OGDEN, UT. – The Ogden Mustangs, proud members of the United States Premier Hockey League, are excited to announce the signing of Savva Serdiuk for the 2021-22 season.
Serdiuk (Kiev, UKR) joins the Mustangs after a Summer that saw the young goaltender earn a spot with the U20 Ukrainian National team. He is the fourth international player (Andrey Shmakov, Parker Laughton, and Lukas Wshco) to sign in Ogden and the youngest member of the team heading into this season.
"My time during the Summer was really productive and I had practices every day. It was probably one of the best off-seasons I’ve ever had. Besides that, I had three camps with [Ukraine] National teams -- U18 and U20. Actually, I heard about Ogden a long time ago, but I got connected with them last season just after Nationals. Probably the main factor for me and why I signed with Mustangs is because they are a really promising team and it's a great coaching staff. It’s just their second season in USPHL Premier and they are already one of the best teams in this league."
Officially listed at 6-3, 170 lbs, the Ukrainian '04 athletic netminder joins Ogden after taking home back-to-back USA Hockey National Championships with the Atlanta Fire U14 and U16 programs. During the 2020-21 season, Serdiuk was a brick wall for his team: 23-2, 1.16 GAA and stopping 34 shots vs South Dakota in the National Championship game en route to a 4-3 overtime victory. Just days before joining Ogden, Serdiuk was half-way across the world suiting up for his home country and will likely rejoin Team Ukraine during World Championships sometime this season.
"Playing for U18 and U20 Ukrainian National Team gave me a lot of experience and helped me to prepare me as a player and teammate for Juniors. Because the best players from different parts of the world come to the national team, each player plays differently with their teams and this helps a lot to adapt to play with new defensemen and forwards."
Assistant Coach & General Manager Nick Dreyer was a major force in adding NAHL draft pick Trey Hirschfield earlier this Summer; however, he had another ace up his sleeve in Serdiuk. Following training camp, Dreyer cannot wait to see what Serdiuk and the other goaltenders make of the opportunity to challenge each other day-in and day-out. "Savva comes from a great youth program out of Atlanta and is an International quality player as a member of the Ukraine U18 and U20 program. From day one [of recruiting him], it was never about him asking for a promise of ice time or starts, it was always about giving him an opportunity to earn his spot. He carries himself like a professional and is mature beyond his years. We look for big things out of the youngster this season."
Another injection of youth goes the way of the Mustangs and with the majority of the roster in place, Serdiuk and his teammates look to start hot against the visiting Las Vegas T-Birds on September 10th and 11th at the Ice Sheet (Puck Drop 7:15 PM).
"I look forward to doing my best every single practice and game to achieve the coaching staff’s and team goals. My expectations for the upcoming season are to be the best team in our division and in the country. For myself, I want to achieve the goals coaching staff set for me and gain experience from older players who have been playing juniors for several years."
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