30 января 1993 года. 
KARAMNOV FINALLY GETS A CHANCE TO PLAY-IN PEORIA // St. Louis Post - Dispatch

Russian Vitali Karamnov, whom general manager Ron Caron predicted would score 30 goals this season, was demoted to the Blues' International Hockey League farm team in Peoria on Tuesday without a goal to his name.

Karamnov, 26, has played in seven of the Blues' 46 games, sitting out the last 13. He recorded his only point, an assist on Vitali Prokhorov's winning goal, in a 3-2 victory over San Jose on Dec. 10, his first game after an absence of more than eight weeks.

After playing two of the first four games, Karamnov suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the lineup for 14 games. He was cleared to play Nov. 16, but coach Bob Berry scratched him for the next 10 games.

Beginning with the San Jose game, Karamnov played five games in a row before being relegated permanently to the press box. His last game was the Blues' 1-0 loss to Winnipeg on Dec. 19.

The Blues are 8-4-2 since the loss to Winnipeg, making it difficult for Berry to work Karamnov back into the lineup.

"There have been a set of circumstances beyond his control," Berry said. "He's worked hard in practice, but it's got to be discouraging for him to practice and skate every day, and know he won't play. He'll go down and get a chance to play. It's not doing anyone any good for him to sit up here."

In a statement issued by the team, Caron agreed that dispatching Karamnov to Peoria was for the best.

"Karamnov will have the opportunity to play and play a lot," Caron said. "Should he achieve there and meet our level of expectations, he will be eligible for recall. . . . This is not an assignment for conditioning purposes, but rather to allow Karamnov to see more ice time."

Although disappointed, Karamnov said he welcomed the chance. The long stints on the sidelines have left him discouraged and with little confidence.

"I need to play. I want to play," he said. "Team here (is) very strong team. I no good. I no play. Understand?"

Karamnov's demotion symbolized the failure - to this point - of the Blues' Russian experiment. He was one of five Russians drafted by the Blues in June and one of three signed by the Blues.

Vitali Prokhorov, 26, has missed 15 games with his third shoulder injury of the season. He has four goals and one assist in 26 games. Igor Korolev, 22, is one of five Blues to play every game this season. He has three goals and 15 assists, with just three points in the last 25 games.

Korolev, Karamnov and Prokhorov, in that order, were the first three Russians drafted by the Blues, who picked them 38th overall, 62nd and 64th, respectively. The Blues gave them contracts totaling $3.6 million over four years.

Berry said that sending Karamnov alone would force him to grasp the English language.

"I'm not a Berlitz expert, but being there alone, his language will improve a great deal," Berry said. "It'll make it a hell of a lot easier to communicate with him."

Prokhorov, whose English is the best of the three, might be sent to Peoria when he is cleared to play. He said Tuesday that his shoulder has healed and that he didn't relish the thought of playing in Peoria.

"I'm ready to play," he said. "If Bob Berry says, `Play,' I'm ready. If not, I will practice and exercise. I'm ready either way. But I only play here. I don't want to play in Peoria. Is minor league. But if that happens, what can I do?"

GRAPHIC; Caption: GRAPHIC - Russian Numbers Player 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 Igor Korolev $350,000 $325,000 $350,000 $400,000 Vitali Prokhorov $350,000 $400,000 $350,000 Vitali Karamnov $325,000 $400,000 $325,000 Note: Figures for 1992-93 and 1993-94 include $75,000 signing bonus for each player. . . . Each player also has bonuses for games played - $10,000 for 50 games, $15,000 for 60, $20,000 for 70 and $25,000 for 80. . . . Option year for Prokhorov and Karamnov is 1994-95; for Korolev, 1995-96.

30 сентября 1992 года. 
All-Russian Line Fires Up Blues, Fans In 4-2 Victory // St. Louis Post - Dispatch

The Rushin' Russians took The Arena by storm on Tuesday night, speeding through the Minnesota North Stars like the Siberian Express.

Though they didn't score in a 4-2 preseason victory, the Blues' Moscow connection - Igor Korolev, Vitali Prokhorov and Vitali Karamnov - dazzled the crowd of 12,548.

They weren't the Blues' best line - Craig Janney, Brendan Shanahan and Dave Christian accounted for three goals - but they were the most inspiring.

They left the North Stars' defenders flat-footed with an array of dazzling moves. They circled back in their zone, regrouping for the rush. They circled and buzzed in the offensive zone as well, wreaking havoc on the North Stars' defense.

"It was a good game for them," coach Bob Plager said. "They showed us something. We're excited. They're excited. They got a lot of ice time . . . and a lot of penalties."

That was their only problem. They were called for three high-sticking penalties on three shifts in the second period. Karamnov got two in succession and Prokhorov another.

But after the Blues killed each penalty, Plager came right back with the Russians, and the strategy eventually paid off. The North Stars' Enrico Ciccone chopped Karamnov with a high stick at 12 minutes 51 seconds of the second period, and the Blues scored on the ensuing power play.

Janney deflected Shanahan's centering pass past Darcy Wakaluk at 14:18 to give the Blues a 2-1 lead. Less than a minute later, defenseman Jeff Brown picked the top corner on a feed from Nelson Emerson to give the Blues a 3-1 lead.

Back came the Russians, with the shifty Korolev stickhandling in and out of danger, much to the delight of the crowd.

Karamnov alone had five penalties - three high-sticking, one tripping and one for unsportsmanlike conduct for diving after defenseman Jim Johnson tripped him. That last call sent the crowd, not to mention general manager Ron Caron, into a tizzy.

When asked whether Karamnov knew why he got the penalty, Plager said: "He didn't know, and neither did 12,000 people and the coach."

But these are the NHL's new rules. The game has changed, reflected by the Blues' decision to bring the Russians in.

They were the team's top three picks in the NHL entry draft in June - Korolev 38th overall, Karamnov 62nd and Prokhorov 64th.

And now, they're one of the top four lines.

"We'll keep them together for a while," Plager said. "They're playing well. We want to see what they can do, and maybe later on, we can put them with some other players."

Minnesota coach Bob Gainey was impressed.

"You could see they were all players that have skating and puck-carrying skills," he said. "Throwing them together allowed them to use each other and the common thought of how to play."

Blues captain Brett Hull also liked what he saw, but he wasn't sure if the Russians should stay together on a line.

"They played extremely well," he said. "They'll be an asset to the team if the coaches use them properly. I don't think they can play together on a line, but it certainly wasn't bad tonight. We've got to keep working on combinations. They have a lot of talent."

For now, they're together, which is just fine with them. Playing together, they don't have to worry about not being able to communicate with their linemates. And besides, Korolev and Karamnov played together for the Moscow Dynamo in the old Soviet Elite League. Prokhorov played for Moscow Spartak.

"I like Igor and Vitali . . . to play with," Karamnov said in halting English.

"They understand each other very much," Blues Russian scout Yuri Karmanov said, while serving as interpreter for Prokhorov.

Karmanov said all three acknowledged being nervous in their first game together. This game was the first for Prokhorov and Korolev.

Plager said he didn't mind a little nervousness.

"After the second period, Yuri said that they were playing nervous," Plager said. "I said, 'They're playing well.' He said, 'They're very nervous.' I said, 'If that's the case, we'll keep them nervous all year.' "

All in all, it was a good effort for the Russians and the Blues, who improved their record to 3-4 in the preseason. Minnesota dropped to 2-2-2.