Ilya Kovalchuk Named Team Russia's General Manager For Olympics

Ilya Kovalchuk has been named the general manager of Team Russia for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. There was some debate on if he could make the team as a player, so this is a surprising development.

Team Russia's head coach and former NHLer Alexei Zhamnov noted that they made the decision because of Kovalchuk's knowledge with both the NHL and KHL players and his past experience with Team Russia. It's hard to argue against that, as he played a lot in both leagues during his professional career. Furthermore, he last played in the NHL during the 2019-20 season and spent this past year back in the KHL.

⚡️Ilya Kovalchuk has been announced as the general manager of @russiahockey for #Beijing2022.

Head coach Zhamnov says the appointment is based on his extensive experience with the National Team and deep knowledge of the @khl and @nhl players.
— Gillian Kemmerer (@gilliankemmerer) October 18, 2021

With Avangard Omsk this last season, Kovalchuk was very productive again. In 16 games, he scored five goals and recorded 17 points. He also recorded nine points in 24 playoff games and won the Gagarin Cup. During his final year in the NHL, he played for the Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. In 46 games between the three teams, he had 10 goals and 26 points. Thus, he was still a productive forward.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see who Kovalchuk picks as his players. Perhaps he will choose more veterans, since he played against many of them during his long career.