MIKHAIL LOSPENOV JUNIOR REVIEW

[Gretzky didnt lift da puck 53]

PENZA, RU – Older siblings often set the standard for how the younger sibling will be judged, but that is anything but the case when it comes to Mikhail Lospenov and writing his own story.

 

Lospenov, a native of Penza, RU, might raise eyebrows because of his name. The younger brother to now-retired, bad-boy of the VHLM, Vanek Lospenov, Mikhail has built a reputation of being the player his brother never could.

 

After a stellar scoring display at the 15U level in his hometown of Penza, Lospenov made the 11-hour trip, north, to Yaroslavl to begin his junior career with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, the junior affiliate of the Kontinental Hockey League side with the same name.

 

Lospenov wasted little time turning heads with Lokomotiv, as he dazzled in Sochi at the 2019 Sirius Junior Hockey World Cup, scoring four goals and two assists as his side would finish runner-up to Finnish side Oulun Karpat in the tournament final.

 

The performance earned Lospenov an opportunity to perform at the highest level when he was granted a roster spot for Lokomotiv’s KHL pre-season game against Jokerit Helsinki on September 16, 2019.

 

While the 16-year old’s ice-time was limited to just 6:31, Lospenov impressed, scoring his first professional goal on his second shift.

 

Lospenov’s image was in the process of being shaped, but at the same time, it was being overshadowed by the news that his older brother of four years, had just signed a professional contract with the Peoria Rivermen in the SPHL.

 

Vanek Lospenov had already begun spitting his infamous jabs and throwing his even-more memorable tantrums, but Mikhail immediately separated his path to hockey glory from his brother’s following his pre-season debut.

 

“I’m my own man, and I will write my own story,” he said through a translator. “I’m not here to talk about my brother. I love him, but I’m here to talk about what I can do; what I will do.”

 

From that moment, the media, the fans, and scouts across the KHL and the rest of the world knew that Mikail Lospenov would be the Lospenov that would go the distance.

 

Throughout the 2019-20 season, Lospenov would earn four call-ups to the senior team and would total 12 games played. In those opportunities, Lospenov netted five goals and three assists, marking himself as the heir to the Lokomotiv scoring lead.

 

After Egor Averin returned to the Lokomotiv lineup after recovering from a season ending surgery, the post-COVID-19 situation became difficult for Lospenov at the senior level.  

 

Returning to the junior ranks for a final season, Lospenov torched the competition through the 62-game campaign. Mikhail totaled 87 points in his farewell campaign, netting 41 goals and seeing his team make the eastern conference finals.

 

With his skill-set, Lospenov will easily attract VHLM scouts’ attention and will reward those who take the risk of bringing a Lospenov into their locker room handsomely