Following father's footsteps

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Boner (left) and Ulyanin Namestnikov (right) battling during the Saskatoon Wild practice before their match against the Ottawa Lynx.

 

SASKATOON - The Saskatoon Wild made a couple of transactions before the trade deadline and one that caught our eye was not a trade, but a free agent signature. Just before the deadline, Ulyanin Namestnikov put pen on paper to follow his father's footsteps with the Saskatoon Wild. The 20 year-old, 6 foot 1, 220 pounds centerman joined the Wild on a one million dollar contract. This contract should end by the end of this season since Namestnikov should enter this year's VHLM Dispersal draft.

 

Ulyanin's father, Evgeny, played for the Kolari Panthers during the 33rd VHLM season before being drafted by the Toronto Legion in the 34th VHL Entry Draft. Evgeny was a fantastic two-way winger that completed an absolute stellar line with his teammates, Anatoli Zhumbayev and Niklas Lingberg. Namestnikov helped the Legion win the Season 37 Continental Cup, Ulyanin was only 2 years old. "I obviously don't remember a whole lot. I only remember being in the arena for the fourth and last game of the finals. I remember the crowd erupting after, I think, Reggie Dunlop scored the Cup winning goal in double overtime.", Ulyanin tells us. "My dad always used to tell me about the story of his Continental Cup winning season and always told me that this should be my goal. I always dreamt of scoring the cup winning goal, maybe I could do it this year?", he says with a big smile.

For now, Ulyanin will have to focus on this season with the Wild and next game which brings the Ottawa Lynx into town. Ulyanin will be starting his career on Saskatoon's third line, but it should not take long before he becomes a bigger threat in the line-up.

[Kendrick 4,741]

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