As the head coach of the Boston University Terriers, Jay Pandolfo recognizes that there are different ways to communicate with the various players on his roster.
When he saw the addition of goaltender Mikhail Yegorov to his roster midway through the 2024-25 season, the 50-year-old coach wanted to keep things lighthearted.
It was the morning before the Terriers played the Boston College Eagles. Yegorov was only at BU for about a week and a half, still acclimating to his new environment.
"I remember when Jay Pandolfo asked me if I was ready to play against BC," Yegorov told The Hockey News with that signature smile on his face.
"He was like, of course," Pandolfo said with a laugh on Thursday in an exclusive interview. "He wasn't phased at all, and was very excited. Then we kind of kept it going. There would be certain times when I would grab him and say, 'Hey, you sure you still want to keep playing?' That kind of became a thing between us."
The 19-year-old goaltender finished the year with the Terriers with an 11-6-1 record, with a 2.15 goals-against average and .927 save percentage. He backstopped BU to win the Beanpot, making 43 saves in a 4-1 win against Boston College in the title game. He additionally helped his team to the NCAA national title game, eventually losing to Western Michigan University.
Pandolfo spent 15 years playing in the NHL and has two Stanley Cup rings, both won with the New Jersey Devils. He has seen what makes a goaltender successful at that level and what traits that echelon of players has.
"The ones that seem to have success have a calmness in the net, and that is what (Yegorov) has," Pandolfo said. "He is calm in there, and while he can make big and acrobatic saves, he has that presence in the net.
"I think that the best goalies seem to have a presence in there," he continued. "Sometimes they look bigger, although (Yegorov) is very big, sometimes they look bigger than they are because of the presence they have. I don't want to compare him to Martin Brodeur because Marty had his own style and a presence in the net. He had a confidence about him and a calmness in there where he never really seemed to get rattled. I feel that with (Yegorov), and I know it was only half the season, but he never really showed that he was rattled and was never too emotional, which is important."
In addition to working on the physical elements of his game, Pandolfo revealed that Yegorov is also committed to mental training, working with BU's goaltending coach, Brian Daccord, who is the father of Seattle Kraken netminder Joey Daccord.
"Brian is excellent," Pandolfo said. "He is a goalie guru, and is known throughout the hockey circles, and is very good at what he does. Brian has a lot of experience, and I think he really knows how to talk to goalies and certainly knows how to coach them. (He and Yegorov) developed a great relationship, and they work very closely together, and they have a nice bond, too. You want your goaltending coach to get along with your goalie, and (Yegorov) is up for learning new things. He is dedicated and is very coachable, and I think that certainly helps them, too."
During Devils Development Camp, Yegorov was complimentary of Daccord, saying, "It is so cool to pick his brain, he is very intelligent."
In addition to practicing his mental imagery, he works with Sense Arena, of which Daccord is a part.
Located about 20 minutes outside of Boston, "Sense Arena was founded with the mission of giving aspiring athletes the ability to get game-like practice repetitions outside of their brief allotted practice times and in locations outside of the ice rink, arena, or tennis court. Virtual and augmented reality technologies allow for accurate and realistic simulation of sports environments, and allow athletes to train anytime and anywhere. Our world-class team of former athletes and current product and technology gurus work tirelessly to enable athletes to train skills virtually that help them become smarter, better players on the ice and on the court."
"He works with that in the morning, just to kind of get his mind right before games and before going into practices at times, too," Pandolfo said of his goaltender. "He puts a lot of work into the mental side of things."
During his short time at Boston University, Yegorov has demonstrated discipline and maturity, as Pandolfo will be the first to acknowledge that it was not an easy situation, given that he came to a new university and team midway through the year.
With that maturity comes accountability, and on the phone, Pandolfo recalled a perfect example of Yegorov's ability to take ownership for his mistakes.
"The first four or five games, (Yegorov) was lights out," he shared. "We went down to Providence, and he didn't have his best game. It was his first game that he showed any signs of struggling a little bit, but he took ownership of it.
"I was not in the room when it happened, but after the game, in the locker room, he stood up and told the group that it was on him and it was his fault," he continued. "At that age, to say that, you know, he took responsibility. There was no question that I was not going to go back to him the next game, and in that game, he went on to have a shutout. That says a little bit about his mentality as a player."
Yegorov appears to possess all the attributes that will eventually develop into an NHL goaltender, and it seems that other organizations around the League are aware.
"(He is) a name that always comes up at the trade deadline, and we know we have a good one there," Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said of the young netminder.
Between Yegorov's dedication on the ice and his infectious personality, Pandolfo is not in a rush to see his young goaltender make the transition from college to the pros.
"I don't want to see him playing for the Devils too soon," Pandolfo said with a laugh. "There's plenty of time for that."
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