Putting the indelicate business of hockey behind him, Mighty Ducks forward Roman Oksiuta reported to training camp Thursday and earnestly announced, "It's time for serious work."

Oksiuta, 26, missed the first four days of practices at Disney ICE while his agent Rich Winter and the Ducks' front-office officials hashed out a new two-year contract that will pay the 6-foot-3 right winger $600,000 in base salary in 1996-97 and $700,000 in 1997-98.

Oksiuta figures the sweat he dropped back in May, June and July, when he worked out five days a week with a personal trainer, more than compensated for the practices he missed this week. The offseason regimen, a first for the native of Murmansk, Russia, left his 230-pound frame more chiseled.

"I feel in pretty good shape," said Oksiuta, who had 12 points in 14 gamFyles with the Ducks after being traded from Vancouver in March. "I have more muscles."

1 февраля 1997 года. 
Wilson Scolds Oksiuta Over Work Ethic // Los Angeles Times

Roman Oksiuta has been the Ducks' biggest underachiever. Considered capable of scoring 30 goals, he has only five and has been a healthy scratch 23 times; he has missed the last four because of a groin injury.

"If he wanted to work, he could help our team," Coach Ron Wilson said. "Right now, he doesn't want to."

Wilson and Oksiuta have clashed over Oksiuta's work habits and his defensive rating of minus-10.

"I can't accept playing somebody who won't contribute in our end," Wilson said. "You can't be a liability--score one goal and contribute to two being scored on the other end.

"There's always a point you hit--maybe not a breaking point, but a point of revelation. . . . Sometimes it takes sitting out three or four games. Sometimes it takes two months before people realize." 

19 марта 1997 года. 
Ducks finally deal beleaguered Oksiuta // Orange County Register

After prodding and begging and benching, Ducks coach Ron Wilson ran out of ways to motivate right wing Roman Oksiuta to play hard at both ends of the ice.

So Oksiuta sat and sat. He was a healthy scratch for 33 of the Ducks' past 50 games.

Now it's up to the Pittsburgh Penguins to push the right buttons after Oksiuta was dealt Tuesday for speedy center Richard Park. The Penguins were shallow at right wing, especially with Jaromir Jagr injured.

"He's not playing here, not happy," Ducks general manager Jack Ferreira said. "We all have to be positive down the stretch."

The Ducks gave up Mike Sillinger at the trading deadline last season to get Oksiuta, who was impressive with 12 points in his 14 games as a Duck last season. But after holding out at the start of training camp and eventually signing for $600,000, Oksiuta did not work hard enough defensively for Wilson to give him regular ice time.

In 28 games this season, Oksiuta had six goals and seven assists. In Vancouver, Sillinger has 17 goals and 16 assists in 68 games.

Oksiuta got the trade news at practice Tuesday and said he did not have time to comment before leaving.

In return, the Ducks got a good young center in Park.

"He plays with a lot of fire and a lot of spunk," Ferreira said. "Plus being a California kid, and getting an opportunity to play here, I think he'll give us a lot of juice."

"I'm excited to be coming home," said Park, a native of Seoul, South Korea, whose family lives in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Ferreira must have Penguins general manager Craig Patrick on his speed dial. The deal was the third one made between the teams this season.

In the first, the Ducks acquired defenseman Dmitri Mironov and right wing Shawn Antoski for Fredrik Olausson and Alex Hicks on Nov. 19. In the second, the Ducks got defenseman J.J. Daigneault for Garry Valk.

But the total impact hasn't been felt yet, with Antoski seriously injured in his first game with the Ducks and still sidelined and Daigneault given a 10-game suspension in his second game with the Ducks.

Antoski is still a few weeks from returning. But Daigneault's suspension ends after tonight's game against the Kings. "That's going to be a real positive," Wilson said. 

Суббота, 22 августа, 1998 . Toronto Sun
Оксюта хочет возвратиться.

"Мурманский мамонт" вышел на тропу возвращения. Крупногабаритный Роман Оксюта пытается попасть на тренеровочный сбор какой-либо команды НХЛ и возможно его пригласит "Эдмонтон Ойлерс" - команда в которой он начинал свою карьеру в НХЛ в сезоне 1993-94.

"Я надеюсь на это. Я хотел бы играть за Эдмонтоне," - сказал он после тренировки с защитником Ойлерс - Борисом Мироновым. Оксюта, которому вчера исполнилось 28 лет, последние пару месяцев тренировался под наблюдением помощника тренера по физизческой подготовки Ойлерс - Дэрила Дюка. "Сейчас я нахожусь в хорошей форме. Моя цель остаться в НХЛ. Вот почему я здесь".

Генеральный менеджер Ойлерс, Глен Саттер, который ищет для команды правых крайних нападающих, сказал вчера, что он возможно попробует Оксюту в контрольных играх.

Мощный россиянин (190 см, 102 кг), впоследний раз играл в НХЛ с "Питтсбург Пингвинз" в сезоне 1996-97 гг. Семь игр - ни одного очка. В прошлом году он играл в ИХЛ за команду из Форт Уйн, набрав 13 очков и 50 минут штрафа в 19 играх регулярного сезона. Он добавил 12 минут штрафа в 3-х играх плэй-оффа и снова не набрал ни одного очка. До ИХЛ, Роман провел несколько матчей в Норвегии. В результате он не играл много времени и потерял свою физическую форму.

"Я не играл в течение одного года. Посмотрим что получится из этих тренировок." Оксюта попал в Эдмонтон в 1992 году, когда был большой обмен с целью для Нью-Йорка получить защитника Кевина Лоу. В следующие два сезона Роман сыграл 36 игр за Ойлерс и был обменён в Ванкувер на Яри Слега. Впоследствии "Кэнэкс" послали его в Анахеем в обмен на Майка Силлинджера и "Майти Дакс" совершили сделку с Питтсбургом, получив в замен Ричарда Парка. Всего в 153 играх в НХЛ Оксюта забил 46 голов, набрав 87 очков и 100 минут штрафного времени