Slepyshev finally feels at home

Difficult transition to North American hockey included leaving family in Russia

You just get the feeling Anton Slepyshev is going to make himself a story before this playoff run is over.

It could be a page-turner. It’s got conflict: Top-six skill — great wheels and a heavy shot — and bottom-six minutes. It’s got real-life drama: A personal angle that makes his emergence in his first playoff run that much more impressive.

He won’t turn 23 until May 13. His wife Julia and two-yearold son Miron are living in the Russian city of Novokuznetsk — where Slepyshev first played in the Kontinental Hockey League as a 17-year-old — and have been there for most of the last two hockey seasons. His parents still live in his hometown of Penza. He and all he knows are separated by thousands of kilometres and a handful of time zones.

“It’s so difficult. Last year, I was by myself and this season is the same,” Slepyshev said Thursday. “I am sent to the minors and my family doesn’t have a U.S. visa. So the decision was made to go back home and wait for me. Next year, we will do a U.S. visa. Next season, we will be together for sure.”

Next season, he might not need that U.S. visa since another trip to Bakersfield isn’t necessarily in the cards. He is impressing head coach Todd McLellan and his Edmonton Oilers teammates with a dedication to the game and the team under trying circumstances.

“He’s coming out of his shell a bit,” said Mark Letestu. “He’s a quiet guy, the lone Russian. He doesn’t have somebody to bring him along. He’s had to come out on his own. But you can tell in his play now, he’s getting more comfortable with us. He’s speaking in the room more. It’s comfort. He’s making some plays now. He’s starting to be an impactful player for us. It’s nice to see.”

Slepyshev draws comfort from his teammates, but first from his family. Skype is a godsend for any long-distance relationship, so they talk constantly.

“My parents watch every game and my father calls after game, says what I do good, what I do bad. My family supports me so well. My friends call me every day from Russia.”

And he makes the best of a difficult situation by working hard on his craft and showing up like he did here Wednesday. He powered down the Honda Center ice twice in Game 1, cutting to the net in front of defenceman Shea Theodore each time. He was stopped on the first attempt by goalie John Gibson. The second strafing run resulted in a penalty, when he couldn’t put the brakes on fast enough and bowled Gibson over.

“He’s got some speed and we talked about it as a group after the game, actually in between periods, that you’ve got to be mindful of him,” said Anaheim’s Josh Manson. “He may be in the bottom six, but he’s a dangerous player. He’s strong, he goes to the net and he’s got skill. ”

Oilers fans haven’t learned much about Slepyshev yet. And he’s anonymous enough that a national broadcaster called him Slepnikov during the San Jose series. He doesn’t appear on a Wikipedia list of the most famous Penzans, a list that includes a utopian socialist, a diplomat, a poet, an Alaskan explorer, a silent film actor, an avant-garde artist and eight hockey players.

He’s building a nice little highlight reel in these playoffs, so his profile will get a boost. He scored a breakaway goal in the San Jose series and showed all kinds of drive here in Game 1. Letestu called him a “ballsy player” for his willingness to go hard to the net. And there is plenty of reason to believe Slepyshev is just scratching the surface of his skill set.

“I’m happy," he said when asked about his performance. "Of course, I think every player wants to play more ice time and on the power play. But as I say, I do my best. So I get what I deserve. I try to work more, work harder. And it will be better.

“I just have to show my best and fans will know about me.”

They know he’s a work in progress. And they saw him take a lazy hooking penalty at the end of the first period in Game 1. Ryan Getzlaf scored on the ensuing power play and Slepyshev took the skate of shame.

McLellan still gave him his 10 minutes. What he’s been able to do with it is impressive. But he has the pedigree, so it really shouldn’t come as a shock.

He was captain of a world junior team for Russia. He was the first pick in the 2011 KHL draft. And the Oilers drafted him 88th overall in 2013.

He owes it all to his father Vladimir, who coached him.

“All his life is hockey," said Slepyshev. "What I learn to do, it is all from him.”