What Can Young Sharks Learn From Orlov? (+)

Dmitry Orlov has brought a lot to the San Jose Sharks’ blueline — and his contributions don’t end on the ice.

A 14-year veteran of the NHL, Orlov has seen what leads to success. He spent much of his career playing alongside his countryman Alex Ovechkin for the Washington Capitals, winning the 2018 Stanley Cup. Orlov was a major part of that team, their No. 2 defenseman playing in 106 games between the regular season and playoffs during that campaign. So far, that experience has proved invaluable for the Sharks during the veteran’s first season in teal. 

Orlov, who signed a two-year, $13 million contract with the Sharks as an unrestricted free agent, brings poise, a calming presence to those around him, and physicality along with his Stanley Cup pedigree. 

How’s he impacted the Sharks on and off the ice? Shakir Mukhamadullin, Yaroslav Askarov, Mario Ferraro, Vincent Iorio, Sam Dickinson, and Ryan Warsofsky praised Orlov.

For Askarov, Orlov’s humbleness is what caught his attention.

He said that if you didn’t know beforehand that Orlov had played with the greatest goal-scorer of all time, and was still good friends with him, you’d never know.

“He is such a good guy, and he’s super-simple. He’s not cocky,” Askarov said.

“He’s a pretty quiet guy. He leads by example, but he’s a good person,” said Mario Ferraro. “He’s fun to be around. He’s got a quiet humor to him.”

Orlov takes the same approach when mentoring the young Russians on the San Jose Sharks, Askarov and Mukhamadullin.

When dealing with the younger players on the team, Orlov doesn’t try to be a coach or an educator.

“I’m not [their] dad. I’m not a teacher,” Orlov said. “When we talk, [we] have conversations, you just tell them your experience [from] different times.”

“It’s really good for me, and for Yaroslav as well,” said Mukhamadullin. “He’s an experienced guy. We can ask him anything. He always gives us some good answers.”

Orlov also leads by example with his veteran ability to shake off mistakes. The 34-year-old admitted that it took him until about his fifth season, as a 24-year-old in 2015-16, to mature in the regard. At that point, he had 119 NHL and 79 AHL games under his belt, a reminder to have patience with young blueliners like Mukhamadullin, Iorio, and Dickinson.

“Even when we have bad shifts as a group or a bad period, [it] doesn’t affect him,” Ferraro said of Orlov’s mental resiliency.

“There are mistakes that happen. The game’s fast. You’ve got to move on. You can’t look back. You’ve got to move forward,” San Jose Sharks head coach Warsofsky echoed. “He’s done a really good job of helping those guys in that sense, moving forward when his mistakes have happened.” 

“You cannot change anything,” Orlov said. “You’ve already made [the] mistake, so you just need to move on, forget and make sure next shift you don’t make [the] same mistake.”

Hopefully, Mukhamadullin and company are learning.

“When I came into the league, when I would make a mistake, I’d go out there and I’d rush a play the next shift, because I was a little more nervous,” Ferraro observed. “[Orlov] doesn’t do that. He has that poise no matter what happens. He stays level-headed, he stays calm with the puck. That’s why he’s done so well in this league for a long time.”

Orlov’s calm demeanor is reflected in how calm he is with the puck, even under duress.

He’s currently tied with Will Smith for second on the team in assists with 15, trailing only Macklin Celebrini. 

“Sometimes you need to just stop for a second and see what’s going on front of you,” Orlov said. “You don’t have to force a pass, but sometimes [when] you’re under pressure, you have to get [the puck] out. [You] just need to find a good balance when you can control the puck, when you have to make a quick, simple play [or a] hard play.”

Think about, in recent years, how often San Jose blueliners have been rushed or panicked in their puck decisions, both because of their overall lack of puck poise and a barely NHL-caliber team supporting them.

Again, hopefully, the San Jose Sharks’ young defenders are taking notes.

Here’s something that Dickinson was certainly taking notes on.

Despite his generally calm and positive demeanor, Orlov’s style of play does carry an edge to it. While he brings physicality to every game, one example in particular stood out to his teammates. On Nov. 23 against the Boston Bruins, Orlov threw a hip check on forward Sean Kuraly, which was the turning point for a 3-2 victory.

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“Right when he came off, I told him that was the coolest hit I’ve ever seen in hockey. That was pretty unbelievable to see,” Dickinson said. “He forced the guy into it. He was all over him, he didn’t have anywhere to go.”

In terms of hits, Orlov’s 38 are second amongst Sharks defensemen, trailing only Ferraro who has thrown the body 50 times so far this season. At 34 years old, Orlov’s physicality hasn’t taken a step back and it shows no signs of going anywhere any time soon. 

“It seems like every game, he just lights someone up like that,” Dickinson added. “He’s really good with his body and putting it in the right spot.”

Orlov’s leadership and contributions may fly under the radar, as he’s not a flashy player who scores highlight reel goals on a nightly basis. However, he’s certainly been making an impact on the Sharks, an impact that will affect the organization long after his time in the Bay Area comes to an end.

“He’s one of the best Russian D men to ever play, and he’s been in the league a long time,” ex-Capitals teammate Iorio said. “He leads by example. He plays the right way, and he plays really hard.”

Orlov said, sagely, “At home, your family takes care of you, and you take care of your family. You bring [a] different joy from there. [From a] hockey standpoint, you have to find a way through the tough times to find the joy. Find the happiness.”