By CJ Carlson
Blue Jackets Report
The transition into the NHL isn’t always a smooth one, especially for the rookie forward Dmitri Voronkov of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The forward has gotten off to a very hot start on the ice, but that has been the least of his worries as of late. According to recent reports, Voronkov has been looking towards returning to Russia after dealing with some homesickness.
The 23-year-old had these headlines hit in Russian outlets and it got so popular that eventually the general manager of the franchise confirmed the reports to be true. However, when pressed further about the reports and if they might be coming true soon, all he had to say was that they are dealing with it internally. He also said, “It’s normal for a young player to feel homesick at times. And so, we’re dealing with it.”
Unfortunately, Voronkov hasn’t had the easiest transition to the NHL and North America as a whole. There were reports that it’d be hard for him to adjusts to a new country given that he speaks practically zero English. Columbus was hoping that other Russian speaking players such as Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, and Ivan Provorov would alleviate some of the stress for their rookie.
While that seems to be a lot on the surface, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team double down on these efforts and bring in more help for their rookie. One name that keeps getting floated around is Fedor Tyutin, a former Blue Jackets that helped another Russian player acclimate to his new life in the NHL. That forward happened to be Marchenko, who’s still on the roster.
If you were still wondering what Voronkov’s disappearance would mean to the Blue Jackets current roster, it would cripple them on the second line. He is currently appearing there alongside Patrik Laine and Adam Fantilli. The team clearly holds him in high regards and loves what he brings to the table, and it’s easy to see why he’s gotten so much playing time. Even before coming into the NHL, he’s been a force to be reckoned with. As it stands right now, Voronkov is on a pace that would see him end the season with 16 goals and 49 points throughout the 82 games.
