He is now playing in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, but Nikita Tolopilo’s journey with hockey began in Minsk, Belarus with his father.
It was his father who first introduced him to the sport when he was younger and encouraged Tolopilo to try skating at four years old. Tolopilo realized he had the makings of a goalie only a year later, discovering that he had better hip mobility and flexibility in comparison to his other teammates.
“I did my split right away, without even practicing it, and so the coach [said] you [are] the goalie,” Tolopilo said. “My dad was kind of against it a little bit for a while, but I ended up [being] the goalie and after that I just [kept] rolling and I’m happy now that I became a goalie that day.”
As Tolopilo progressed in his hockey career, he eventually made the move to Switzerland at 14 years old, in hopes of gaining visibility in the hockey world. The team’s goalie coach was incredibly important for Tolopilo, and in Switzerland, he had the opportunity to be coached by former Stanley Cup winning NHL goalie, David Aebischer.
“He was a great guy for me there, and I learned a lot from him, and helped me with some things [that I] still remember. That was the big part [as to] why I ended up there because the guy with that big experience helped me,” Tolopilo said.
Even though it is challenging to gain attention and be drafted as a Belarusian player, Tolopilo was not discouraged, and continued to push for his dream of eventually playing in the NHL. After facing limited ice time in the KHL, he was presented an opportunity to play in the Allsvenskan League in Sweden. There, Tolopilo was able to work with great coaches and staff, while also being able to showcase his abilities to scouts from around the league for the first time.
“[I’m] a strong believer in myself, and I always had a thing in my head, like I still can be there. Maybe my path is not going to be the same for most of the guys, so] maybe I should go around. I was a believer,” Tolopilo said. “I was looking for an opportunity, and I got the opportunity in Sweden.
After playing in Sweden for two seasons, and watching his play improve consistently, Tolopilo was able to secure a contract with the Abbotsford Canucks. While there was an adjustment period, Tolopilo has now become well accustomed to playing in North America, and has been a key player for Abbotsford, most notably being a part of the Calder Cup winning team last summer.
“It [was] awesome to be in that locker room, to see this emotion and [to] be a part of this huge accomplishment,” Tolopilo said. “It doesn’t matter what league you’re playing [in], it’s so hard to win something, it’s huge.”
Tolopilo made his NHL debut last April and earned his first NHL win against the San Jose Sharks. It had been a momentous occasion for the Belarusian goaltender, and one that marks what he hoped to be many more in the future.
“The path to get here wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t a normal path, but I enjoyed all the time [I] spent getting here. Like I said, I always had a strong belief in my head that one day, I could become the NHL goalie and that was only the start,” Tolopilo said.
Tolopilo has now played 15 games for the Vancouver Canucks so far this season and hopes to use this opportunity to continue improving his skills at the NHL level while helping the team in any way he can for the last few games this year.
The Vancouver Canucks will face the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, March 21st at 4:00 p.m. PT for their annual NextGen Game.
Listen to this and much more as Tolopilo joins Chris Faber on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
