GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — At just 15 years old, Yegor Shilov was drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers and had to adjust to a brand-new life in America. But he quickly found a mentor in teammate Vasily Zelenov, who has helped him both on and off the ice.
"It's almost like an older brother–younger brother type of relationship, really," Head Coach Patrick McCadden said. "Vasily has done a great job of taking care of him, helping him get accustomed to the language and the culture. And credit to Yegor, too—he's always excited and happy to be here."
The two live together with the same host family, and Zelenov has taken Shilov under his wing, helping him learn English and navigate daily life.
"His language has obviously gotten much better," Zelenov said. "At first, it was actually just ‘hello’ and ‘yes’—hello, yes. It's good to see guys progress."
Adjusting to life in a new country has come with challenges.
"Obviously, he can't open a bank account, he doesn't have a number, so it's hard," Zelenov said. "He also doesn’t have mobile data and he can't go anywhere by himself."
Shilov said he tries to contribute at home.
"He [Zelenov] helps out with everything," he said.
One of Zelenov’s first questions when he found out a fellow Russian hockey player would be living with him in Green Bay was whether he would be a picky eater.
"We used to have disagreements with the previous kid about where to eat," Zelenov said. "So I asked Yegor if he was picky, and he was like, ‘No, no, I can eat anything.’ But since then, he only eats Chipotle. He always wants to go there. He doesn’t eat anything else."
All those trips to Chipotle—and countless other moments—have built a special friendship between the two, one that carries over onto the ice.
"We actually play them on a line together," McCadden said. "It almost looks like the old Russian Red Army when those two are together. They just feed off each other. They make plays that you can't necessarily teach."
Shilov agreed that having another Russian on the team helps their chemistry.
"It’s so good when you play on the same line with a Russian guy because we can talk about every shift—after every shift and after games," he said.
McCadden said Shilov has unbelievable talent, and Zelenov has shown a level of maturity beyond his years. Together, they make a great pair.
"I’m happy to be able to help him and use my experience so that maybe one day, he can help someone else," Zelenov said.
Zelenov is committed to playing college hockey at Wisconsin and is already looking forward to returning to Green Bay to visit Shilov and their host family.
