Tsyplakov's Strength A Standout Amongst New Islanders Teammates: 'It's Like Battling Chara'
Also: Scott Mayfield Being Tested In More Ways Than One At Training Camp; DiPietro on Sorokin; and Kyle Okposo Retires!
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Maxim Tsyplakov isn't a man of many words, at least not in English. But, he could express well enough how his first day at Patrick Roy training camp went.
"It was the same as rookie camp,” the new No. 7 said. “It’s a little bit harder, more skating.”
But unlike rookie camp, Tsyplakov got his first chance to go up against NHLers at an official team skate as opposed to the captain practices this summer.
“They’re so smart and have many skating skills,” Tsyplakov said.
Again, he mentioned the additional skating.
One of the many reasons why Tsyplakov chose the Islanders was because he wanted to work with Roy.
“He wants to see us think about how you skate, how you [use your] stick, and how you [use your] body,” Tsyplakov said.
More often than not, Tsyplakov found himself against fellow Russian Alexander Romanov during board battles.
“It’s great to go up against him,” Tsyplakov said. “I like him, and he likes me too, and good battle in the corner.”
I asked him who won more battles.
“It’s tied,” Tsyplakov said with a laugh.
When I asked Romanov if it was fun playing against Tsyplakov, he couldn’t return the favor.
“Not a lot of fun, personally, especially in a practice like that,” Romanov said. “I wouldn't say it's so hard to battle him, but it's not easy. He's got a big body, and he's pretty heavy, pretty heavy to move him, and he's got speed and power.”
The two have never played against one another in their KHL days, only meeting in Russia this summer.
But one thing is certain.
Romanov thinks Tsyplakov can play a massive role for the team this season.
“He's so powerful, and his speed is pretty good,” Romanov said. “He loves the tips. He can tip every single puck he sees. So, in my opinion, he's a big addition to our team.”
Casey Cizikas had a perfect quote to describe what it's like to face the Islanders' newcomer.
“He’s strong, man. I got into a battle with him in the corner, and it was like battling Chara out there, man,” Cizikas said. “He's awesome, he's good. He's a big body. He shoots the puck well, and he skates well. And, you know, he's something else to get the puck off of.
“He's not easy to get the puck off of. And, the way that he protects it, the way that he gets his body in front of it, he's going to be a problem.”
Cizikas, who skated with Tsyplakov on day one alongside Julien Gauthier, said that there is a language barrier, but Tsyplakov’s English is much better than he initially would have expected.
“Surprisingly, when he got here — he got here pretty early this summer — just talking to him right away, his English is a lot better than I thought it was gonna be,” Cizikas said. “So that made it definitely easier, obviously.
“There's still a little bit of a language barrier there, but overall, I was impressed with how we talked.”
Roy told us on Monday at the team’s charity golf outing that he was intrigued to see how Tsyplakov looked at ice level.
Let’s just say Roy was impressed:
“I'm very happy. From what I've seen, he competes. He's a good skater. He's strong on the puck. From the rookie camp to today, I'm very excited about what I've been seeing, and I look forward to the next few days.”
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NEW: Islanders Scott Mayfield Being Tested In More Ways Than One At Training Camp
EAST MEADOW, NY -- Eleven. That's how many games New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield played under head coach Patrick Roy last season due to an ankle injury.
After fracturing the ankle on opening night, Mayfield did all he could for his team, playing in another 40 games before electing for season-ending surgery on March 26.
Now back healthy, Mayfield is ready to get reacclimated to the Roy system.
“Every day is big. I'm just getting reps in and familiarizing myself with Patty. I only got eleven games under him. And a lot of those games, I was more worried about some other stuff that was going on than necessarily learning systems and all that. So, it's a big camp for me."
This story also contains quotes from Mike Reilly and Patrick Roy.
To continue reading, click: HERE
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Could this dude be the Big Right Wing on Barzel and Horvat’s Line. We need a few guys to come out of nowhere and produce top 6 numbers with size and physicality. Tayplakov and Dufour are that type. Jefferies LW (PK) and Bolduc LHD are two others that can make a difference on this team. We need surprises from at least 3 of the four.