Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who was detained last week before moving to the United States by law enforcement in Russia, is now at a remote military base in northern Russia, his agent said Tuesday.
The agent, JP Barry, spoke to the Associated Press amid speculation about Fedotov’s welfare. The situation has raised new concerns over whether Russian players will be willing to join the NHL team this week as the war in Ukraine continues.
Fedotov, 25, is considered the world’s top scorer outside the NHL and the Flyers were hoping to compete for a place on their roster next season. He won a silver medal as the opening goalkeeper for the Russians at the Beijing Olympics in February and led CSKA Moscow to the Gagarin Cup as KHL champions.
He was selected in the seventh round of the Flyers in 2015, but CSKA has retained his rights since playing in Russia. The NHL and KHL do not have a player transfer agreement and Fedotov was eligible to sign with Philadelphia in May because he does not have an existing contract in Russia for next season.
CSKA, which translates as “Army’s Central Sports Club”, was founded in 1946 as the Soviet Army’s hockey team and still has traditional ties to the military.
The first signs that something was wrong with Fedotov came on Friday. Russian media reported that law enforcement picked him up outside the hockey rink in his hometown of St. Petersburg, where he was filming a documentary with a TV crew, and took him to a military registration center. Local news site Fontanka reported that Russian men were suspected of avoiding compulsory military service.
Fedotov’s lawyer, Alexei Ponomarev, told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday that Fedotov had been taken to a military hospital with obvious stress-induced gastritis. Ponomarev said he and Fedotov’s relatives were not allowed to come.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on Fedotov’s whereabouts. The Sport Express on Monday published a photo of Fedotov at a military base in Severodvinsk, on Russia’s northern coast, but there have been conflicting reports about his exact whereabouts.
Asked about Fedotov’s case on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We have a draft law, so any emotional comment would be completely inappropriate.” “There are some causes of fatigue and there are different methods of military service for players.”
Russia had set a target of recruiting more than 130,000 people for one year of military service this spring. The law allows for 21 months of alternative civil service in facilities such as hospitals for those who oppose military service, but the request can often be ignored. In theory, Russian men between the ages of 18 and 27 can be registered, although some never serve.
Russians often try to avoid or delay drafting with medical or educational concessions, and athletes are no different. Some continue their sports careers and arrange to sign up at universities for distance learning programs for many years.
The Army also has special units for elite-level athletes who can continue to compete while serving. The Ministry of Defense honored several athletes in the military category at the recent Olympics, ranging from judo to skiing.
Chuck Fletcher, general manager of NHL and Flyers, said the team is aware and investigating. Until last week, Fletcher said he expects Fedotov to compete for a place on the roster next season.