Tatyana Shatalova

Tatyana Shatalova (Russian: Татьяна Шаталова; born 17 August 1999) is a Belarusian-born Russian ice hockey forward, currently playing with the Belye Medveditsy of the Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL). She holds the record for youngest player to play in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF; previously known as NWHL, 2015–2021).[1]

Tatyana Shatalova
Татьяна Шаталова
Born (1999-08-17) 17 August 1999
Minsk, Belarus
Height 166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Position Forward
Shoots Left
ZhHL team
Former teams		 Belye Medveditsy
Metropolitan Riveters
Biryusa Krasnoyarsk
Playing career 2014–present

Playing career

Shatalova began playing ice hockey at the age of 6. Her parents had initially opposed her decision to start playing, but reversed their opinion after she told them she would start boxing instead.[2] Until she turned 11, she played on the Yunost Minsk youth boys' teams and had to fill out paperwork every year to be allowed to play with boys.[3]

At the age of 16, she contacted HC Tornado via their website and was offered a try-out. The team directed her to a different team in the Zhenskaya Hockey League, Biryusa Krasnoyarsk, with whom she would play for four seasons. She scored 7 points in 19 games during her rookie season. Across the following three years in the ZhHL, she scored an additional 29 points in 90 games.

In 2019, at the age of 19, she left Russia to move to North America and sign a contract with the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL; PHF since 2021), becoming the fourth player from Russia and the first Belarusian-born player to join the league. She put up 12 points in 23 games in her rookie season and was noted for her fast, aggressive and physical style of play, getting 29 penalty minutes and a one-game suspension for fighting.[4] During the season, she worked on overcoming the language barrier with fellow Russian-speaking Riveters rookie Bulbul Kartanbay of Kazakhstan.[5] She scored her first NWHL goal on 28 December 2019, the game-winning goal of the first outdoor NWHL game, the Buffalo Believes Classic, against the Buffalo Beauts. She had previously scored a shootout goal earlier in December, the game winner in a match against the Minnesota Whitecaps.[6]

She re-signed with the Riveters for the 2020–21 NWHL season, but ultimately had to opt-out of the COVID-19 bubble.

International career

Shatalova represented Russia in both the 2016 and 2017 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship, earning a bronze medal in 2017. In 2018, she was named to the senior Russian women's roster for the 2018 Winter Olympics as a reserve player, but didn't appear in any games.[7]

Personal life

Shatalova wears #17 after Soviet ice hockey star Valeri Kharlamov.[8]

When asked about the possibility of introducing body checking to women's hockey, she stated, "I think that just like in men’s hockey that women’s hockey has emotions, too. Sometimes you want to use your hands and your body. On the ice, we don’t have to be ‘feminine’ – this is hockey."[9]

She played for Russia at the 2018 World Ball Hockey Federation Women's World Championship in Moscow and Dmitrov, winning gold.[10][11]

Career statistics
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015-16Biryusa KrasnoyarskZhHL 1952712 -----
2016-17Biryusa KrasnoyarskZhHL 38581310 -----
2017-18Biryusa KrasnoyarskZhHL 23471157 -----
2018-19Biryusa KrasnoyarskZhHL 3241526 20002
2019-20Metropolitan RivetersNWHL 222101229 10000
2020-21Metropolitan RivetersNWHL ----- -----
NWHL totals 232101229 10000

References
  1. Murphy, Mike (2 February 2020). "Shatalova emerging as a star for the Riveters". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  2. "Бирюса #91 Шаталова Татьяна". ZhHL (in Russian). 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  3. ""Может быть, назло всем у меня и получилось". Первая белоруска в НЖХЛ – о жизни и женском хоккее в США, тоске по родине и борьбе за мечту". Belarusian Ice Hockey Association (in Russian). 10 February 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  4. Jay, Michelle (3 January 2020). "NWHL suspends Kirchberger, Shatalova after fight". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  5. Impaglia, Sam (30 October 2020). "Riveters' Tatiana Shatalova: From Belarus to the Metro". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  6. Murphy, Mike (21 January 2020). "NWHL Goal of the Week: Shatalova dangles through the Pride". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  7. "Состав женской сборной России на Олимпийские игры". Zhenskaya Hockey League (in Russian). 26 January 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  8. Oliver, Nathaniel (26 February 2020). "Riveters' Tatiana Shatalova Has an Affinity for Valeri Kharlamov". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  9. Oliver, Nathaniel (11 September 2020). "Hitting in Women's Hockey: Why Not?". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  10. "Игроки ЖХЛ – чемпионки мира по бол-хоккею". Zhenskaya Hockey League (in Russian). 18 June 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  11. "World Championships 5vs5 2018, Moscow-Dmitrov". World Ball Hockey Federation. 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
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