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 didn’t know English. At first, I couldn’t understand the coach at all—in every sense—since I was getting used to different hockey, a new system. But I’m grateful to coach Brennan Sonne, who patiently waited for me to settle in and supported me all the way. And by the way, we’re still in touch—we talk on the phone and text. A big help for me on the team was Misha Voltovsky, a Canadian of Russian descent, who acted as my translator.”
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“Another thing that helped me adapt was my billet family, where I lived. Everyone in that family loves hockey. They went to home games and even traveled to away ones. I was really lucky to end up with them—they did everything for me, never refused me anything. Sometimes it felt like they gave me more attention than to their own kids. They even built a rink in their backyard, so I could practice anytime I wanted. As for the game itself, I think my first season was decent. I scored 23 goals, the same number as a Canadian player who was later drafted in the first round of the NHL draft.” (Here Sidorov talks about Nate Danielson, who was drafted ninth overall in 2023 by the Detroit Red Wings.)
Breakout in the WHL
The next season was a breakout for Sidorov, who quickly became one of the WHL’s most productive players. He knows what propelled him to such growth. “I think the motivation came from not being picked in the 2022 NHL Draft,” the forward explains. “In the offseason, I carefully analyzed my game and thought a lot about what I needed to add. And it showed. The season was great but very tough. Few people know that during that time I had two fairly serious injuries. But I hid them so I could play and prove I deserved to be drafted. I didn’t tell the doctors everything, because the 2022-23 season was, for me at that point, decisive.”
His patience and hard work were rewarded when the Ducks drafted him in 2023. “I knew I would be drafted, but I had no idea in which round,” says Sidorov. “It’s a lottery. My agent told me to go to the draft. But players taken in the fifth–seventh rounds usually don’t go. So I assumed I’d be called early. It’s a very ceremonial and nerve-wracking process. When I was picked, I felt unforgettable emotions—joy and a sense as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I realized that the path I had taken hadn’t been for nothing. I understand this is an intermediate stage on the way to the NHL. It’s important to keep working on myself, improving my game to make it to the best league in the world. You can be drafted in the first round and still never play an NHL game. After I was picked, I had extra motivation to improve my game. My agent told me right away: the whole ceremony is for your parents and loved ones. For me, everything is only just beginning.”
The following season, Sidorov performed at a pretty high level, ranking among the leaders in various junior-league categories, but he didn’t achieve team success. Saskatoon didn’t manage to grab the WHL title. “We had a very tight-knit group—the players were like brothers, the coaches like fathers. But luck wasn’t on our side; in the last game, we conceded the last goal on a skate deflection.”
Stepping up in the AHL
Last season in the AHL was Sidorov’s first at the pro level. He had a respectable 17 goals and 17 assists in 59 games with the Gulls. “I think I played well. It’s a more defensive league; guys don’t put up 100 points there—a maximum of 60–70. Yes, I could have played better if not for injuries,” he admits. “I missed a month because of them. But hockey doesn’t come without injuries. The AHL is quite physical. Practically every game situation ends with body contact; players go all out in their individual battles. You have to keep your head up all the time, or you’ll get hit. Everyone wants to make the NHL—figuratively speaking, it’s one step up. Numerous representatives of NHL teams are at the games.”
“At the same time, the Ducks’ coaching staff regularly communicates with ours. The Gulls’ coaches report in detail on every player—right down to what time you came out for practice, when you left—every little thing. Representatives of the NHL club give advice on how to get better. The Ducks’ development coach and the AHL head coach laid out in detail how I can reach the NHL and what I still need to work on. I think I have to work a little bit of everything. I still have a lot of work to do on myself.” And certainly, Sidorov has the right mindset to make it to the NHL sooner or later. Next season will be key for the Belarusian prospect.
