Edmonton Oilers right winger Vasily Podkolzin is taking a leave of absence after his father, Alexander, died, the team announced Wednesday. "The Edmonton Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers] are saddened to share that Vasily Podkolzin’s father tragically and suddenly passed away last night," the statement said [https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-podkolzin-to-take-leave-of-absence]. "Vasily will be taking a leave of absence to return to Russia and be with his family. On behalf of Vasily, the club asks for privacy at this time." The team also extended its condolences to Podkolzin and his family. Alexander Podkolzin once played hockey at the amateur level and was an entrepreneur, according to a Russian-language profile of his son on sport-express.ru [https://www.sport-express.ru/hockey/juniors/reviews/istoriya-novogo-russkogo-supertalanta-on-ne-zahotel-ehat-v-kanadu-i-pereshel-v-ska-1446431/] in 2018. In November 2024, coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters that Podkolzin's parents were visiting in Edmonton [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/edmonton-oilers/latest-news/oilers-vasily-podkolzin-and-bald-heads]. On their final night in the city, he scored his first goal of the season and first with the Oilers, which acquired him from the Vancouver Canucks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks] in August 2024 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft. Alexander Podkolzin was the father of Vasily and Mikhail Podkolzin. He was also a grandfather to two-year-old Alisa, daughter of Vasily and his wife, Sasha. Vasily Podkolzin, 24, signed a three-year contract extension [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/oilers-ink-breakout-candidate-vasily-podkolzin-to-three-year-deal] with the Oilers on Tuesday. The new contract carries a $2.95-million cap hit. Last season, Podkolzin recorded eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 82 games. He added another three goals and 10 points in 22 playoff games as the Oilers made it to the Stanley Cup final. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen] and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
