Much like Dante Hicks, Amir Miftakhov isn’t even supposed to be here today. If things had gone according to plan, Miftakhov would be enjoying some nice Fall weather in Orlando, getting his feet wet at the professional level in North America. Instead, he’s posted a 3-0 record in 3 starts for the Syracuse Crunch and has likely moved his way up the number one spot in net. Not bad for a 21-year-old.
With his shutout on Saturday, Miftakhov has likely moved past Hugo Alnefelt on Crunch’s depth chart heading into this week. Alnefelt might also be nursing an injury as well after getting knocked around a bit on Friday against Utica.