Goalkeeper Pavel Khomchenko: “The Swedish championship does not reach the KHL level”

“This season, Shanghai Dragons should become stronger compared to last year”

— Pavel, are you following the offseason transfer news in the KHL? Shanghai Dragons is one of the most active clubs on the market right now. Just recently, the team was strengthened by several well-known players by league standards — Nick Petan and Dmitry Yashkin. Apparently, Shanghai is ambitious for the next season?

— Yes, as far as I understand, this season the team should become stronger compared to last year. The management in Shanghai has completely changed, and of course, they are focused solely on bringing benefits to the club. I am only happy that we are assembling a strong team. We will try to achieve good results in the upcoming season.

— Did you have offers from other KHL teams in the offseason? Why did you choose Shanghai Dragons as the next step in your career, and did negotiations with the club take long?

— There were offers from other KHL teams, but negotiations with Shanghai did not take long. I was interested in joining this particular team. There was a comfortable dialogue with the management, everyone was satisfied, and I signed the contract.

— Since this season, Ilya Kovalchuk has been the president of the Shanghai Dragons. Did you know him before the transfer to the team, or have you already had any dialogue with him?

— No, I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. I also don't know him personally. I think once the preseason starts, we will all gather as a team, meet, talk, and start working.

“Everyone was waiting for the go-ahead to continue the match” — about the cancelled Sochi — CSKA game due to a drone attack

— Pavel, you spent last season in Sochi. How do you assess it for yourself?

— If I assess it by my personal statistics, it went quite well for me. Of course, if we talk about team goals, then rather unsatisfactorily, because we couldn't make the playoffs.

— In your opinion, what has Sochi been lacking season after season to make the playoffs?

— Probably stability over the distance. We had very unsuccessful months when we could lose nine or ten times in a row, and in some games even with a large score. The competition in the league among all teams is very high: if you allow such long losing streaks, it becomes harder to catch up later.

— The February match Sochi — CSKA in the regular season was not finished due to a drone attack. Only one period was played. Tell us how you were instructed after the first period, what was said, how the situation was explained?

— Nothing special, everyone was waiting for the go-ahead — permission to continue the match. We sat and waited, then the managers and organizers came in and said that the match could not continue due to the threat of a UAV attack. And then we just went home.

— Some Sochi players, especially those who have been with the team for more than one season, admit that the locals have a rather indifferent attitude towards sports. Can you agree with that?

— I think the specifics of a southern tourist city come into play here. Yes, sometimes you even get surprised: it seems you're playing at home, but most people are cheering against you. And the team's results, of course, also affected attendance. When it's already clear that the club won't make the playoffs at the end of the regular season, fewer and fewer people start coming to the games. And athletes, of course, always want support; it makes us very happy and motivates us.

“The time difference is quite hard to feel” — about life in the Far East

— Pavel, you crossed paths with Nikita Serebryakov in Admiral. Back then, he wasn't a KHL superstar yet. Were you surprised that over the past three years he has become, perhaps, the strongest Russian goaltender in the league?

— Honestly, I'm not surprised at all. He was already an excellent goaltender in Admiral, and the fact that his career is going well now is the result of his hard work and determination.

— Do you look back fondly on the 2022/23 season with Admiral, when the club achieved its most significant playoff result, reaching the second round?

— It was a big step forward for Admiral. In the city, interest in hockey was greatly awakened among people. We always had sellouts in the stands; the fans supported us very well.

— Many people living in the Far East say they feel a certain isolation, a detachment from the rest of Russia. Did you feel that yourself?

— The time difference is quite hard to feel. It's elementary to call parents: they have daytime, we already have night, and we constantly had to coordinate.

— On the other hand, the sea and fish delicacies are always at hand.

— That's true. Everything is very accessible; whatever your heart desires, you can find and buy.

— Leonid Tambiev at post-game press conferences of Admiral liked to talk about “airplane legs.” How do you cope with long flights, what do you do to pass the time?

— While you're flying for 7-8 hours, you do all sorts of things. You live, you rest (smiles). Basically, I can play on a console, watch a movie, or sleep. During the flight, you have time to do everything.

“The people surprised me — they are very cheerful there” — about life in Sweden

— An interesting period of your career was playing for the Swedish AIK. Tell us more about it.

— My move to AIK happened after my career period at Spartak. We had a goaltending coach from Sweden (Stefan Persson — editor's note). We got in touch, and he offered me to try playing in the Swedish championship. My last season at Spartak was not very successful, and I decided for myself that I needed to step out of my comfort zone and change the environment. That's how my move to Sweden happened.

— How was your life there in terms of everyday matters?

— Everything was absolutely great. I was surprised at how warmly I was received in the team, how they took care of me, helped with all the issues that arose. I was the only Russian in the team — maybe that's why they treated me like that (smiles).

— Wasn't it lonely?

— I was in Sweden with my wife and child. Of course, difficulties arose in terms of communication; there was a strong language barrier. But my wife and I were always together, constantly supporting each other. So we coped with all the difficulties and eventually got used to life in Sweden.

— AIK is a club from Stockholm. What impressed you most about the capital of Sweden?

— A very clean, beautiful city. The people surprised me — they are very cheerful there. What struck me: they have, so to speak, a certain rule of balance in life. They know how to both work and rest.

— Speaking of the Swedish championship, is it much inferior to the KHL in terms of level?

— Of course, the Swedish championship does not reach the KHL level. Our league, in my opinion, is stronger. But I would say this: the Swedish championship is definitely stronger than the VHL.

— Also, the rinks are different from the KHL. It must have been unusual to play on such “airfields” after the KHL?

— Yes, the rinks there are different in size. Actually, I wouldn't say that hockey on such large rinks seems slow. Maybe from the outside. But in the Swedish championship, when I played, there were many bright, technical players with good skating.