[caption id="attachment_4162" align="alignright" width="300" caption="photo courtesy of the Washington Capitals"][/caption]

With the ever intrepid assistance of our SovetskySport friend Dmitry Chesnokov, we were able to deliver some questions to the newest Russian in the Capitals' organization, right wing prospect Dmitri Kugryshev. Drafted by the Capitals with the 58th overall pick in this past June's Entry Draft, Kugryshev will join the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season, where he'll play for General Manager and Head Coach Patrick Roy. Today Kugryshev is in Ottawa, Ontario, training with Ottawa Senators' prospect Alexander Nikulin, and he'll remain in North America preparing for the start of the 2008-09 hockey season. He may even lodge at Roy's house, just as Alexander Radulov did. You can find a bit of Hockeysfuture.com background on Kugryshev here.

We were interested in learning a bit about Kugryshev, and especially what it must feel like to learn as an 18-year-old that your life-long dream of competing in the National Hockey League could be realized with Alexander Ovechkin, very much a Russian national hero today, as a teammate.

OFB: Few if any hockey fans in Washington have seen you play. What can you tell them about your style of play, and what elite hockey players do you most enjoy watching and hope to emulate in your pro career?

Kugryshev: I am very much a team player. I love to pass and am good with the puck. The only thing I am missing somewhat is physical play. But I will try to correct that by spending the next season in the Canadian [Junior] League. My favorite players are Alexander Semin and [an underage prima donna captain in a godforsaken Pennsylvania city, whom good breeding forbids us to reference on this family site where diving isn't tolerated]. I follow their game and try to learn from them.

OFB: Last year you were quoted as saying, "I dream about the NHL every day of my life. I think only the NHL. It's my dream." Can you tell us what is it about the NHL that makes it so special for a player like yourself, who grows up so far away from North American hockey?

Kugryshev: Despite the fact that there is a new hockey league in Russia, I have no intention of staying there. I dreamt of the NHL my entire life. The NHL is the best league in the world with the best players in the world. And no other league can compare to it. I always watched NHL games and saw players do something fantastic on the ice. I am now closer than ever to be next to these great players. In the near time I will try to accomplish the dream of a lifetime.

OFB: Tell us what it means to you to be with an organization with such Russian standouts as Ovechkin, Semin, Fedorov, and Varlamov -- many of them young in their pro careers?

Kugryshev: When Washington selected me at the draft I think I jumped to the ceiling at home being so happy. I am extremely happy to be on the same team with such [great] Russian stars. I know all of them personally. And even though they are superstars, it is so easy to communicate with them. I have already received good advice from all of them about the style of play in America.

OFB: There are increasing accounts of Washington's popularity in Russia due largely to the popularity of their Russian stars. Is this your sense, that there is a special appreciation for the Capitals in many areas of Russia?

Kugryshev: Of course it is a good thing that there are so many Russians in the city [Washington] and on the team. It is always nice to hear [people] speaking your native language abroad. But I will try to get everyone to enjoy my game! And it doesn’t matter whether you are Russian, American, or Canadian.

OFB: You are in North America this summer, training, in Ottawa. Why there, and what are your plans for the 2008-09 season -- have the Capitals indicated whether they want you to attend training camp in Washington this September?

Kugryshev: Right now I am in Ottawa getting ready for the season training with great specialists. One of them, Paul Lawson, is a skating coach with the Montreal Canadiens. I like working with him and other coaches very much. Right now I don’t have any plans to return to Russia. There are no conditions for my development there. And in August I will attend the Quebec Remparts’ training camp. I think I will spend the next season with the Remparts. I think it will benefit me. I will be ready physically and mentally to make a mark in Washington next season. But I will also attend the training camp with the first team in Washington in September! I can’t wait for the moment I get on the ice with the team!

OFB: One seldoms hears of Russian hockey players playing outdoors in winter. Did you ever play on frozen ponds? Or is it the case that Russian winters in many parts are so severe that it is simply not practical to try?

Kugryshev: I actually started my career playing outdoors. There are no indoor ice arenas in my home town. Actually, it is a tradition in Russia every winter when it gets cold to skate outdoors. A lot of great Russian players did exactly that to start their careers.

OFB: Do you remember how old you were when you fell in love with hockey, and what about the game made you fall in love with it?

Kugryshev: I started playing hockey very late by American standards. I put on the skates for the first time when I was 7. I didn’t really like it at first. But then I started getting better at it. And within about 2 years I caught up with a lot of my friends. It was then, I think, that I realized that I would dedicate my life to hockey. I can’t even imagine my life now without hockey. I get the greatest satisfaction from playing the game, especially when I score goals.

OFB: Dmitri, a great way for European hockey players to improve their English -- at least the naughty parts of it -- is to watch the movie 'Slapshot.' Have you seen it, and if not, would you consider watching it while training in North America this summer and sharing with us your review of it?

Kugryshev: Unfortunately, I did not see that movie. But I will try to learn English in the near future. I had classes with a tutor in Russia. And here [in North America] I will get a lot of practice communicating with my teammates and friends.

OFB: Dmitri, thank you for taking the time to answer questions from OnFrozenBlog, and best of luck to you in the 2008-09 season.