Kevin Korol returns to the China Sharks The 27-year-old left wing signed with the Brahmas on January 30th and played 27 regular season contests with the team. He tallied 14 points (5 G, 9 A) with 12 penalty minutes served. In 11 post-season games, Korol had four points on four assists with 18 penalty minutes served.
In April, Korol suffered a fractured jaw when he collided with teammate Justin Kinnunen during a playoff game against the Colorado Eagles.
A native of Choiceland, Saskatchewan, Korol previously played for four seasons at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. In 114 games for the Axemen, Korol tallied 63 points (11 G, 52 A) and served 74 penalty minutes. Before that, he played 6 games with the Arkansas RiverBlades (ECHL), the Regina Pats and the Kelowna Rockets (WHL).
The China Sharks, essentially a national team, are owned and operated by Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVSE), the parent company of the San Jose Sharks NHL franchise. They are the only Chinese team in the 7-team Asia League. The league has four teams from Japan and 2 from South Korea.
The club was the weakest team in the Asia League last season, winning just three games over the course of the 30-game regular season. The China Sharks finished 50 points behind the first-place Seibu Prince Rabbits, and scored just 63 goals for the season while allowing 159.
Regardless of their performance last season, the Sharks are looking forward to their second season and have signed several standout players to help them develop into a playoff caliber team.
I e-mailed Kevin recently to ask a few questions. He is currently in China attending training camp. The regular season for the Sharks begins on September 20th.
Q: How did you come to sign with the China Sharks last season?
A: Last summer a friend of mine from back home was in talks with the GM from the team about coming over here for the season and he asked if it was something I would be interested in. At the time, a deal of mine to go to Europe had fallen through so I was exploring a few options and this was something that was going to be a very unique opportunity so I decided to sign with the team.
Q: What drew you back to play in China this season?
A: This season coming back was a easy decision for me. The experience last year of being in Asia and seeing the development of Chinese hockey from the beginning to the end of the season was very promising.
Q: How do you compare the level of play in the ALIH versus college and the CHL?
A: The ALIH is tough to compare to the CHL. They are very different styles. There is very little physical play over here, with more emphasis placed on speed and skill. Although overall levels are pretty similar.
Q: Are there a lot of hockey fans in China?
A: The fan base in China is very small; as the season went on it did grow a little bit. Hopefully this year with the team moving to Shanghai there will be even more support.
Q: How do you feel about your performance with the Brahmas?
A: I felt my performance with the Brahmas last season was pretty good. Coming that late in the season, I was just kind of placed in a role that coaches wanted and needed at the time. I felt I fit in just fine.
Q: It may be a painful memory but can you describe the collision with Justin Kinnunen?
A: The collision with Justin was something that was just pure accident. We were both entering the zone and the puck turned over and we both turned to the puck at the same time and both going at a high speed there was no time for reaction at all.
Q: How do your Chinese teammates feel about you playing with the Sharks?
A: The Chinese players on the team are actually very welcoming to the import players. They are appreciative of us coming over and helping them as a team become better.
Q: How do you think the Sharks will do this season?
A: I think this season, it being our second, that we definitely have the potential to improve upon what we started last season. Our main goal is to make playoffs, and go from there.
Photo Credit: Robert Keith
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