Be-Leaf in Flint defenseman
He moved to Toronto from Russia at age seven and could not speak a word of English. A little more than 10 years later, after adapting to life in Canada and becoming a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Fedor Gordeev is living a dream.
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound defenseman became Maple Leafs property on the weekend when Toronto took Gordeev in the fifth round of the 2017 National Hockey League draft from the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League.
In an interview with Paul Hendrick of Leafs TV after being drafted, Gordeev talked about the thrill of being selected by the NHL team that he grew up watching after moving to Toronto with his parents from their native Russia.
And Flint general manager Barclay Branch, who was at the NHL draft in Chicago, told HockeyNewsNorth.com that his big defenseman “had tears in his eyes” after the Maple Leafs called his name.
“He was so choked up with emotion he could hardly speak,” Branch relayed to HockeyNewsNorth.com. “It really was a touching moment to take in.”
Gordeev, who played basketball and hockey equally until his early teens before deciding to focus on the ice game, was followed closely throughout the 2016-2017 season by Maple Leafs assistant general manager Mark Hunter. Hunter made mention of Gordeev’s basketball and hockey skills after drafting the towering youngster.
“He’s a big, strong defenceman who can dunk a basketball. I don’t know if that means anything,” Hunter began. “He’s got a bomb. He can shoot a puck. He’s a big, strong guy. He’s got skill. He just needs to calm down and make better plays consistently on the ice.”
Acquired by Flint from the Hamilton Bulldogs two games into the 2016-2017 OHL campaign, Gordeev went on to total 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points in 64 regular-season outings.
Gordeev made huge strides in Flint in what was his first full season as a defenseman after also being used as a left winger with Hamilton and during his pre-OHL years. And Firebirds head coach Ryan Oulahen is expecting more from Gordeev in 2017-2018.
“We had a veteran defence (in Flint in 2016-2017),” Oulahen noted. “We had two overagers (Mathieu Henderson and Alex Peters) and a 19-year-old (Jalen Smereck) who signed (an NHL contract) with Arizona. Fedor was the fourth guy in our mix.
“Well, those older players have now left and (Gordeev) is going to have tons more responsibility this year,” Oulahen continued. “The sky’s the limit for him.”
Indeed, Gordeev should continue to develop at a high rate in Flint under the 32-year old Oulahen, who is widely considered as one of the brightest young coaches in Canadian major junior hockey.
In fact, look for Gordeev — who has a 1999 birth date and who turned 18 in January of this year — and 2000 birth-year defender Dennis Busby to be the mainstays on the Flint blueline in 2017-2018.
PHOTO: Fedor Gordeev poses in Toronto Maple Leafs attire after being their fifth-round pick at the 2017 NHL Draft.