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Earlier this week, the American Hockey League's Bridgeport Sound Tigers signed Russian winger Dmitry Antipin to an amateur tryout contract (ATO). Word is that he will make his AHL debut on Saturday night when the Sound Tigers host the Worcester Sharks.
As some readers may know, Dmitry has grown close with my family over the last few years. I call him my Russian "blind side son". My two kids, McCauley and Maxwell, look up to him and I have been impressed with Dmitry's maturity as a young man, his intelligence and work ethic as well as his raw skills on the ice.
Dmitry was born in Kazakhstan and raised in Novosibirsk, Siberia. He came over to the United States four years ago as part of a high school exchange program, studying and living
in Falmouth, MA. Later, he attended UMass Dartmouth (UMD), where he excelled as both an athlete and student.
I first became acquainted with Dmitry when he was playing in Hyannisport. Cape Cod Cubs owner Scott MacPherson asked me if the young man could stay for a few weeks after the season at my summer home in Hyannisport. I have opened my home to other young players before, so I really didn't think much of it at the time.
The first thing that impressed me about Dmitry was how respectful he is as a person. When I got to the house, all of my possessions in it were in good shape and he hadn't turned the place into a pig sty. This hasn't always been the case when other youngsters have had the run of the place.
The next thing that struck me was how driven he is to succeed. His English, which was almost non-existent when he first came to the U.S., is now quite good and getting better all the time. He was a good student, posting a 4.0 grade point average in several semesters. He was also eager to improve on the ice as a hockey player. Without prompting, he would wake up at the crack of dawn to work out.
Dmitry briefly attended college in Michigan at Finlandia University, but soon transferred to UMD, where I connected him with my old friend John Rolli. I told John that I thought Antipin would be a good fit both academically and hockey wise for the school. John took care of the rest and brought Dmitry to UMD.
Foreign students are not eligible for financial aid. Dmitry's parents helped him with tuition but he needed other ways to make money. So I brought him around my home to tend to my backyard rink and also helped him learn a little bit about the officiating craft and earn some pocket money by refereeing youth games. I recommend the latter to all youth hockey parents. Getting involved on the officiating side can help your kids as players in a lot of different ways.
McCauley and Maxwell really enjoyed having Dmitry around. He has been a good influence on my boys, too. When Bridgeport signed Dmitry to the ATO, I was thrilled. At age 23, he's going to live out his dream of an opportunity to play for a professional hockey team and he's had to do it through his own hard work.
Now that the opportunity is there in the AHL, Dmitry will have to elevate his game even higher. Antipin has good size, having added some muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame over the last couple years. He's a good skater with good raw skills. He's worked hard to develop various aspects of his game and is still improving.
So far, I'm told that his coaches like what they've seen at practice. Garth Snow texted me to tell me that Dmitry had to let out a lot of nervous energy his first practice -- let's just say that Dmitry and legendary goaltender Glenn Hall have something in common -- but he's been settling in nicely.
In order to stick around at the pro level, Dmitry will have to make use of his speed and demonstrate an all-around game. Of course, putting a few pucks in the back of the net would help his cause tremendously.
Best of luck, Dmitry. The entire Stewart clan is pulling for you.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
Stewart is currently working with a co-author on an autobiography.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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