Mikhail Grigorenko, 21, joins the Avalanche after playing his first 68 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, who drafted him 12th overall in the 2012 draft. Photo: Olean Times Herald
A la Gabe Landeskog, the Avalanche captain from Sweden, Russian forward Mikhail Grigorenko speaks very good English for his brief time living in North America. I spoke to Grigorenko, 21, and best buddy Nikita Zadorov, 20, on Monday for a story that will run in the paper and online this week, possibly as early as Wednesday.
Grigorenko and Zadorov, of course, were the key return pieces in the June 26 Ryan O’Reilly/Jamie McGinn trade to Buffalo.
“Grigo” has a slight Russian accent, much softer than in the 2013 video of the previous blog I posted Monday. I find it remarkable how some guys adapt so quickly to a foreign language, and I’ve never seen anyone pull it off better than Landeskog, 22, who moved away from his homeland in 2009 at age 17. In talking to Landeskog, you’d think he was born and raised in Canada or America. No accent whatsoever, and Grigorenko said he’s trying to do the same.
“I actually saw something on TV a few years ago after he got rookie of the year,” Grigorenko, who recently signed a one-year contract extension with the Avs as a restricted free agent, said of Landeskog. “People were asking him about his English and he was saying he watched a lot of movies and was using a California accent or something like that. I try to watch a lot of movies too, so I think that helps a lot … Just trying to do my best.”
Grigorenko moved from Russia to Quebec City to play for coach Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts in 2011 at age 17. He also knows a good amount of French.
