejection.
Just two days later, Wolves and Moose faced off again. This time it was Kochetkov who freaked out. In the final seconds of the game, he threw away the gloves on his way to the middle of the ice to spot them on opposing goaltender Oskari Salminen.
Kochetkov received 22 penalty minutes in two consecutive encounters and was sent off.
The former Continental Hockey League player, the 2019 second-round pick, has a 14-4-5 record and a .915 save percentage in 23 Bettman League games.
Starting next season, he could rival St. Louis Blues’ Jordan Binnington for the title of hottest goaltender in the NHL.