The forward of Mamonty Ugry does not plan to go to North America.

On April 29, the 2021/2022 JHL award-winners will be announced. The best players will get their prizes at the Closing Ceremony, but some awardees are already known. Bogdan Senotov, the forward of Mamonty Ugry became the top scorer with 79 (40 + 39) points in 62 games, he broke Pavel Varfolomeyev-held record set in 2014. Over the previous two seasons (2019/2020, 2020/2021), the Surgut-born player scored only 46 points.

Senotov did great during his last JHL season, he was called up to the 2022 Challenge Cup and was the real motor of Oleg Tauber's team. The 20-year-old winger took nice shots and showed his knack for the net in the regular season. The hockey player appeared in one Supreme Hockey League game for Ugra. In an interview with the official JHL website, Bogdan summed up the results of the season, explained his breakthrough, and talked about the reasons of Mamonty Ugry being eliminated early in the playoffs.

“North America does not appeal to me”

— What are the reasons behind such a breakthrough in the 2021/2022 season?
— The coaching staff was changed and it had an effect. Our playing style became more offensive. Plus, I matured and needed to prove that I was a leader of the team. I worked a lot on stickhandling before the start of the regular season. I focused on improving my shooting.

— Did you follow other contenders for the title of top scorer?
— I was keeping an eye on Dmitry Buchelnikov. He was always close, he almost caught up with me.

— Did you feel any pressure knowing that the season was a defining moment?
— Obviously, it was my last year in JHL. I was really worried and wanted to have a good season. At the end of the day, I managed to do it. I’m happy about it. Khanty-Mansiysk has a very good school. Hockey school trainees live in a boarding house and study at the College of Olympic Reserve. We even had a special shuttle bus to take us to school and training facilities. All the conditions are of good level. Are any KHL clubs interested in me? To be honest, I don't know yet. We’ll see how it goes. I haven’t changed my opinion about going to North America, it does not appeal to me, although some interest was expressed. I remember I was offered to come to Colorado. But that was a pretty long time ago.

— Did Ugra head coach Vadim Yepanchintsev explain why you played only one SHL game?
— No, we didn't talk about it. They had a great team. I was given a chance to play one game and I really enjoyed it. The level of SHL hockey is different – higher speeds, more battles, faster decision-making.

“Oleg Tauber is a coach oriented towards player development. He allowed us to be creative”

— Once you said that playing center was not your thing. Don’t you have a desire to try on the role of a playmaker now?
— I don’t know. I feel more comfortable at the wing. I got used to it. I played as a center when I was a child, but frankly speaking, I didn’t like it. Later the coach moved me to the wing.

— Is there an understanding of where you will start the next season?
— I haven’t talked to Ugra management about it yet. I don't know where I will end up.

— What happened in the series against Omskie Yastreby? You had home-ice advantage and were a much-fancied team.
— There were too many chances that we didn’t manage to convert. But it's hard to explain further. The 2:7 loss in the last game was the toughest one. We scored the first goal, but then Omskie Yastreby scored two. And they really got the momentum. Yegor Serdyuk is worth mentioning, he performed really well.

— How long did it take you and the guys to let the lost series go?
— It was hard. It was my last JHL playoff. I was upset, but then I gathered my thoughts. It's all over now.

— Does Oleg Tauber give a free hand to create more offense?
— Yes, he is a coach oriented towards player development. He allows us to be creative. He tries not to punish for mistakes and doesn’t yell at players, he explains calmly what needs to be done in this or that situation.

— Was there an internal rivalry among you, Vasily Atanasov and Yegor Chernikov?
— No, there certainly wasn't. Yegor Chernikov has been my linemate for seven or eight years. There was no rivalry with Atanasov or Yapparov either.

— Did you follow playoff results after your elimination?
— Yes, of course. I really liked Omskie Yastreby. Too bad that they lost to Krasnaya Armiya in Game 5. But I was rooting for the Moscow team in the finals.