As of now, Sergei Murashov might be known most for his sterling stats in every league he’s played so far. He was great coming up the ranks in Russia, he was named the AHL’s top prospect after his first season last year in Wilkes-Barre.
Perhaps more than most young hockey players, there’s another inquisitive side to Murashov.
A follow on his Instagramshows
a curious mind. Murashov saves multiple posts of NASA’s James Webb telescope getting pictures of the cosmos. His feed is stocked with wandering in the woods or exploring mountains (one translated caption of a black and white picture of him at the top of one peak, only his red shirt put in color reads ‘in life, there are downfalls’). He once drove to Niagara Falls, just to take it all in. He has a child-like charm for all things Olaf from Frozen.
As told by the Post-Gazette:
“He has such a unique perspective on everything, coming from where he comes from. Just his entire life journey is so remarkable…,” said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton teammate Tristan Broz. “He’s just an amazing, amazing person. And pretty much exactly what you’d want for a franchise-type goaltender, in terms of his attitude, his demeanor. He comes in every day to work.”
Murashov didn’t grow up in a hockey family. His mother is a doctor. His brother is an engineer. His sister graduated as a teacher of foreign languages. Their home included a large library full of Russian classics, which he has gradually waded through.
…
“Part of my identity as a person is curiosity,” he said.
He split time between Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre during his first year.
“I’m grateful for my path because I have such a good opportunity to see basically a different life over the ocean and to gain all this experience besides hockey,” Murashov said. “It’s interesting. At the same time, you feel responsible, but you feel grateful for the opportunity to make a choice.”
Starting in a few weeks, a curious personality will go after a new challenge, locking down that NHL roster spot. Given his talent, it’s assumed that the path is clear for Murashov to make that next step. As mentioned before– and sure to be mentioned again – at 22 years old, Murashov is still incredibly young for an NHL goalie. There were 59 goalies last season that played 25+ NHL games. Only two of them (Jesper Wallstedt and Yarsoslav Askarov) were under the age of 24, and both of them were 23.
Age is just a number but it presents one of many challenges as Murashov looks to take the next step forward in his development and progression up the ranks. Ever the inquisitive thinker, the upcoming season will be fun to watch him tackle the challenges that come along the way.
