From Tallinn to Boston

Vadim Vasjonkin is a twenty year old left winger with the Estonian National Team. Hailing from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, Vadim moved to Kiev, Ukraine as a kid with his family and eventually returned to the Baltic's where he played for various U18 teams in Estonia and Latvia.

Wanting to give North American hockey a try, Vadim moved to Illinois when he was sixteen and joined the Lake Forest Academy team for two years. Later on he spent a season with the Honeybaked U18 team, and then this past year he was playing in the USPHL Premier League with the Boston Jr. Bruins.

In addition to playing with the Junior Bruins where he scored 14 points in 29 games, Vasjonkin's season was also highlighted greatly with his appearances for the Estonian National Team at three separate tournaments. He first skated for Estonia at the World Juniors Division IIA tournament, where he scored thirteen points in five games, leading the tournament in scoring. He then made his debut for the Men's National Team in February for three Olympic Qualification games, and later played for Estonia at the Men's World Division IIA Championships.

It was quite the year for Vadim and he will without a doubt be looking to carry the momentum he built with the Boston Jr. Bruins and Estonian National Team over to next season.

EuroHockey.com asked Vadim Vasjonkin some questions.

How did you start playing hockey and at what age? I started playing hockey at 11 years old. When my family moved to Kiev, Ukraine, my dad was working next to a famous soccer stadium in Kiev, and they had an ice arena nearby. One day while my dad was at work I walked there and saw kids play hockey, and asked my dad if I could do that. He said why not and immediately signed me up.

Describe your playing style? I am learning to be a power forward. Shoot more, finish checks, and make plays.

What are your goals in hockey? My goals are to go as far in sport of hockey as I can go, but next step is to play college hockey.

What have been some of the best games in your career/Best moments? I can't name any best games I had, because in some games you play really good, but you don't get points, in some you play bad but you get points. One of the most memorable moments was when I scored my first men's National Team goal and it was on a penalty shot. I remember the faces of my teammates and how happy they were for me!

Estonia isn't exactly known as a hockey country, do you see hockey getting more popular in your country? I can see hockey getting more popular in Estonia; however, not instantly, but over years it can get better and better. Estonia is located next to some of the greatest hockey countries like Russia and Finland. We have a lot of Finnish experts moving to Estonia which is rapidly increasing the level of hockey. As well I was hearing that Estonia wants to start a KHL team and if that happens it will be great for everyone and especially for the community because we never had a major sports team.

Talk about your decision to come play in North America And how important was it for you in progressing your career? Since I started playing hockey I always wanted to move to North America and play there. It was one of my goals and dreams. One day my dad gave me that chance and he flew me to North America to try out for couple AAA teams like Chicago Young Americans and Chicago Mission. I didn't make either of them, but then a coach who flew in from the United States to coach us in Estonia years and years ago, helped me find a boarding school and at that time it was the only choice for me to play in North America. I went and met the coach, his name was Darrin Madeley and he played in the NHL back in the day. At that time Darrin was the first NHL player I ever met. I tried out and he said I can come play next year so I went back home, applied as soon as I could, went out to play in Latvia for Liepajas Metalurgs to gain experience, and the year after flew to Lake Forest Academy. Moving to North America was the greatest thing I have ever done, it helped me not only in hockey but also in life. Hockey and how they teach hockey in the United States can't be compared to anything I have ever seen before I came over to North America.

Do you have any regrets in your playing career? I regret that I didn't start playing hockey earlier, but whatever happens, happens for the better.

Did you know at a young age that you were talented at this sport? I was always a fourth line player before I went to North America because I was overweight and didn't have experience as other kids did, so no I never knew that I will be playing hockey in the future.

How has it been like playing this past season with the Boston Jr. Bruins? I loved playing for the Boston Jr Bruins. The organization is awesome, the coaches and staff are great, I only gained positive memories from last year playing with the Jr Bruins. They can really move players further in their careers, and find a good spot for them.

Talk a little about the latest World Championships? Our latest World Championship happened in Zagreb, Croatia. It was a great experience playing against strong teams like Ukraine. Our goal was to stay in the division, and we made it happen. However, you can see that teams like Lithuania that we're the underdogs like we are, were battling for the first place, and I think we could do that as well next year and years to come. I think if we can show that we can play and beat teams in that division, hockey will really grow in Estonia, and children and teenagers will want to come watch games and maybe participate themselves.

How nice is it to represent the National Team on such a regular basis?   It is really nice to play for the National Team and represent the flag. I hope it won't end and I will be playing for the team in the future as well.

What are your hockey plans for next season and going forward? I want to play college hockey. If that doesn't happen next season, I will go and play another year of juniors for Boston Jr Bruins and hopefully move on to college a year after.

FAVOURITES:
NHL Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Childhood Idol: My Dad
Video Game: NHL 16
Movie: Interstellar
TV Show: Friday Night Lights
Pump-Up Song: Thunderstruck - AC/DC
Activity Away From the Rink: Cycling

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