MOSCOW, Aug 14 Russian striker of the National Hockey League (NHL) club system “Nashville Predators” Yegor Afanasiev said that in the upcoming season he will make every effort to get into the main team. Last season, the 21-year-old forward played 79 games in the Nashville farm club in the American Hockey League (AHL), where scored 33 points (12 goals + 21 assists). «I will try to do everything in my power to get into the team. It was my first season at a professional level in North America. I think it was quite successful. I learned a lot — how to be a professional, how to approach the game correctly, I learned a lot from the older guys. I think it was a great experience, «Afanasyev quotes the official NHL website. «I want to become tougher, stronger. I'm a big guy, so I'll just show the coaches what he is capable of in training camp and rookie tournaments. I need to be tougher. The departure of some players from Nashville is a great motivation for every day. In the summer you sometimes wake up and feel lazy, but you have to switch and be motivated every day, because you know that everyone wants to play in the NHL. And I'm one of those guys who want this,» the hockey player added. In Russia, Afanasyev spent the 2020/21 season, playing in the CSKA Moscow system on loan. In the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the forward played 21 matches, scoring 6 points (2 + 4) Afanasiev played for the Russian national team at the 2021 World Youth Championship.
