Maxim Kovalchuk Hall of Fame Article

[Corco 1,281]

Maxim Kovalchuk

Position: D/F
Birthplace: Russia
Height: 6’6"
Weight: 208 lbs
Number: 44
Drafted: 2nd OV S62 (Seattle)
Username: @Banackock

 

 

Career Awards
S62 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenseman)
S64 Jake Wylde Trophy (Top Defensive Defenseman)
S65 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenseman)
S65 Jake Wylde Trophy (Top Defensive Defenseman)
S65 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)
S68 Continental Cup (Seattle)
S69 Continental Cup (Seattle)

 

S62
SEA | GP: 30 | G: 87 | A: 87 | PTS: 117 | +/-: +16 | 2 GWG
SEA | GP: 9 | G: 5 | A: 13 | PTS: 18 | +/-: -4 | 2 GWG
Kovalchuk’s rookie season would not only turn out to be the finest of his entire career, but arguably one of the finest rookie seasons in VHL history. As of S71, only four VHL rookies ever scored more points in a single season than Kovalchuk: his own teammate C - Vyacheslav Smirnov (149PTS - S62), LW - Jardy Bunclewirth (132PTS - S18), C - Alexander Thrower (120PTS - S53), and D - Michael Angelo (119PTS - S20). Maxim was part of a dynamic Seattle offense whose top four scorers combined for over 500 points in the regular season; the Bears’ high flying offense wouldn’t turn into much success in the playoffs, as they would be eliminated by the eventual-champion Calgary Wranglers in 6 games. Kovalchuk wouldn’t go home without any hardware though, as he would take home the Alexander Valiq Trophy as the VHL’s Top Offensive Defenseman at the season's end.

 

 

S63
SEA | GP: 72 | G: 25 | A: 40 | PTS: 65 | +/-: +62 | 3 GWG
SEA | GP: 6 | G: 1 | A: 3 | PTS: 4 | +/-: +3 | 0 GWG
S63 was practically the definition of a "sophomore slump" for the Russian defender, and it would not be nearly as prosperous for Kovalchuk as the previous season; his point total nearly halved, with the only improvement coming in the form of adding nearly +50 to his +/- rating. In all fairness to him, it would be hard for any player to improve upon a 117-Point rookie season. Despite strong seasons from future HoFers Gabriel McAllister and Matt Thompson, the Bears would lose in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Calgary Wranglers once again.

 

S64
SEA | GP: 72 | G: 17 | A: 52 | PTS: 69 | +/-: +50 | 4 GWG
SEA | GP: 6 | G: 2 | A: 3 | PTS: 5 | +/-: -1 | 1 GWG
S64 would see Kovalchuk slightly raise his point totals from the season prior, although offense wasn’t where he made large strides that season. Kovalchuk’s improvements were mostly made in his physical play, as he reached a posted then-career highs in Hits (208) and Penalty Minutes (118) as he rounded himself into a quality two-way defender. His improvements in his own end would not go unnoticed, as he would take home the Jake Wylde Trophy as the VHL’s Top Defensive Defender after being eliminated at the hands of the Toronto Legion in the playoffs.

 

 

S65
SEA | GP: 72 | G: 18 | A: 70 | PTS: 88 | +/-: +31 | 2 GWG
SEA | GP: 6 | G: 0 | A: 7 | PTS: 7 | +/-: +1 | 0 GWG
Although he wouldn’t score as many points as he did in his rookie season, S65 might have been the finest overall season of Kovalchuk’s entire career. With 70 assists and 88 Points, Kovalchuk would take home the Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists), Jake Wylde Trophy, and the Sterling Labatte Trophy as the VHL’s Top Overall Defenseman. His 88 Points led all defenders, 1 point more than rival Toronto defender Tzuyu. Despite 100+ point-seasons from Veran Dragomir, Sebastian Ironside, Vyacheslav Smirnov, and Matt Thompson, the Bears were once again ousted in the first round, this time via the Helsinki Titans.

S66
CGY | GP: 72 | G: 27 | A: 59 | PTS: 86 | +/-: +39 | 2 GWG
CGY | GP: 7 | G: 3 | A: 4 | PTS: 7 | +/-: +3 | 0 GWG
S66 would be the 1st of Kovalchuk’s career not spent in Seattle; in the offseason, Kovalchuk along with Sebastian Ironside and the FA rights of Matt Thompson, were sent to the Wranglers in a rebuilding move that gave seattle two 1st Rd picks, two 2nd round picks, along with depth players Lando Baxter and Wlodzimierz Zajaczkowski. Kovalchuk adjusted well to his new home, leading the Wranglers defense by scoring 86 Points and patrolling the blueline with 242 Hits and 221 PIM; his quest for a Continental Cup would fall short again, falling to the Vancouver Wolves in the semi-finals.

 

S67
CGY | GP: 34 | G: 8 | A: 16 | PTS: 24 | +/-: -12 | 0 GWG
SEA | GP: 38 | G: 21 | A: 33 | PTS: 54 | +/-: -3 | 2 GWG
Kovalchuk’s sixth VHL season would bring about massive change to his career; he would return to the city he had called home for so many seasons, but more importantly, Kovalchuk would switch positions from defense to forward. A midseason trade saw Kovalchuk head to Seattle along with promising John Frostbeard in exchange for budding star Joel Ylonen; despite those two acquisitions, the Bears would fall short of making the postseason in S67. Kovalchuk’s transition from defender to center went smoothly, as his 78 Points combined between Calgary and Seattle led the Bears in scoring at the season's end.

 

S68
SEA | GP: 72 | G: 33 | A: 29 | PTS: 62 | +/-: +21 | 5 GWG
SEA | GP: 14 | G: 7 | A: 10 | PTS: 17 | +/-: +8 | 1 GWG
At long last, Maxim Kovalchuk would get his ring. The S68 Bears finished the regular season with 91 points and the best record in the North American Conference, thanks to their fantastic forward core of Acyd Burn, John Frostbeard, Joel Ylonen, and Kovalchuk. The Bears would defeat the Toronto Legion 4 games to 2 in the first round, and that would be the most competition they would face in the entire postseason, as they swept their way through the Wranglers and Nighthawks in the next two rounds. 

 

 

S69
SEA | GP: 72 | G: 17 | A: 27 | PTS: 44 | +/-: +10 | 2 GWG
SEA | GP: 19 | G: 5 | A: 5 | PTS: 10 | +/-: +4 | 2 GWG
Kovalchuk’s final VHL season would be his worst statistical season by far, barely breaking the 0.5PPG plateau. There was a reasonable explanation for this though, as Scott Greene took over as Seattle’s #1C, which meant Joel Ylonen moved into the #2C spot previously occupied by Kovalchuk, and Kovalchuk became a winger, only playing around half of the minutes he had played every season prior. Cutting down on Kovalchuk’s minutes did proved to be fruitful for the Bears, as with 93 points they locked down the #2 seed in the NA Conference heading into the postseason. The Bears dispatched of the upstart NY Americans in a grueling 7-game series, and defeated both the Vancouver Wolves and Riga Reign consecutively in 6 games to capture their 2nd straight Continental Cup. In what was a perfect career-ending moment, Kovalchuk scored what proved to be the game-winner of game six, capping off a career where he sacrificed a great deal for the betterment of his team.

 

Regular Season Totals
SEA | GP: 470 | G: 161 | A: 338 | PTS: 499 | +/-: +xx | 20 GWG
CGY | GP: 106 | G: 35 | A: 75 | PTS: 110 | +/-: +27 | 2 GWG
ALL | GP: 576 | G: 196 | A: 413 | PTS: 609 | +/-: +214 | 22 GWG

Playoff Totals
SEA | GP: 60 | G: 20 | A: 41 | PTS: 61 | +/-: +11 | 6 GWG
CGY | GP: 7 | G: 3 | A: 4 | PTS: 7 | +/-: +3 | 0 GWG
ALL | GP: 67 | G: 23 | A: 45 | PTS: 68 | +/-: +14 | 6 GWG

Maxim Kovalchuk retires as not only one of the best players of his generation, but arguably the greatest Russian defender in VHL history. His 609 career points ranks 122nd all-time in VHL history at the time of his induction, and 6th all-time among Russian-born VHLers. His career arc was quite odd, seemingly peaking in his rookie season and then dipping before another peak a few seasons later. Playing 3/8 VHL seasons as a forward also sort of skews his perception as well, as he certainly had a chance to be the greatest defender of his generation had he not switched positions. Instead, he enters the Hall of Fame as a member of a small but seemingly growing group of dual-position players, one that includes Ay Ay Ron, Conner Low, & Matt Bailey.
 

Edited April 13, 2020 by Corco

[McWolf 3,116]

22 minutes ago, Corco said:

Instead, he enters the Hall of Fame as a member of a small but seemingly growing group of dual-position players, one that includes Ay Ay Ron, Conner Low, & Matt Bailey.

and not Keaton Louth.

[Beaviss 4,958]

11 minutes ago, McWolf said:

and not Keaton Louth.

 

[Banackock 8,160]

Holy crap! That Russia stat is a super awesome one. Cool to be ranked high among fellow Russian's. Lots of my players tends to be that or Swedish.  

 

(Also just noticed... Aleksei Federov, my other Russian on here, has 607 PTS  ) 

 

@Corco Great write up, man. 

[Beketov 9,140]

Kovalchuk was nothing without Thompson and therefore this article is nothing without mine

[Corco 1,281]

Claiming week 2