Koltsov Unlikely To Sign Penguins Contract in 2002
Former No. 1 Pick Posting Low Numbers
Showing Potential in Native Russia
By Bob Grove

For a player with outstanding speed, Konstantin Koltsov is taking a very deliberate approach to reaching the National Hockey League.

The Penguins' first round draft choice in 1999, Koltsov has chosen to remain in his native Russia for each of the past three seasons, thereby delaying the start of his challenging adaptation not only to the North American game and its smaller ice surface but also to a new language and lifestyle.

Selected 18th overall, the 6-1, 195-pound right winger has until July 15 to sign with the Penguins if he wants to play in North America during the 2002-03 season. Money isn't an issue; Penguins' general manager Craig Patrick and agent Don Meehan haven't had any substantial discussions.

They're both waiting for the 21-year-old Koltsov to decide he's ready for the NHL.

"I had dinner with him this past March in Moscow, and I asked him about that, about why last year he felt he was ready and then all of a sudden he was staying," said Pittsburgh European scout Mark Kelley. "He said he just thought he needed another year. Deep down, he wants to come over and challenge to play on the big team right away."

That's a challenge Kelley believes Koltsov can meet. "He's the closest player we have to playing on the big team, maybe even including the guys in Wilkes-Barre," he said. "He works hard. He gets his nose dirty. And his speed is. . . awesome."

Koltsov's numbers, however, are not.

He scored just two goals and four points in 30 games last season with AK Bars Kazan and Spartak Moscow, to whom he was traded in mid-season for defenseman Igor Knyazev, Carolina's first-round 2001 draft choice. Koltsov, who has played for four different Russian Super League teams in as many seasons, had seven goals the previous season with AK Bars Kazan; three during the 1999-2000 season with Novokuznetsk; and three with Cherepovets in 1998-99.

"In the corners, he's going into traffic. He's not shying away," says Pittsburgh head scout Greg Malone. "But with his skating ability and soft hands, I'd expect him to have better numbers."

Kelley says salaries in the Russian Super League have grown to the point where they are almost unrivaled among European leagues, luring back many older Russian players and players from other leagues (including Czechs Pavel Patera and Martin Prochazka) and thereby reducing the ice time available for younger players. "He was on the second power play unit with Spartak," Kelley said of Koltsov, "but the first unit didn't leave the ice until 1:45 was gone."

Koltsov is already a veteran of international play, having represented Belarus in the World Junior Championships, World Championships and 2002 Olympic Games. He suffered a deep shoulder bruise in Belarus' final game in the Olympic preliminary round and thus was not in the lineup when his team pulled off its stunning upset of Sweden in the medal round.

But none of it matters much until Koltsov shows up somewhere in a Penguins' uniform. Patrick had to wait two years each for Markus Naslund, Stefan Bergkvist and Aleksey Morozov to reach North America after drafting them in the first round; Robert Dome and Milan Kraft had already left home before their rookie NHL seasons; and Martin Straka and Jaromir Jagr came to Pittsburgh immediately.

Patrick said he is not optimistic about Koltsov signing a contract this summer, and Malone was adamant the Penguins will not pressure Koltsov to come to North America until he's ready, adding that his age now works in his favor in making quicker adjustments to the NHL.

"We kind of let the player make the decisions," says Malone. "It's the same as a kid we draft who maybe wants to go to school. There's no sense in trying to force these kids to come over. It speaks to Craig's patience with younger players. I know myself, maybe I wouldn't be as patient. But that's a credit to Craig. It eventually works itself out."