Sokolov set to make NHL debut tonight against Bruins

Another chapter of Egor Sokolov's career is set to be written tonight.

The Russian winger is in line to make his NHL debut this evening when the Ottawa Senators visit the Boston Bruins.
"It's obviously a dream come true," Sokolov said after his first NHL morning skate. "Since I was a kid, I've always dreamed about playing in the NHL. It was a pretty quick turnaround but I'm excited to be here and I can't wait to get out there and feel what the NHL is like."
Sokolov was recalled from Belleville Monday after Connor Brown and Dylan Gambrell were placed in the NHL's Covid-19 protocol. In nine AHL games with the Senators, the 21-year-old has two goals and four assists.
"I haven't seen him since training camp so we'll see out there but he's a big body that can shoot the puck and he has the ability to score so if he has a chance or two tonight, there's a chance he puts one in for us," Senators head coach D.J. Smith said. "But he's going to have to play away from the puck and this league is significantly faster than the American Hockey League.
"It's a big difference for him, but he'll be fine."
Sokolov did suit up four times for the Sens in preseason, scoring once in a 7-2 win over Montreal on Oct. 1.
Those four games certainly gave him a taste of the NHL pace, but perhaps more importantly, it allowed him to integrate himself with his teammates, making the transaction to his NHL debut tonight more seamless.
"Guys like Brady and Thomas, all the guys who are leaders on our team, they make you feel comfortable and since training camp, they make me feel warm and I don't feel awkward," Sokolov said. "I'm thankful for that."
The Yekaterinburg native has had an incredible journey to get to tonight. He was passed over twice in the NHL Draft before being selected by the Sens 61st overall in 2020 from Cape Breton. In three years with the Eagles, he notched 191 points (97 goals) in 184 games, the ninth most in franchise history. In his final year of junior in 2019-20, he scored a league best 46 goals, was named to the QMJHL's First All-Star team and won a silver medal with Russia at the World Juniors.
A year later, after scoring an AHL rookie best 15 goals with Belleville, he was named to the Canadian Division All-Star team.
Now he'll step onto the famed TD Garden ice for his NHL debut.
"It's pretty cool to play against the Boston Bruins," he said. "It's a dream come true. Obviously, it doesn't matter what team it would be but Boston is a pretty cool team to play against in your first NHL game."
Sokolov's parents are unable to be in attendance tonight due to the tight turnaround but his billet mom, Ashley, has made the trip to Boston, with the Russian saying having her here is "special."
He's certainly established a bit of a cult following since being drafted and Sens captain Brady Tkachuk says being part of his debut tonight will give the rest of the team some extra jump ahead of puck drop.
"We're really excited for him to make his debut," Tkachuk said. "It's definitely exciting to see his first NHL game. It's going to be pretty cool and special for him and definitely gives everyone else a lot of extra energy … he's put in so much work to get to where he's at and he's being rewarded tonight."
Sokolov will take the ice all by himself at 6:29 p.m. for warmups and then dive head first into facing Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and the Bruins.
"Be myself all the time," Sokolov said when asked how he'll approach tonight. "Don't be nervous but play my game and have fun out there.
"Obviously, I'm playing hockey for fun and I want to enjoy the moment and it will be something to remember for sure."