One-on-one: Murashov becoming 'wiser, stronger' with Nailers

WHEELING, W.V.a. -- Sergei Murashov tried to go into his first season in North America with no preconceived notions about where exactly he would end up in the Penguins' system.

Though he didn't get to play in any preseason games with the big club, Murashov made a strong first impression, from leading his team to victory in the Penguins' development camp tournament to a sequel of a hot run through the Penguins' Prospects Challenge sweep in Buffalo, N.Y. later in the summer. But with Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic and Joel Blomqvist returning this season, and newcomer Filip Larsson signed out of Sweden in the summer, competition for playing time in net would be steep.

The injury to Nedeljkovic in the preseason created some opportunity early on in the season, with Blomqvist being tasked with taking on an NHL role in the interim, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton began the season with a tandem of Murashov and Larsson. But when Jarry faltered to start the season was given a 14-day conditioning assignment in the AHL that would have him taking over in net for Wilkes-Barre's next five games, the Penguins sent Murashov down to Wheeling in an effort to get him actual playing time instead of riding the bench behind Jarry. When Jarry's conditioning stint ended and Blomqvist was ultimately sent back to the AHL, he took over as Wilkes-Barre's starting netminder backed up by Larsson, with Murashov remaining in Wheeling -- that way, both of the Penguins' young goaltending prospects would have the opportunity to be starters.

It's not uncommon for prospects, especially NHL-contracted ones, to be disappointed upon being sent to the ECHL. It can make reaching the NHL feel far, far away. 

Murashov, for a 20-year-old prospect, has always come off as exceptionally mature and wise, especially for someone living in a new country for the first time and communicating in his second language. While he most likely didn't plan on leaving Russia this past summer only to end up in West Virginia, he's handling the circumstance extremely well and with a smile on his face.

"I try not to expect anything, because this is life, and it's impossible to expect everything," Murashov told me last week after a game at the Nailers' WesBanco Arena. "It's part of the process, and I don't think too much about the decisions. I just want to grow everywhere. I want to become better. And for me, it's a really great opportunity just to work on my weak sides and make my strong sides better. So I'm just focused on the present and I keep going."

Murashov only got one game in at the AHL level before the shuffle of the Penguins' goaltenders -- a 27-save showing in Wilkes-Barre's 4-1 win on the road over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Oct. 13. Murashov said he felt "absolutely great" in his brief stint at the higher level.

"It's a really good level, a really great team there," Murashov said. "They support me, they help me. It was a really great experience. But again, right now I'm here, and I don't think about what was happening. Just stay in the moment."

ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS

Sergei Murashov before a save in the shootout on Thursday in Wheeling, W.Va.

Murashov's first weekend in the ECHL didn't go so well. His first two games were a back-to-back on the road against the Reading Royals. He first allowed four goals on 20 shots in a 5-4 win, then three goals on 21 shots in a 4-1 loss the following night.

Nailers head coach Derek Army old me on Thursday that he thinks Murashov may have just "underestimated the league" in those first couple of games.

"He was a young goaltender," Army said. "I think for him, he still played well, but he made mistakes. Being around the league, you see these things in new goaltenders. All of a sudden, a quick turnover, and now you're on your heels. And so I think it took just a little for him to get used to. Some goalies, it takes weeks. For him, it was one weekend."

For Murashov, he said that after that tough weekend he needed to take some time to "reflect on my game."

"Probably, it's more about my psychology and my time just to get used to North American hockey style," he said. "I think it's part of the process, part of learning, and those days were really helpful for me. I became wiser, became stronger, and I'm thankful to my coaches, because they really helped me with it and keep helping me to become better."

Kyle Dubas and Jason Spezza have both been clear since taking over that they want to utilize Wheeling as a legitimate step in the development process, and not be seen as a dead-end for their prospects. They've made investments to make that happen, including hiring Karel Popper as Wheeling's first-ever full-time goaltending coach. I've been writing about prospects in Wheeling for years now, and the lack of consistent in-person attention from the lone goaltending development coach -- who is also tasked with the AHL goaltenders, goaltenders who may be in junior, college or Europe, as well as doing some scouting for potential new goaltending prospects -- was obvious. It's just too much for one member of the development staff to handle. One year in which there was an NHL-contracted goaltending prospect in Wheeling, the other half of he tandem explained to me that the development coach would send over diagrams of drills, and it was up to the goaltenders themselves to execute those in practices on their own. That's just not ideal.

In Popper, the Nailers have an experienced, dedicated goaltending coach who served in a similar capacity in the past with the USHL's Chicago Steel, the University of Minnesota and Ohio State. The Nailers have felt the impact of that investment.

"It's great to have Karel," Army said. "He can go more in-depth with the goalies, talk to them, build their confidence. He took Sergei out to dinner right away. He's built a relationship, which I think is really important. It's great to have a goalie coach who can really help push the details, because the ECHL really is a goalie development league. You can hit on a draft pick or a prospect to move up the ladder. So having Karel, I think, is a huge addition."

While Murashov worked with goaltending coach Andy Chiodo in camp and goaltending development coach Kain Tisi in Wilkes-Barre, his dealings now are almost exclusively with Popper, saying that he doesn't "need, like, four opinions at one time." Rather, Popper is the one that communicates with the rest of the goaltending staff, and serves as the funnel of information to Murashov.

ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS

Sergei Murashov in net on Thursday in Wheeling, W.Va.

Since those two tough days to start his time in the ECHL, after that dedicated work with Popper, Murashov has looked much more like the star goaltender he was in Russia. His next game came five days later, and while it was a 3-2 loss to the Toledo Walleye, Murashov has a good showing with 32 saves. He hasn't lost a game since then, and has a 5-2 record with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

The game in which I went to Wheeling to watch Murashov was against the Indy Fuel, his most recent start. The Fuel scored on only their second shot of the game at the 19-second mark -- the centerman won a draw in the Nailers' end and got the puck back to a defenseman, who beat Murashov on an unscreened, long-range shot. It was a soft goal, but Murashov responded well. That was the only goal he let in all game, and he finished with 24 saves on 25 shots. He got to experience his first shootout of the season, and stopped all three Fuel shooters as the Nailers went on to win, 2-1.

"I didn't particularly love the goal from the faceoff, kind of far out," Army said. "How's he going to respond? That's what I'm looking for, is how is his response? And I thought he settled in nicely. I think that says the most about what you want to see. He just kind of found his game and solved himself through it."

That win is indicative of Murashov's strengths. He's calm and level-headed, and hasn't ever been known as one to let things spiral. He was remarkably steady in Russia last season, recording a 2.02 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage in 34 games at the junior level. He got a brief look in the KHL and fared well in his six games, recording a 1.84 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. That's the Murashov Wheeling has been seeing since that first weekend.

What has really struck Army about Murashov, though, is just how comfortable he already is in communicating and being around the team. 

"He spoke in the PK meeting, which was a full-team meeting the other day," Army said. "He's not afraid to speak his mind. He's not afraid to be involved with the team, which I think is great, especially for a young Russian who is just learning English and really went out on limb by himself to learn English. He's invested. He talks, he cares. You can see him celebrate with the guys. So I think there's a lot of character things there that are really positive for him moving forward."

ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS

Sergei Murashov skates out of the tunnel in Wheeling, W.Va. on Thursday.

Murashov genuinely seems to be enjoying himself in his current home, too. Some European players in particular have seemed to have tough times adjusting to living in Wheeling over the years. It's just a big culture shock. The last NHL-contracted Russian the Penguins sent down there was Moscow native Anton Zlobin in 2015-16, and Zlobin promptly went to Russian media the following summer and complained that the Penguins sent him to a "town of addicts and alcoholics." 

But in more recent years, Wheeling has really upgraded the conditions for its players. ECHL teams are required to provide housing for their players, and a number of ECHL journeymen I've spoken with in recent years have said that the Nailers' setup is now among the best in the league. Naming Army as head coach in 2021 has also very clearly made a massive impact on the culture in Wheeling, with his teams being exceptionally close-knit and even the NHL-contracted players seeming pretty happy with their situation. Murashov has started to excel on the ice, and he's settling in just fine off the ice.

"I'm from not a big Russian city, so for me, it's not a big deal to live in Wheeling," explained Murashov, who is from Yaroslavl. "Especially the apartments, we have very close apartments. So all this is what I need. I like the city. I feel pretty comfortable, and I don't think like, 'Oh no, I want to leave here fast now!' It's just a good environment around, and I try to enjoy being in such a small city."

Murashov is almost certainly capable of playing in the AHL full-time, if this early stretch of the season is any indication. Still, it might be best for him to remain in Wheeling for the foreseeable future -- both so he doesn't take playing time away from Blomqvist, and so he can play as many games as he can himself as he continues to grow comfortable playing the North American style of hockey. 

The future is bright with Murashov, and the time for that jump to the next level will come eventually. But for now, he's perfectly happy being the Nailers' No. 1 goaltender.

ZACK RAWSON / WHEELING NAILERS

Sergei Murashov at a stoppage on Thursday in Wheeling, W.Va.