Despite early struggles, Ivan Prosvetov takes command of Roadrunners’ crease

Prosvetov’s 0.898 save percentage and 3.14 goals against average seem to be getting better every week, while his 15 wins — he’s 15-13-2 overall for the playoff-hopeful Roadrunners — have already matched a career high.

“I think I got better, and now definitely I’m able to get back to my game. I’m able to steal some games and make the big saves in the big moments,” Prosvetov said. “So I just have to stick with it and just try to keep working hard so everything comes automatically in a game right now.”

In the Roadrunners’ two-game home sweep last weekend of the Henderson Silver Knights, Prosvetov stopped 55 of 59 combined shots on goal.

“He’s been wanting to get multiple starts after either a win or a loss, and I’m happy for him,” Tucson coach Steve Potvin said. “He’s a player that’s been longing for this type of commitment, and sometimes it has to be earned and sometimes you have to collect the right amount of data to make sure that he gets the right amount of work and the right amount of time.”

Prosvetov has won four starts in a row, a streak that began on Jan. 25 against the Chicago Wolves — the same Chicago club that happens to be Tucson’s next opponent. The Roadrunners face the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in the Windy City in a two-game series starting Saturday night.

Roadrunners general manager John Ferguson, also the assistant GM for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, said the organization likes Prosvetov’s upside and his prototypical No. 1 goalie size.

“He’s made good strides,” Ferguson said. “I’ve been very impressed with his work on a day-to-day basis and his commitment to improve year over year.”.

Prosvetov’s recent form started not long after goalie Tyler Parks (3-3-0-0), already a friend a of Prosvetov’s dating back to their days together playing for the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, moved up to Tucson from the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators.

Parks has played seven games for Tucson since Jan. 20, while backup Jon Gillies (5-8-2-0) hasn’t played for the Roadrunners since Jan. 16.

“Tyler’s a great guy for sure,” Prosvetov said. “I like to have him as my partner. Jon was good for a while, too, and obviously Josef Kořenář last year. I’m really fortunate I’ve had good partners.”

“It’s always nice to have your good partner, your backup, as your best buddy,” Prosvetov added. “That’s the best.”

Prosvetov started the season slowly but has recovered. In a stretch of 16 starts from mid-November to mid-January, Prosvetov gave up four or more goals nine times, and on four of those occasions six or more. But in his nine starts since Jan. 21, Prosvetov has a 2.55 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Ferguson said it’s just been a matter of the 6-5, 189-pound native of Moscow becoming more consistent.

“It can be hard to separate any individual’s performance from that of the team’s,” Ferguson said. “Goalies can put themselves in a position where they’re carrying the club. I don’t think he had done that on a night-to-night basis, (but) there were nights where he did.”

On Feb. 3, Prosvetov earned a shutout against the Ontario Reign. That same night, former Pacific Division rivals Stuart Skinner and Logan Thompson made their NHL All-Star debuts, participating in the league’s skills competition. The two goalies — Skinner with the Edmonton Oilers and Thompson with the Vegas Golden Knights — are slightly older than Prosvetov. Prosvetov is 2-3 at the AHL level against Skinner (then with the Bakersfield Condors) and 1-2 against Thompson (during his days with the Henderson Silver Knights).

“It’s good for them, they made it to the big league. I was always excited to play against them,” Prosvetov said. “It was always big games when you’re facing a guy the same age and as good of a goalies as they are.

“I’m trying to catch them soon, hopefully.”

Chicago presents another friendly rival in fellow Russia goalie Pyotr Kochetkov. While Kochetkov is back with the Wolves in the AHL, he was the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for December playing for the Hurricanes.

Prosvetov said his countrymen and the media there will hype up the game, but he is “not trying to focus on that noise. Just trying to beat him.

“That’s going to be a really big game for me as well to play against your friend,” Prosvetov said. “I know almost every goalie in this league now, so it’s always nice to have a battle against someone and definitely against Pyotr — I’ve known him since I was five years old. So it’s always nice to play against a buddy.”

On Wednesday the Coyotes traded defenseman Dysin Mayo to the Golden Knights for the contract of defenseman Shea Weber and a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft.

Mayo had spent his whole professional career in Arizona’s organization, playing on every Roadrunners team and holding the record for most appearances for Tucson.

“He’s been huge for the organization,” Potvin said. “He’s a guy that we relied on to help establish the culture, and he’s a guy that also took advantage of every opportunity here and made himself a good player. But we appreciated all the time spent here.

“He was a leader. He was our captain. He was our leader in games played. We respect what he’s done and wish him all the best.”

The Golden Knights sent Mayo to the Silver Knights. If Mayo sticks with Henderson, he’ll be back at Tucson Arena on April 5 for a midweek matchup with the Roadrunners. That’s the last scheduled meeting of the teams this season.