Semyon Varlamov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Semyon Varlamov
Varlamov with the New York Islanders in 2022
Born	(1988-04-27) 27 April 1988 (age 37) Kuybyshev, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Catches	Left
NHL team Former teams	New York Islanders Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Washington Capitals Colorado Avalanche
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	23rd overall, 2006 Washington Capitals
Playing career	2006–present

Semyon Varlamov (born 27 April 1988) is a professional ice hockey goaltender from Russia. He plays for the New York Islanders in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Semyon started his professional career with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in Russia. The Washington Capitals picked him 23rd overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Later, he played eight seasons with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2019, he joined the Islanders.

Semyon Varlamov's Hockey Journey

Starting Young: Semyon's Early Days

Semyon Varlamov grew up in Kuybyshev, Russia. He learned to play hockey there. At age eight, he started playing as a goalie. He liked the goalie stick better than the sticks used for bandy, another ice sport.

As a teenager, Semyon moved to Yaroslavl. He quickly became the best goalie for his club. In the 2004–05 season, he played for Lokomotiv's junior team, Lokomotiv-2 Yaroslavl. He was a backup goalie then.

In 2005, Semyon became the main goalie for the 2005–06 season. By 2008, he helped Lokomotiv Yaroslavl reach the finals of the Russian Super League.

Playing for the Capitals

Varlamov at Capitals convention in September 2009

The Washington Capitals drafted Semyon in 2006. On 11 July 2007, he signed a three-year contract with them. He came to North America for the 2008–09 season. He mostly played for the Hershey Bears, the Capitals' minor league team.

Semyon was called up to the NHL several times. His first NHL game was on 13 December 2008, against the Montreal Canadiens. He made 32 saves and won 2–1. He was named the best player of the game.

His first home game in Washington was on 18 December. He made 29 saves in a 4–2 win. In February 2009, he became the backup goalie for the Capitals. He played well, with a 4–0–1 record.

During the 2009 playoffs, Semyon became the starting goalie. He replaced José Théodore in Game 1. On 20 April, he got his first NHL shutout, winning 4–0. He had another shutout on 24 April.

He helped the Capitals reach the second round of the playoffs. In Game 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, he made an amazing save on Sidney Crosby. People called it "the save of the playoffs." The Capitals were later eliminated by the Penguins.

Varlamov with the Capitals in March 2010

In the next season, Semyon competed for the starting spot. He started strong but then got injured. He was sent to the Hershey Bears to recover. He returned to the Capitals on 1 March 2010.

Semyon made most of the playoff starts again. After the season, he was expected to be the main goalie. However, rookie Michal Neuvirth became the starter instead. On 9 July 2010, Semyon changed his jersey number from 40 to 1.

Time with the Avalanche

On 1 July 2011, Semyon was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche gave up two draft picks for him. The next day, he signed a three-year contract. He was expected to be their starting goalie.

The start of the 2011–12 season was good for Semyon. But November was a tough month for the team. Semyon was often benched, and veteran goalie Jean-Sébastien Giguère played more. Giguère helped the team improve.

On 15 February 2012, Giguère got injured. Semyon took over as the starter. He helped keep the team in the playoff race. On 5 April 2012, the Avalanche lost a key game. This loss ended their playoff hopes. Semyon finished the season with a .913 save percentage.

Varlamov with the Avalanche in December 2013

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Semyon played for his old Russian team, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. He played well in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He led the KHL in GAA and save percentage. He returned to the Avalanche in January 2013.

Semyon had a tough 2012–13 season. He won only 11 games in 35 appearances. His GAA was 3.02, his career worst. The Avalanche missed the playoffs again.

On 30 January 2014, Semyon signed a five-year contract extension. In 2017, he had hip surgery and missed the rest of the 2016–17 season. He returned for the 2017–18 season. But he got injured again near the end of the season. This allowed Jonathan Bernier to start for the Avalanche in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Joining the Islanders

On 1 July 2019, Semyon signed a four-year contract with the New York Islanders. The contract was worth $20 million.

He made Islanders history in the 2020 playoffs. He recorded back-to-back shutouts. First, against his old team, the Washington Capitals. Then, against the Philadelphia Flyers. On 26 August 2020, he broke Billy Smith's record. He had the longest playoff shutout streak in Islanders history.

On 6 February 2021, Semyon played his 500th NHL game. The Islanders won 4–3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. On 8 February, he became the first Islanders goalie with two shutouts in a row against the New York Rangers. On 1 May, he broke Chico Resch's record. He had the longest shutout streak in Islanders history.

On 1 July 2023, Semyon signed another four-year contract with the Islanders.

Name Pronunciation

When Semyon first played for the Capitals, his name was often said as VAR-la-mov. But he later told reporters the correct way. The right pronunciation is var-LA-mov. This is similar to how other Russian goalies like Evgeni Nabokov say their names.

On 5 August 2009, Semyon officially changed the spelling of his first name with the NHL. It changed from "Simeon" to "Semyon." In Russian, his name is spelled "Семён." The Russian letter "ё" sounds like "yo" in English.

To help with names, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) created a standard way in 2011. This helps change names from the Cyrillic alphabet to the Latin script (English alphabet).

Playing for Russia: International Games

Medal record
Representing Russia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold	2012 Helsinki
Silver	2010 Germany
World Junior Championships
Silver	2007 Sweden
Silver	2006 Canada

Semyon was a backup goalie for Russia at the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championships. They finished fifth. He was also a backup for Russia at the 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He was only 17. He played one game against Latvia and won. Russia won a silver medal that year.

Later in 2006, Semyon became the starting goalie for Russia's under-18 team. He also played in the 2007 Super Series. He was the starting goalie at the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He had a great GAA of 1.51. Russia won another silver medal, losing to Canada in the final.

Semyon was chosen for the senior Russian team for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He was the youngest player on the team. He was the third-string goalie. Russia lost to Canada in the quarterfinals. Semyon did not play in the Olympics.

He then played for Russia at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany. He was the starting goalie. He helped Russia reach the final, where they lost to the Czech Republic. Russia won the silver medal.

In 2012, Semyon was the starting goalie for Russia at the 2012 IIHF World Championship. He played very well. He helped Russia win the gold medal, beating Slovakia 6–2 in the final.

At the 2013 IIHF World Championship, Semyon was Russia's second goalie. Russia lost badly to the United States in the quarterfinals.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Semyon started most of Russia's games. He had a 2–1 record. But Russia lost to Finland in the quarterfinals. This ended their dream of winning gold at home.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International