From Moscow to St. Louis

WINNIPEG, MB − If you're a fan of international hockey or even just the World Juniors than you should know the name Ivan Barbashypv.

He was the top scorer for Russia at the 2015 World Juniors where they walked away with the silver medal, losing the gold medal game 6-5 to Canada.

Born and raised in Moscow, Barbashyov came over to North America as a sixteen year old to play with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL after he was selected first overall by them at the 2012 CHL Import Draft.

"It was a pretty hard time for me," Barbashyov recalled. "Not knowing the language and stuff like that. But I played the same, physical style I've always played and it was the best option for me to go and learn new things about the game. It was just a great time in Moncton those years I was there."

Despite not speaking or understanding the English language, Barbashyov made an impact in North America right away, averaging well over a point a game in this three seasons with the Wildcats. During that time he also made numerous appearances with the Russian junior national team.

"Trust me when I say that it's probably the best time of my life so far getting to play for the National Team. You get to see old friends that you hadn't seen for a while and everyone's playing for each other."

A top prospect headed into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Ivan was selected in the second round (33rd overall) by the St. Louis Blues.

Ivan made his pro debut with the Blues AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves in the 2015-16 season. This season he has been up and down splitting time with the Wolves as well as in the big league with the St. Louis Blues. Barbashyov has scored 37 points in 46 games this year with Chicago and 3 points in 16 games with the Blues.

"It's been awesome so far," said Barbashyov. "It's a huge opportunity for me and it's been really fun to play in the NHL. It's been great and all but we need some wins right now to get into the playoffs."

Playing with the St. Louis Blues, Ivan has a couple of fellow Russians on the team that have helped him with tons. Vladimir Tarasenko, Nail Yakupov and Dmitrij Jaskin who was once teammates with Ivan in Moncton have proven to be immensely helpful for the young Barbashev who is looking to make an impact in St. Louis for years to come.

"To be honest it's been really awesome having them here," said Barbashev. "We're always spending a lot of time together and they're always helping me a lot since they've been in the league longer which is a really good thing for me, especially if I don't understand something it's good knowing that they're here to help me out."

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