Andrei Vasilevskiy has gotten the nod from Team Russia. The Bolts’ backstop will serve as their starting goaltender in the upcoming IIHF Hockey World Championship, according to CBS Sports.
The 22-year-old net-minder is already amassing an impressive resume, as he’s the No. 1 goaltender for both the Lightning and now Team Russia on the international stage.
After an exhausted Sergei Bobrovsky backed out of the championship, Team Russia was left with Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov of the Colorado Avalanche as their goalies. From there, Vasilevskiy won the spot outright.
After the Lightning traded Ben Bishop, the 1A-1B goal-tending dynamic ended in Tampa Bay.