The final home series of the outgoing year turned out to be far from easy for Barys. Michael Kravets’ team keeps up with opponents in speed and in the number of scoring chances, yet the results still manage to slip away. There’s a lot of work ahead, as the team is increasingly running into the same problem – finishing their chances.
Despite a difficult season, the players continue to battle for a playoff spot. Rivals are breathing down Barys’ neck – and sometimes even moving ahead of them in the standings. One of the standout players of this KHL regular season for the Astana club has been American forward Michael Vecchione. This is his first season in the KHL, and he has already become one of the leaders of Barys’ offense.
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Wearing number 88, Vecchione is a two-time Calder Cup champion with the Hershey Bears and scored the championship-winning goal in the 2023 AHL Final. He is known for his strong hockey sense and his active presence around the net. Last season, Traktor announced his signing, but for various reasons Vecchione never ended up putting on the Chelyabinsk jersey. His official KHL debut came this season – with Barys.
– In the home games against Avtomobilist and Traktor, Barys outshot its opponents, but the scoreboard still wasn’t in your favor. How do you see this?
– We did enough to win, but we just couldn’t score. Clearly, finishing has been a problem for us for three straight games now. Everyone needs to step up – myself included. I had some really good looks on the power play, especially early in the game against Avtomobilist. Those chances could have changed the flow of the game and helped us take the lead. When you don’t capitalize on opportunities like that, it doesn’t feel good – you start to feel like it’s on you. And that’s exactly how I feel right now. I think a lot of guys in the locker room feel the same way – we’re simply not finishing. We just need to find a way to put the puck in the net. We’re generating chances, outshooting teams, but we’re not converting.
– Last season you were supposed to play for Traktor. Do you feel anything special when you face them now?
– Not really. I didn’t even make it there – I got traded while I was still on the plane. It happens. That’s part of hockey, part of the business. Now I’m here, and I feel like I’m exactly where I should be. I’ve got a lot of friends on this team, and the transition was easy – there are more English-speaking guys, too. There’s no bitterness. Of course, we want to beat them. We’re right behind them in the standings and can pass them if we play better. So it’s not about Traktor – it’s about us, about our push for the playoffs and moving up the table.
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– From your perspective, what does the team need in order to score more while keeping the same level of play?
– We need more net-front presence. Someone has to be there all the time. We need to shoot more and create second and third chances. Right now, we’re playing too much around the perimeter. We keep the puck along the boards and don’t create traffic in the middle. When you watch the video, it’s obvious: on point shots, there’s often nobody in front of the net – nobody to tip, get a rebound, or create chaos. We need to drive the net more and shoot more. Hopefully, the bounces will start going our way.
– Sometimes during games you and Mason Morelli switch roles on faceoffs – he goes to the wing and you take the draw as center. How do you decide who goes?
– It depends on the side of the faceoff. If it’s on the right, I take it, because I’m a righty. If it’s on the left, he takes it, because he’s a lefty. Pretty simple. We’ve both taken a ton of faceoffs throughout our careers, so whoever is in the better position steps in. We just do what’s best for the team.
– Players from the AHL often say the KHL is very similar to that league. Do you agree?
– In terms of speed, skill, and goaltending – yeah, they’re similar. The only thing is there’s less physical play here. Because of that, the game is faster, there are more chances, and I think more goals. Overall, the level of players is comparable, the tempo and skill are very close. But the game here is a bit more skilled and puck-possession oriented. There’s more control, more creativity – which makes it really fun hockey to watch and to play. We’re really enjoying it here.
– In 2023 you won the Calder Cup with Hershey and scored the championship-winning goal. How does that experience help you now in Barys?
– We try to bring that championship mentality – understanding what it takes to win. It’s the whole team that wins. Some guys get hurt, others step in, and everyone has to be ready at any moment. Every player has a role, and he has to execute it. You need to understand your teammates, trust the system, and know there will always be support. In Hershey, we got to the point where it was automatic – everyone knew exactly what the other guy was doing. Our structure was tight, and we were tough to play against. We’re trying to bring that approach here. We’ve already shown that when we stick to the system and pay attention to the details, we can beat very strong teams. Now our job is to get back to those details. But like I said – we just need to start scoring.
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– You and several of your current teammates played together in Hershey. Is that an advantage?
– Definitely. We didn’t just play together – we also moved across the world together and stayed close for three or four years. That makes adapting so much easier. On the ice, we know each other’s habits. We know how each guy plays – and that helps a lot. Plus, there are quite a few North Americans here who also played in the AHL. We know what they’re good at. Overall, it helps the whole group adapt faster and read the game better together.
– What was the biggest surprise for you in Kazakhstan?
– Horse meat. The guys had us try it at our very first team event – kind of like an initiation or welcome tradition. At first, I thought it was a joke, but then I realized – nope, it’s on every menu. I didn’t really love it, but I tried it. It’s part of the culture, and I wasn’t going to say no.
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– You’ve been in Astana for almost four months now. What places do you enjoy most?
– I went up to Bayterek and had coffee there. I’m often at Khan Shatyr, just walking around. We’re usually at the rink four or five hours a day, then I go home, rest, cook dinner with my wife, and get ready for the next day. We basically play every other day, so there’s not much free time. When it was warm, we went sightseeing – the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation and a few other places. Now it’s colder, so our routine is simpler – but the city really has a lot to offer.
– Who was your hockey idol growing up?
– I grew up in Boston, so for me it was Patrice Bergeron. An incredible two-way center. I played center too, and I watched almost every Boston Bruins game, studying how he played. His faceoffs, his responsibility everywhere on the ice, his offense, leadership – everything about him was an example. He was a real role model for me. Having a player like that in Boston for so many years, and being able to watch him almost every night – that was special. He’s the guy I always looked up to.
