Ivan Fedotov banned from international play for three years

The International Ice Hockey Federation has imposed sanctions on the goalkeeper of the Philadelphia Flyers Ivan Fedotov, KHL club CSKA Moscow and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation for violating Fedotov’s entry-level contract for 2022, reports Jonathan Bailey of Philadelphia Hockey Now. Fedotov signed the contract in May 2022 and attempted to join the Flyers before the 2022-23 season. But when he tried to leave the country, he was arrested by Russian authorities and forced to serve a calendar year of military service. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported that this service took place on an aircraft carrier in the Murmansk region, far from the front lines.

He signed a two-year contract in the KHL with CSKA this season, justifying the sanctions. The official penalties are as follows, according to an IIHF statement:

• Ivan Fedotov is banned from participating in all IIHF competitions, including the Olympics, for the next three years.
• If Ivan Fedotov leaves the Flyers and plays for an international club, he will be banned from playing for the club for six months.
• CSKA is banned from making international transfers for two years, starting August 11, 2024 and ending August 10, 2026.
• A fine of 1 million Swiss francs was imposed on the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

Looking for a glimmer of hope, Fedotov can at least be happy with his final performance in Russia. He recorded 21 wins and a .914 save percentage in 44 games, hitting .916 in five postseason games. CSKA terminated his contract at the end of the season so that he could move to Philadelphia a year earlier. Fedotov made this move near the end of the Flyers’ season, appearing in the first three NHL games of his career and stopping 43 of the 53 shots he faced.

Fedotov secured his place in Russian ice hockey in the 2021-22 season by leading CSKA to the Gagarin Cup and Team Russia to a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He consistently posted impressive stats, posting a .919 save percentage in 26 KHL games and a .943 save percentage in six Olympic appearances. While a future Russian Olympic squad would likely turn to NHL stars Andrei Vasilevskiy or Igor ShesterkinFedotov would undoubtedly be on the shortlist of final options.