Yegor Sidorov is an intriguing prospect in the Anaheim Ducks’ pipeline. After a successful career in the Western Hockey League (WHL), Sidorov had his debut in pro hockey in the 2024-25 season with the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he posted a solid figure of 34 points in 59 regular-season games. The Belarusian forward shared the story of his development and his impressions of the past AHL season.
**You can read Sidorov’s interview in Russian on vitvesty.by here**
Sidorov started playing in his native Vitebsk, a city in north-eastern Belarus known for being the hometown of the popular avant-garde artist Marc Chagall of the 20th century, and the Protas brothers. However, he moved quite soon.
“When I was six years old, my father brought me to the Vitebsk hockey school,” Sidorov starts talking. “I enjoyed practicing. I played with my hometown team in national tournaments, but the level back then wasn’t very high. My parents understood that for me to progress, I needed to train and compete in a more competitive environment. They managed to arrange for me to continue my hockey education at Spartak Moscow’s sports school. I moved to the Russian capital in 2015. There I spent four years playing for Spartak and Krylya Sovetov, taking part in the Moscow championship. The experience with Moscow teams really helped me in my hockey development, because at that time, the level there was much higher. When I returned to Belarus, I played for Minsk teams in the national championship, which served as the base clubs for the country’s youth national teams.”
Making a Name on the International Scene
The turning point in his career came at the 2021 World U18 Championship in Frisco, Texas. Sidorov ended the tournament with five assists in five games. “With the Belarusian national team, we finished sixth, and I played pretty well there,” he recalls. “After that, I got an invitation from the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. Young hockey players from all over the world want to get there, since it’s a launching pad toward the NHL. So I didn’t think twice about whether to go.”
Statistically, Sidorov’s first season overseas wasn’t the most impressive, with only 35 points in 58 regular-season games. It looks like he needed some time for adaptation. “The first three months were incredibly tough,” Sidorov confirms. “I…
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