Nikolai Kovalenko Shares His Excitement For Opportunity With Sharks; Has Rare Physical Attribute
New San Jose Sharks forward Nikolai Kovalenko is excited to join his new team.
Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images - Nikolai Kovalenko Shares His Excitement For Opportunity With Sharks; Has Rare Physical AttributeIt didn't take long for Nikolai Kovalenko to get a big opportunity with the San Jose Sharks as the winger scored three assists against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.
The 25-year-old showed his work ethic, especially along the boards, in that game as he was hounding for pucks on a line with Macklin Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli.
"First of all, it was a shock for me because [it was the] first time I had a trade in season. I think it's a good opportunity for me to be better and have a lot of time on the ice," Kovalenko said. "I appreciate this amazing team, the San Jose Sharks. Everybody is friendly. They just have fun every time. It's good news for me."
At the start of the season, Kovalenko had a chance to play with Nathan MacKinnon on the Colorado Avalanche, but his ice time faded after the team started getting healthy. The forward compared playing with MacKinnon to Celebrini.
"[They are] different guys. They both are skill guys," Kovalenko said. "Obviously, Mack is a little bit younger. But two amazing guys, two amazing players."
Head coach Ryan Warosfsky praised his work ethic and was excited about what he could bring to the team.
"It's a good opportunity for Kovalenko to run with this," Warsofsky said. "He had a really good game the other night and continues to improve. [He's] going to have some ups and downs as a young player, but we've like what we've seen."
Speaking with Kovalenko for the first time today, THN discovered that his eyes are different colors. The forward's left eye is blue, while his right eye is hazel/green.
Kovalenko said his mother told him he was born like that, but he wasn't sure how it happened. Heterochromia, the condition that causes people to have different-colored eyes, affects roughly 1% of the world, or about six out of 10,000 people.
THN showed Kovalenko a picture of MLB star pitcher Max Scherzer compared to himself. Kovalenko said he hadn't watched much baseball and did not know of any other professional athletes with the same condition.
Kovalenko is set to skate with Macklin Celebrini again against Utah HC tonight.
Make sure you bookmark THN's San Jose Sharks site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more.
- Follow Max on Twitter: @Real_Max_Miller