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Ivan Fedotov Being Held At Russian Military Base

By Scott Cole

BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 20: Ivan Fedotov #28 of Team ROC reacts after losing to Team Finland during the Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal match between Team Finland and Team ROC on Day 16 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2022 in Beijing, China. Team Finland defeated Team ROC 2-1. (Photo by Matt Slocum - Pool/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - FEBRUARY 20: Ivan Fedotov #28 of Team ROC reacts after losing to Team Finland during the Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal match between Team Finland and Team ROC on Day 16 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at National Indoor Stadium on February 20, 2022 in Beijing, China. Team Finland defeated Team ROC 2-1. (Photo by Matt Slocum - Pool/Getty Images) /
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Over the weekend, Ivan Fedotov was reportedly arrested and detained by Russian military officials. He was detained for failing to report to duty to the Russian army. This came shortly after Fedotov was playing to travel to Philadelphia ahead of Flyers development camp.

Reports stated that government officials were looking for him all over the city of St. Petersburg. When they found him, they took him to a military recruitment center, where he put up no fight or argument.

His agent, J.P. Barry, told the Associated Press today that, for the present, he has been sent to a remote military base in Northern Russia. Fedotov had signed a one year entry level deal with the Flyers earlier this offseason. It was hoped that the former fifth round pick could fight for the backup goalie position with prospect Felix Sandstrom.

Fedotov had a great 2021-22 hockey season. He represented the Russian national team in the 2022 Winter Olympics, earning a silver medal for the team. Fedotov also posted a 14-10-2 record for the KHL champion, CSKA Moscow. During the year, he had a 2.00 GAA and .919 save percentage, to earn the top goalie of the year award for the KHL.

However, his issues with the Russian authorities started when he announced his intent to sign a deal with the Flyers and take his talents to North America. Russia had recently invaded Ukraine and numerous sanctions had been placed on Russia and Russian officials.

CSKA Moscow used to be the “Red Army Team” during the Soviet Union era of Russian history. This team was, technically, a branch of the Soviet Army. Most of the players on the vaunted Soviet Union Olympic teams played for CSKA. Today, the team is still tied to the Russian Army.

And this led to the charge that he “failed to report for duty”. By signing with the Flyers, he broke his contract with CSKA, which they were none too happy about. He had been warned that he could face ramifications, but apparently he did not heed them. Since Chuck Fletcher has not spoken publicly about the incident, it is unclear to know how much he and the Flyers management knew about this.

This also casts somewhat of a pall on the upcoming NHL Draft. One of the top European prospects, Danila Yurov, is Russian. While he doesn’t play for CSKA, could he or other Russian players face obstacles in coming over here to play? Would the teams or Russian government hold the players “hostage” to get more money from the NHL teams?  Could former CSKA players, like Alexander Romanov or Nikita Kucherov, face similar issues?

There have also been rumors that Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov could find himself in a smilies situation. As it was last reported, the young forward was still in Russia. He also played for CSKA while in the KHL.

Stay tuned as this story keeps developing.

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