MIROMANOV EXCITED FOR FRESH START
Defenceman acquired in Hanifin trade agrees to two-year contract extension
From one conversation, it's clear Calgary Flames trade acquisition Daniil Miromanov is an excitable, enthusiastic sort.
So you can imagine that a teenage Miromanov, having moved from Russia to Canada to pursue his puck dreams, must have been amped as he headed to a camp that was being hosted by Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Igor Larionov.
This would, indeed, turn out to be a career-altering occasion, just not in the way he expected.
We'll let Miromanov — now 26 and acquired by the Flames as part of Wednesday's swap to send Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights — tell this terrific story.
“Igor was an agent at that time, and we wanted some advice and some help from him, some guidance on what to do next and where to go,” Miromanov said. “So we drove from Toronto to Detroit to see Igor. He had a little camp going on, a little tournament, but there were too many forwards and there were only three defencemen. So I said. `Oh yeah, I'll play D.' I'm thinking,
`I'll be playing a whole bunch, so Igor will see me play a lot.'
“After the first game, my mom and dad were there as well, and Igor came out and he asked them if I had ever played defence before. They said no and he said, `He's never played defence before? That's really interesting.'
I played a couple more games and with every single game, he got more excited. After the last game, he came out and was talking to my parents again and they said he was pretty hyped up. He said, `You guys don't understand, you have no idea. He has to become a defenceman. We have to switch him.'
“He said, `A tall, puck-moving, right-handed defenceman, that's very rare. We're going to turn him into that.'”
And what was Miromanov's reaction to this suggestion from Larionov, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and a hero in Russia?
“I said, `That sounds good to me!'” he recalled.
It was a similar response Wednesday when he received news that he'd been traded to Calgary. In fact, he was thrilled.
Flames fans will be waiting a while longer to attach a name to the two other assets acquired for Noah Hanifin — a first-round pick in either 2025 or 2026, plus a conditional third-rounder. (If Hanifin and the Golden Knights win a playoff series this spring, that conditional third will be upgraded to a second-round selection.)
“Honestly, it didn't really sink in fully yet, but I'm so happy,” Miromanov said as he packed for Thursday's flight to join the Flames on their road trip in Florida.
“I'm very, very excited and very grateful for the opportunity. I'm just so excited to go meet the guys right now and meet everyone back in Calgary and just really happy to go play hockey in Canada, where it all basically started for me.
“I came over when I was 16
years old. I played midget AAA in GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League) for the Jr. Canadiens. That was the first time when I really saw what hockey means for Canadians and how hockey and religion is the same thing, pretty much.”
Miromanov, who went undrafted as he converted from a winger to a rearguard, has made pro stops in the ECHL, AHL, KHL and Czech league. He has so far totalled 29 career appearances in the NHL, collecting two goals and five assists.
He's been much more productive in the minors, which is why the Flames are optimistic that he has plenty of untapped offensive upside.
Craig Conroy not only angled to have Miromanov included in Wednesday's trade but immediately signed him to a two-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of US$1.25 million.
The staff at the Saddledome are excited about a lot of the traits that initially impressed Larionov.
The new guy has good size
— he is listed at 6-foot-4 and
210 pounds — and the offensive chops to run a power play. As Jakob Pelletier, who played alongside Miromanov with the QMJHL'S Moncton Wildcats, added: “He has a wicked shot.
“I think that was his first year of playing defence,” Pelletier told reporters in Tampa, reminiscing about the 2017-18 campaign. “I haven't seen him play in a while. But back in junior, I used to look at him and be like, `This guy is really good.'”
Miromanov believes that, too. He can't wait to prove it.
He was buried on the depth chart in Vegas — and is just getting back up to speed after recovering from major knee surgery — but should be a regular on Calgary's depleted defence. They wouldn't have already offered an extension if he didn't fit the plan for next season and beyond.
“Through all those years, I knew what I can do and I know my potential, and I was just never able to showcase that,” Miromanov said. “I was working so hard every single day, waiting for the opportunity and I'm just so grateful for the Flames organization and the management and the staff for believing in me and already giving me an extension.
“I'm just going to go off, basically. I'm very grateful for the opportunity.”