Canes hope winger Sergey Tolchinsky will make impact

He’s Russian, he’s a winger, he has a sneaky good shot and a lot of offensive creativity.

But for Sergey Tolchinsky, that’s where any comparisons to Alexander Semin end. Tolchinsky wants to play – badly – for the Carolina Hurricanes this season and he won’t be drawing $7 million to do it.

Tolchinsky doesn’t have the size of Semin, the Russian winger jettisoned by the Canes in a $14 million contract buyout. At 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, his game is more about speed and sniping, a quick mind and slick hands.

“I don’t think it holds me back,” Tolchinsky said of his size. “Actually it helps me to move faster and be quicker, kind of like slipping through defensemen. So I don’t think I’m having any problems with that.”

Two years ago, Tolchinsky was undrafted after his first season of hockey in North America and felt unwanted, leaving the NHL draft in New Jersey in tears. Invited to the Canes’ prospects camp soon after, he played with such determination and verve he earned a three-year, entry-level contract.

After a strong 2013-2014 season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, Tolchinsky made his professional debut, playing one game for the Charlotte Checkers, Carolina’s American Hockey League team. He joined the Canes’ prospects in the Traverse City (Mich.) rookie tournament last September and was invited to preseason training camp, where he was befriended by Semin.

“We were hanging out a couple of times, talking at times,” Tolchinsky said.

Not any longer. Of Semin’s recent departure from the Hurricanes, Tolchinsky said, “Hopefully he’ll still continue his career in the NHL. Good luck to him.”

But Semin being gone means another roster spot being open when training camp begins. Tolchinsky got his first taste of NHL competition last fall, playing 15 minutes in the Canes’ exhibition opener against Columbus, and believes he has the ability – and certainly the desire – at age 20 to make the move from junior hockey to the big club.

“I think I am ready, and I still have few months ahead of me to get more ready, to get stronger, to fully prepare myself,” he said.

Tolchinsky missed last year’s prospects camp but has returned, looking to make a favorable impression. During a Tuesday scrimmage, he dangled the puck in front of goalie Rasmus Tirronen, then lifted a forehand into the net.

“He skates well, and he does have that flair,” Canes coach Bill Peters said Tuesday. “He has a lot of confidence with the puck.”

Among the players in camp is another smallish forward with offensive flair – Sebastian Aho of Finland. Aho, 17, was an early second-round pick by the Canes in the 2015 draft and comes to Raleigh after an impressive season with Karpat, the champion of the Finnish Elite League.

But there will be no shortage of forwards in camp. Zach Boychuk, a former first-round pick, signed a one-year, two-way contract Tuesday. The Canes also have signed free-agent forward Derek Ryan, the most valuable player last season in the Swedish Hockey League.

Tolchinsky’s numbers last season for the Greyhounds were solid: 30 goals, 65 assists and plus-41 in 61 regular-season games. He also was one of Russia’s standouts at the 2015 World Junior Championship in January, scoring two game-winning goals, and returned with a silver medal.

Tolchinsky had 14 points in 14 playoff games for the Greyhounds, who won playoff series against Saginaw and Guelph before running into the Erie Otters and Connor McDavid in the Western Conference finals.

“I developed myself in the defensive zone and got stronger a little bit,” he said. “I think it was a pretty good year for me. And not just for me. We had a good team.”

Francis said Tolchinsky could begin the season with the Checkers. But there’s also the opportunity to make the Canes’ roster.

“My expectation is for the best – to try and make the team, work as hard as I can and show my best,” Tolchinsky said.

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 7:36 PM with the headline "Canes hope winger Sergey Tolchinsky will make impact."