Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Semyon Varlamov turns 38 on Monday.
But at least for one night, the longtime NHL goaltender felt like a 20-year-old again.
Back at the Giant Center on April 18, Varlamov looked at all the Washington Capitals prospects who had been tending the net for the Hershey Bears 18 years ago. But this time, he was wearing the blue and orange of the Bridgeport Islanders, and his career was in a much different place than in 2008.
Varlamov’s return to the ice in a conditioning session was a milestone, coming nearly a year and a half after recovering from knee surgery. His last action came in the NHL on November 29, 2024.
Returning to the AHL for a week brought Varlamov full circle in two ways. First, it was rewarding to play again after many months of loneliness, needing to be cared for again. Second, he was back in the building where he started his North American career after Washington took him in the first round of the 2006 NHL Draft. Varlamov made 33 appearances with the Bears in his first three seasons.
It was a short trip back to Hershey, but Varlamov had little time to yearn for more. He quickly ran past his old apartment and met his friends after the game.
“It just brings back so many memories,” he said.
With that extra flair that night, as the game’s second star in a 28-save performance, Varlamov took a looping skate to center ice, raised his stick and bowed to the Hershey crowd. He played over 600 games in the NHL with the Capitals, Avalanche and Islanders, but Chocolatetown is where he took the necessary steps to turn a raw talent into an NHL-ready goaltender.
“This is my first team,” said Varlamov. “I’m very grateful to be back and I’m going to play in this building again. It’s a special city for me.”
NHL veterans behave in a certain way, and there’s no doubt there was something shocking for some of Varlamov’s Bridgeport teammates to have him around even for a short time. Over 16 seasons in the NHL, Varlamov has played in the Olympics, the World Cup of Hockey and the IIHF World Championship.
By any definition, it was a very successful career, which began to take off when he arrived in Hershey. He had graduated from Washington when the season started, so he missed the Bears’ Calder Cup victory in 2009. But Hershey gave him the perfect environment to fine-tune his game while navigating his life as a 20-year-old away from his hometown of Samara, Russia.
“I had to learn everything,” Varlamov recounted. “I came here, I don’t even know English, I made many friends. [there were] many challenges. I didn’t [know] how to get a place to live, buy a car, things like that.”
Varlamov handles life in North America with ease now, speaks English fluently, and has long been a mentor to young players. Back then, the challenge for him was youth. Now it’s the inspiration for a long career.
His first start for Bridgeport came on April 15 at Hartford, a 5-2 win in which he had 18 saves. He admitted that the pace of the game was a challenge for him after being out of action for a long time. Starting at Hershey allowed him to feel comfortable walking again.
“I feel like myself,” Varlamov said. “I had to test everything… I had to test my knees. That’s what was important. Everything felt good. You know, it was a challenge, but I got through it, and I feel good about my game.
“I’ll say I’ve been through a lot in the last 16 months. But I’ve had a lot of support from the New York Islanders organization, starting with ownership, management, coaches, then the team, and I couldn’t have done it without their support.
He is under contract with New York for at least one more season. If his body is ready to go next September, he could give the Islanders a stable partner to work with in the position. Ilya Sorokin. It was a quick return to the AHL, but it was enough to give Varlamov some motivation to take into the offseason.
It also allowed him to connect back to his early days, to find the Giant Center on Saturday night for a big division game again.
“Hershey fans,” Varlamov said, “are the best fans in the league. It’s a fun building to play in. I’m grateful for this opportunity to play in front of this crowd. They gave me a lot of support when I played here. I know they still support me. I saw a lot of jerseys in the crowd.
“It touched my heart because after 18 years, I’m still playing hockey.
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
