UKRAINIAN PRO HOCKEY UPDATE
by Ihor Stelmach
2000 minor league statistical recap
Some 132 pucksters of Ukrainian origin toiled away in professional hockey's seven minor league circuits last season. Eight of them also saw action with their parent NHL clubs, either as a promotions for jobs well done or to replace a vacant roster slot, usually due to injury.
Breaking down the Ukes by position, there were 13 goaltenders, 41 defensemen and 78 forwards. There were more left- and right-wingers than centermen.
The most popular name for Ukrainians in the minors was Mike - there were seven of those. Five Jeffs and four Alexes rounded out the top three name selections. Oh, and three guys actually had the same surname: the three Shmyr brothers, Dean, Jason and Ryan. This tough threesome totalled some 905 minutes in penalties.
Top minor league Ukrainian goal-scorers were Mike Maneluk (47), Peter Ambroziak (44) and Christian Skoryna (40). Assist leaders included Brent Gretzky (91), Keith Osborne (55) and Skoryna (52). The top three point scorers were Gretzky (127), Skoryna (92), and Maneluk and Ambroziak (87). Ryan Shmyr was the most penalized Uke (437 minutes), followed by Marty Melnychuk (375) and Garry Gulash (358).
From Maine to Alaska, the roster of Ukrainians spans the full alphabet: from A (Alex Alexeev) to Z (Darius Zabawa). Take a look at the chart below.
| Position | Player | Team | League | GP |
G |
A |
PTS |
PIM |
| D | Alex Alexeev | Tacoma | WCL | 68 |
11 |
40 |
51 |
87 |
| LW | Peter Ambroziak | New Mexico | WPL | 57 |
44 |
43 |
87 |
86 |
| LW | Vitali Andreev | Macon | CL | 63 |
19 |
17 |
36 |
20 |
| D | Alex Andreyev | Mississippi | ECL | 21 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
43 |
| D | Greg Andrusak | Chicago | IHL | 43 |
1 |
19 |
20 |
40 |
| C | Jeff Antonovich | Fayetteville | CL | 70 |
32 |
33 |
65 |
63 |
| C | Yuri Babenko | Hershey | AHL | 75 |
20 |
25 |
45 |
53 |
| RW | Shannon Basaraba | Wheeling | ECL | 55 |
11 |
20 |
31 |
11 |
| LW | Frank Bialowas | Hershey | AHL | 40 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
65 |
| RW | Mike Bodnarchuk | Birmingham | ECL | 13 |
7 |
4 |
11 |
17 |
| D | Aaron Boh | Peo-Tol-Ark | ECL | 45 |
8 |
32 |
40 |
233 |
| D | Ihor Boiko | Greensboro | ECL | 57 |
1 |
15 |
16 |
103 |
| RW | Rob Boyko | Abilene | WPL | 9 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
| D | Steve Cheradaryk | Lowell | AHL | 11 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
| New Orleans | ECL | 56 |
8 |
17 |
25 |
192 | ||
| LW | Dave Chyzowski | Kansas City | IHL | 81 |
37 |
33 |
70 |
138 |
| D | David Craievich | Mobile | ECL | 27 |
1 |
14 |
15 |
20 |
| D | Sergei Deschevy | Topeka | CL | 43 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
161 |
| C | Andy Doktorchik | Huntsville | CL | 65 |
12 |
16 |
28 |
105 |
| D | Mike Dombkiewicz | Pee Dee | ECL | 9 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| C | Steve Dowhy | Fresno | WCL | 53 |
21 |
37 |
58 |
39 |
| LW | Jason Duda | Wichita | CL | 55 |
27 |
41 |
68 |
60 |
| RW | Brad Federenko | Jacksonville | ECL | 70 |
25 |
41 |
66 |
22 |
| RW | Todd Fedoruk | Philadelphia | AHL | 19 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
40 |
| Trenton | ECL | 18 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
118 | ||
| F | Ruslan Fedotenko | Philadelphia | AHL | 67 |
16 |
34 |
50 |
42 |
| Trenton | ECL | 8 |
5 |
3 |
8 |
9 | ||
| D | Jayme Filipowicz | Milwaukee | IHL | 76 |
9 |
23 |
32 |
118 |
| C | Brent Gretzky | Chicago | IHL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Asheville | UL | 74 |
36 |
91 |
127 |
68 | ||
| LW | Stanislav Gron | Albany | AHL | 65 |
19 |
10 |
29 |
17 |
| D | Garry Gulash | Quad City | UL | 64 |
9 |
37 |
46 |
358 |
| D | Dwayne Gylywoychuk | Waco | WPL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| Wichita | CL | 30 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
48 | ||
| RW | Kelly Hrycun | Asheville | UL | 2 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| LW | Phil Husak | Ohio | UL | 54 |
8 |
9 |
17 |
36 |
| C | Ryan Huska | Springfield | AHL | 61 |
12 |
9 |
21 |
77 |
| RW | Alex Kholomeyev | C. Christi | WPL | 61 |
25 |
21 |
46 |
163 |
| F | Dmitri Kluchko | Knoxville | UL | 5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| D | Zenith Komarniski | Syracuse | AHL | 42 |
4 |
12 |
16 |
130 |
| D | Kyle Kos | Utah | IHL | 56 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
101 |
| C | Jeff Kostuch | Muskegon | UL | 19 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
16 |
| C | Mark Kotary | M. Valley | UL | 72 |
22 |
25 |
47 |
23 |
| RW | Rick Kowalsky | Hamp. Roads | ECL | 67 |
23 |
47 |
70 |
109 |
| D | Jeff Kozakowski | Mobile | ECL | 59 |
0 |
30 |
30 |
90 |
| D | Evgeny Krivomaz | Rockford | UL | 69 |
5 |
19 |
24 |
100 |
| D | Stu Kulak | Austin | WPL | 42 |
4 |
10 |
14 |
16 |
| D | Corey Laniuk | San Diego | WCL | 49 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
162 |
| LW | Andrew Luciuk | Muskegon | UL | 70 |
34 |
38 |
72 |
40 |
| LW | David Lylyk | San Angelo | WPL | 27 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
| Phoenix | WCL | 30 |
8 |
2 |
10 |
26 | ||
| San Antonio | CL | 3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | ||
| C | John Maksymiuk | South Carolina | ECL | 3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| D | Don Malko | Fresno | WCL | 67 |
4 |
9 |
13 |
172 |
| LW | Mike Maneluk | Philadelphia | AHL | 73 |
47 |
40 |
87 |
158 |
| D | Roman Marakhovski | Huntsville | CL | 45 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
41 |
| RW | Jay Mazur | Alexandria | WPL | 47 |
21 |
34 |
55 |
27 |
| RW | Brad Mehalko | Kansas City | IHL | 11 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
| D | Marty Melnychuk | Arkansas | WPL | 50 |
5 |
12 |
17 |
375 |
| C | Glen Metropolit | Portland | AHL | 46 |
18 |
40 |
58 |
71 |
| LW | Chad Michalchuk | Central Texas | WPL | 52 |
12 |
34 |
46 |
175 |
| LW | Yuri Moscevsky | San Diego | WCL | 9 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
59 |
| Topeka | CL | 4 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
7 | ||
| F | Roman Mucha | Mohawk Valley | UL | 28 |
6 |
12 |
18 |
14 |
| D | Jeremy Mylymok | Houston | IHL | 4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| Jackson | ECL | 43 |
1 |
15 |
16 |
79 | ||
| D | Yevseny Namestnikov | Hartford | AHL | 33 |
1 |
9 |
10 |
14 |
| Milwaukee | IHL | 12 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
17 | ||
| D | Nick Naumenko | Kansas City | IHL | 54 |
9 |
27 |
36 |
79 |
| RW | David Nemirovsky | St. JohnÕs | AHL | 57 |
18 |
25 |
43 |
69 |
| LW | Mikhail Nemirovsky | Adirondack | UL | 69 |
30 |
33 |
63 |
90 |
| D | Mike Nikolishen | Orlando | IHL | 6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
| South Carolina | ECL | 61 |
11 |
24 |
35 |
79 | ||
| F | Stewart Nowosad | Memphis | CL | 58 |
4 |
11 |
15 |
47 |
| D | Jaroslav Obsut | Worcester | AHL | 7 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| LW | Chad Onufrechuk | Mobile | ECL | 46 |
16 |
17 |
33 |
30 |
| RW | Keith Osborne | Ohio | UL | 70 |
15 |
55 |
70 |
71 |
| RW | Greg Pankiewicz | Houston | IHL | 62 |
22 |
19 |
41 |
134 |
| D | Jeff Pawluk | Shreveport | WPL | 60 |
8 |
10 |
18 |
54 |
| LW | Ryan Pawluk | Mississippi-Arkansas | ECL | 60 |
17 |
21 |
38 |
38 |
| LW | Doug Pirnak | Fayetteville | CL | 58 |
1 |
9 |
10 |
158 |
| RW | Ryan Pisiak | Austin | WPL | 28 |
10 |
8 |
18 |
250 |
| San Antonio | CL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
29 | ||
| F | Bobby Pochyly | Fort Worth | WPL | 65 |
14 |
15 |
29 |
42 |
| D | Mark Polak | New Orleans | ECL | 70 |
26 |
30 |
56 |
66 |
| RW | Mike Prokopec | Manitoba | IHL | 68 |
23 |
21 |
44 |
100 |
| RW | Tyler Prosofsky | Toledo-Birmingham | ECL | 59 |
11 |
23 |
34 |
245 |
| RW | Boris Protsenko | Wilkes-Barre | AHL | 64 |
15 |
21 |
36 |
41 |
| D | Jay Pylypuik | Missouri | UL | 16 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
20 |
| Memphis | CL | 34 |
0 |
4 |
4 |
26 | ||
| D | Sergei Radchenko | Knoxville | UL | 56 |
2 |
8 |
10 |
145 |
| D | Alex Radzinsky | Arkansas-Toledo | ECL | 76 |
3 |
7 |
10 |
48 |
| D | Peter Ratchuk | Louisville | AHL | 76 |
9 |
17 |
26 |
64 |
| LW | Matt Ruchty | Binghamton | UL | 64 |
23 |
20 |
43 |
321 |
| RW | Bogdan Rudenko | Idaho | WCL | 56 |
14 |
18 |
32 |
133 |
| LW | Curtis Sheptak | St. John | AHL | 21 |
2 |
8 |
10 |
27 |
| RW | Dean Shmyr | Greensboro | ECL | 50 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
298 |
| LW | Jason Shmyr | Portland | AHL | 53 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
170 |
| LW | Ryan Shmyr | Lubbock | WPL | 65 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
437 |
| C | Gary Shuchuk | Orlando | IHL | 71 |
16 |
33 |
49 |
94 |
| RW | Christian Skoryna | Long Beach | IHL | 1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Fresno | WCL | 71 |
40 |
52 |
92 |
70 | ||
| RW | Vadim Slivchenko | Wheeling | ECL | 9 |
2 |
7 |
9 |
6 |
| F | Tom Slukynsky | El Paso | WPL | 21 |
5 |
8 |
13 |
6 |
| RW | Denis Smakovsky | Birmingham | ECL | 70 |
27 |
26 |
53 |
82 |
| D | Jamie Sokolsky | Huntington | ECL | 70 |
19 |
39 |
58 |
87 |
| D | Lee Sorochan | St. John | AHL | 59 |
4 |
37 |
41 |
122 |
| D | Andrei Srubko | Utah-Grand Rapids | IHL | 33 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
141 |
| Port Huron | UL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 | ||
| D | Pat Stachniak | Binghamton | UL | 4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| RW | Wayne Strachan | Rockford | UL | 41 |
18 |
27 |
45 |
32 |
| C | Mark Strohack | Wichita | CL | 70 |
14 |
29 |
43 |
78 |
| F | Matt Suchodolski | Lake Charles | WPL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| C | Steve Suk | Macon | CL | 64 |
17 |
48 |
65 |
69 |
| F | Chris Szysky | Grand Rapids | IHL | 26 |
4 |
3 |
7 |
40 |
| D | Joey Tetarenko | Louisville | AHL | 57 |
3 |
11 |
14 |
136 |
| LW | Oleg Timchenko | Greensboro | ECL | 56 |
20 |
21 |
41 |
51 |
| C | Daniel Tkaczuk | St. John | AHL | 80 |
25 |
41 |
66 |
56 |
| RW | Stanislav Tkatch | Memphis | CL | 20 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
8 |
| LW | Trevor Tokarczyk | Knoxville | UL | 12 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
19 |
| Memphis | CL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | ||
| D | Evgeny Tsybouk | Michigan | IHL | 50 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
82 |
| Ft. Wayne | UL | 2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 | ||
| F | Josh Tymchak | Asheville | UL | 44 |
5 |
6 |
11 |
185 |
| D | Vitaly Vishnevski | Cincinnati | AHL | 30 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
41 |
| C | Joe Wassilyn | Phoenix | WCL | 12 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
44 |
| LW | Trevor Wasyluk | Worcester | AHL | 47 |
6 |
7 |
13 |
14 |
| Peoria | ECL | 7 |
8 |
5 |
13 |
6 | ||
| F | Casey Wolak | Baton Rouge | ECL | 40 |
4 |
8 |
12 |
120 |
| C | Shawn Yakimishyn | Adirondack | UL | 65 |
18 |
25 |
43 |
156 |
| D | Dimitri Yakushin | St. JohnÕs | AHL | 64 |
1 |
13 |
14 |
106 |
| C | Brendan Yarema | Kansas City | IHL | 61 |
13 |
19 |
32 |
139 |
| D | Troy Yarosh | Oklahoma City | CL | 4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| RW | Darius Zabawa | Detroit | IHL | 1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Flint | UL | 54 |
12 |
13 |
25 |
18 | ||
| F | Aaron Zarowny | Lake Charles | WPL | 70 |
14 |
32 |
46 |
95 |
| F | Steve Zoryk | Arkansas | ECL | 49 |
15 |
14 |
29 |
66 |
| RW | Jarret Zukiwsky | Anchorage | WCL | 16 |
6 |
1 |
7 |
72 |
| San Antonio | CL | 28 |
7 |
12 |
19 |
112 |
| Player | Team | League | GP |
MINS |
W |
L |
T |
GAA |
PCT |
| Mike Buzak | Albany | AHL | 14 |
775 |
3 |
9 |
2 |
3.17 |
0.9 |
| Utah-Milwaukee | IHL | 12 |
592 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
3.13 |
0.893 | |
| Augusta | ECL | 3 |
149 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
4.4 |
0.853 | |
| Rob Galatiuk | Corpus Christi | WPL | 2 |
107 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3.36 |
0.918 |
| Oklahoma City | CL | 30 |
1,529 |
14 |
6 |
4 |
3.22 |
0.883 | |
| Dieter Kochan | Springfield | AHL | 2 |
120 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2.5 |
0.921 |
| Grand Rapids | IHL | 2 |
93 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0.64 |
0.97 | |
| Binghamton | UL | 43 |
2,543 |
29 |
11 |
3 |
2.59 |
0.922 | |
| Taras Lendzyk | Charlotte | ECL | 12 |
636 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
3.58 |
0.9 |
| Peoria | ECL | 19 |
1,136 |
11 |
8 |
0 |
2.32 |
0.927 | |
| Gregg Naumenko | Cincinnati | AHL | 50 |
2,876 |
17 |
25 |
7 |
2.98 |
0.906 |
| Randy Petruk | Cincinnati | IHL | 26 |
1,435 |
13 |
9 |
3 |
3.51 |
0.897 |
| Florida | ECL | 6 |
338 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
3.36 |
0.89 | |
| Oleg Romashko | Greensboro | ECL | 2 |
29 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2.02 |
0.923 |
| Cody Rudkowsky | Worcester | AHL | 28 |
1,405 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
3.2 |
0.895 |
| Peoria | ECL | 10 |
599 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
3.2 |
0.875 | |
| Jeff Salajko | Manitoba | IHL | 3 |
138 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
2.16 |
0.932 |
| Arkansas | ECL | 48 |
2,678 |
14 |
30 |
1 |
4.17 |
0.891 | |
| Konstantin Simchuk | Knoxville | UL | 64 |
3,580 |
24 |
35 |
3 |
3.9 |
0.877 |
| Eddy Skazyk | Corpus Christi | WPL | 42 |
2,206 |
19 |
14 |
5 |
3.86 |
0.902 |
| Vitali Svatchenko | Tacoma | WCL | 3 |
74 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
6.41 |
0.784 |
| Sergei Tkachenko | Arkansas | ECL | 2 |
119 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3.51 |
0.901 |
| Greenville | ECL | 13 |
707 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
3.51 |
0.901 | |
| Asheville | UL | 12 |
601 |
6 |
6 |
0 |
4.09 |
0.897 | |
| GP = Games Played; MINS = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GAA = Goals Against Average; PCT = Save Percentage. | |||||||||
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 18, 2001, No. 7, Vol. LXIX
| Home Page |