Fucale On Why He Left Capitals Organization For KHL, Tight Bond With Kuznetsov & Moving To Russia Amid Political Tension, War

The 28-year-old said this is the next best move for his career and consulted with Kuznetsov, his Russian Capitals teammates and family before making the choice to sign overseas.

After a couple of years of development in the Washington Capitals and trying to make it in the NHL for the last decade, goaltender Zach Fucale is heading overseas to play with the KHL's Chelyabinsk Traktor. And for him, it wasn't an easy decision.

The 28-year-old netminder sat down for an interview with Sport-Express to discuss the next step in his career, revealing that he had spoken to Traktor general manager Alexey Volkov about playing in the KHL before. At the time, though, he chose to stick with North America with hopes that he could be a full-time NHL netminder.

Then, after spending the majority of the last two seasons in Hershey after being unable to land a full-time job with the Capitals, he chose to move on.

"I felt that I could still make it to the NHL. I couldn't gain a foothold there. I played a few good games for Washington; cool experience," Fucale said, as translated by Google Translate, adding, "You have to grab a better opportunity to take a step forward... I chose the ideal option for continuing my career at the moment."

The Canadian netminder played in four total games for the Capitals, with each of those coming in 2021-22. He had one shutout, a 1.75 GAA and a .924 save percentage in that run but struggled to win a job away from Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov. Then, Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren taking over the crease in 2022-23 led Fucale back to the AHL.

Down there, he lost his starting role to a red-hot Hunter Shepard, who helped lead the Hershey Bears to the Calder Cup. Fucale played in 38 games for Hershey this past season, going 11-15-5 with a .896 save percentage. He appeared in just two playoff games.

While he admitted that it was difficult to lose that No. 1 role, he didn't take the decision personally and acknowledged Shepard's strong development.

"When you look back a little, you first think since you're older, have more experience and played more often in the regular season, then you should get a place as a starting goaltender in the playoffs. However, Hunter had a great season and looked great... as a good partner, you support your teammates," Fucale said. "For my part, I did everything to ensure that Hershey approached the playoffs in the best condition... Shepard showed himself, and the head coach made his choice, which turned out to be the right one.

"It's not a personal attitude towards me or anyone else; it's a professional sport. Hunter was on fire and helped Hershey win the title. There were no questions."

His inability to rise to prominence as a starter in the pros, along with his pending free agent status, led him to reconsider Volkov's offer.

"There were several interesting turns and difficult tests. I was a high draft pick by Montreal, and expectations were high. The [role of] the goalie who will play in a starting role in the NHL for 15-20 years didn't work out for me," Fucale said. "Sometimes life doesn't turn out the way you plan it, originally. As a goalie, I still became stronger."

However, there was still plenty to consider, including how safe it would be to play in Russia amid the war in Ukraine and political tensions and how his family would fare with the move with him and his wife expecting their second child soon.

Fucale turned to several of his former teammates and KHL alumni for advice, including Evgeny Kuznetsov, who had formed a close bond with Fucale and passed along glowing reviews of the goaltender to Traktor, Aliaksei Protas and Bogdan Trineyev. Then, he asked himself what the next best step for him would be.

"Before you make a decision you make a decision and say yes or no, you ask various questions to have the most complete picture of what's happening... I asked questions to people I know and trust in Russia, Canada and the USA," Fucale said. "Which next step would be best for me from a hockey point of view? That's what I'm focused on. I'm not a [politician, and I'm not going to the KHL to take part in any political processes. My task is to play hockey, do it well, enjoy the process and help my team win, and I hope, win the championship. That's the main thing I was guided by when choosing.

"I also had questions about how the league was organized, about security, about logistics, about infrastructure. The answers received from knowledgeable people completely satisfied me."

After discussing the move with his family, he decided to put pen to paper. His wife and son, as well as their second child, due in December, will remain in the United States.

"Naturally, we carefully discussed the decision... my family and relatives supported me," he added.

Fucale sees the move as a major opportunity and new endeavor and added that learning more about the franchise's history, arena and fans made the choice even easier. The 2013 second-round pick is expected to bring consistency to the crease for Chelyabinsk, who struggled in that department last season.

"It's prestigious for me to go to a league that's considered one of the best or even the best in Europe... Volkov and Traktor wanted to see me on the team. In their opinion, I can help them win. When they believe in you, that's the first step in the right direction," Fucale said.

"When you're under pressure, you get a kind of privilege. For me, this [signing] means that the team really wants to win. Each of us is pushed in the right direction... it charges me with confidence."

In the end, he believes there are still ways for him to go and a lot to prove and that this is just the beginning of another major step forward.

"I'm a Canadian who earns a living playing hockey, and I have the opportunity to perform at a very high level in the KHL," Fucale said, adding, "Hockey in the KHL is of a high level. This will help me become the best version of myself. I still have a lot to learn in my career; playing for Traktor is a challenge that should make me stronger."