Thursday, April 29, 2010

Kabanov not returning to Moncton

On the eve of the QMJHL final, the Moncton Wildcats cleared up any remaining mystery and announced that Russian prospect Kirill Kabanov will not rejoin the team.

“After discussions with his agent J.P Barry, it was felt that the priority is to attend to the rehab of his injured hand. Kirill will head to Calgary where his agent is based. He is scheduled to attend the NHL Combine in late May in Toronto. We will keep him on our protected list and we are optimistic that his wrist will return to 100%,” Wildcats Director of Hockey Operations and Coach Danny Flynn said in a release.

The talented forward, who could still end up a first-round NHL draft pick, had a rough year, missing more than half his team's game with transfer problems and a wrist injury/surgery. After being benched in the first round of playoffs, the Cats sent him home to get ready for the world under-18 championship with Russia. Then the Russian team cut him loose, raising more questions. Now that Moncton has cleared up the confusion, it remains to be seen where he'll be drafted, and where he'll play next season.

Nathan White is a journalist based on the East Coast. He writes for The Hockey News and a variety of other publications. Read Nathan White's blog or follow his work on Facebook or Twitter.

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