Eliezer Sherbatov

Eliezer "Elie" Alexeevich Sherbatov (, ; born 9 October 1991) is an Israeli-Canadian ice hockey player who plays for the Jonquière Marquis of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, after having played for HC Mariupol of the Ukrainian Hockey League until the Russian invasion in February 2022. In the 2020-2021 season he played for TH Unia Oświęcim of the Polska Hokej Liga. He is the first Israeli to have played in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League, for HC Slovan Bratislava. His biography, published in both French and English (My Left Skate: The Extraordinary Story of Eliezer Sherbatov, and Sherbatov: Le garçon qui voulait jouer au hockey) was written by Anna Rosner and released on October 12, 2022.

Sherbatov, who is Jewish, moved with his family from Israel to Laval, Quebec, Canada, just after his first birthday. His parents were originally from Moscow, Russia and fans of the Montreal Canadiens. His family was permitted entry into Canada by immigration officials because his father said he wanted one of his sons to skate like Guy Lafleur.

He spent the 2008–09 season with Laval-Bourassa Rousseau Sports of the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League, and was third in the league in scoring. Sherbatov spent the 2012-13 season, when he was 20 years old, with the Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne, and was third in the French Magnus League in assists. In 2015-16 Sherbatov played with Beibarys Atyrau in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, and was third in the league in assists. In 2019-20 he played for Yertis Pavlodar, and was second in the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship in points.

Sherbatov has played for the Israel men's national ice hockey team, drawing international attention when he first played in the 2005 IIHF World U18 championship Division III at the age of 13, becoming the youngest player to step on the ice in an under-18 world championship. At the 2011 IIHF World Championship Division III, when he was 19 years old, he led the tournament in points, goals, assists, and +/-, and was named the best forward of the tournament. Since 2019 he has been captain of the national team. In 2019, he starred for the team as it won the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF World Championship Division II Group IIB tournament, and was named Best Forward, as he had the best +/- rating, was the top goal scorer, and was the top scorer.

Early life Sherbatov was born in Rehovot, Israel, to parents Anna and Alexei in a Russian Jewish family. His mother had been a Russian figure skating champion as a teen and is a power-skating coach in Quebec. His father (originally from Dagestan) had been an engineer and a wrestler, and his parents immigrated to Israel from Moscow.

Just after his first birthday, he moved with his family from Israel to LaSalle, in Quebec, Canada.

Undrafted by the NHL as a teen, Sherbatov persevered in Europe and dreamed of reaching the Kontinental Hockey League. In 2017, he became the first Israeli to play in the KHL. He is the youngest player to ever participate in this tournament.

At 14 years of age he had a rollerblading accident, seriously injured his left leg and knee, bones and nerves, developed drop foot, and had three surgeries.

Sherbatov began playing major junior hockey in Canada during the 2009–10 season with the Montreal Junior Hockey Club, playing in 62 games and recording 30 points (12 goals + 18 assists). He played 37 games with Montreal again in 2010–11, before being traded to the Baie-Comeau Drakkar in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for 21 games, finishing with 15 points combined (6 goals + 9 assists) for the season.

Professional

France Sherbatov spent the 2011-12 season, when he was 19 years old, with the Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne team, playing in the Magnus League. He finished 6th in league scoring with 51 points, and 3rd in assists with 31.

After a dip in production in his first season with Beibarys Atyrau in 2014-15, he bounced back in 2015-16 with the best totals in his years in Kazakhstan, leading the team in points with 45 (in 53 games), and finishing third in the entire league in assists with 33 during the regular season, which saw Beibarys finish second. During the 15-game playoffs, Sherbatov played a vital role in their championship win, leading the team in goals (6), points (10), and plus-minus (+8)

Sherbatov led Beibarys in scoring for a second consecutive regular season in 2016-17, finishing seventh in the league with 43 points (15 goals + 28 assists),

Slovakia

Sherbatov first played in Slovakia in the 2017-18 season. He signed with HC Slovan Bratislava, becoming the first Israeli to play in the KHL, scoring a goal and 3 assists in 35 games. and the aforementioned no-games stint with Arlan, Sherbatov moved to HC Košice, making his team debut in a 3–2 win over HC Nové Zámky, and scoring his first goal in a 5–1 loss against HC '05 Banská Bystrica. In 8 games for the team, he scored 4 points. The team plays just a short walk from the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp, where one million Jews were killed by the Nazis during the Holocaust. He said, "I have a great deal of motivation because it is Auschwitz. I want to win the championship, the Polish Cup and the continental title, and then everyone will know the one who did this is a Jewish-Israeli."

Canada On August 8, 2022, the Jonquière Marquis of the Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey, a professional league in Quebec, announced that Sherbatov would line up with the team for the 2022-23 season. Sherbatov played his first regular season game on October 7. In his second game, the home opener for the Marquis on October 8 against Rivière-du-Loup, he scored 3 goals and earned an assist. He was awarded the first star of Week 1 in the LNAH, with a total of 3 goals and 2 assists in 2 games.

International play; Team Israel 2005-09 Sherbatov has played extensively for the Israel men's national ice hockey team, drawing international attention when he first played in the 2005 IIHF World U18 championship Division III, in Bulgaria, at the age of 13, becoming the youngest player to step on the ice in an under-18 world championship. On a breakaway, he pulled the puck back between his skates, and then flipped the puck forward into the air, and batted it back-handed into the net, top shelf, over a lunging Greek goaltender. He was named the best forward of the tournament.

Sherbatov has said that he would like to finish his career in Israel.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2004–05 HC Metulla Israel — — — — — — — — — — 2005–06 HC Metulla Israel — — — — — — — — — — 2006–07 HC Metulla Israel — — — — — — — — — — 2007–08 HC Metulla Israel — — — — — — — — — —2008–09 Laval-Bourassa RousseauQMAAA4529326130181531814 2009–10 Montreal Junior HC QMJHL621218301271342 2010–11 Montreal Junior HC QMJHL3736917 — — — — — 2010–11 Baie-Comeau Drakkar QMJHL213360 — — — — — 2011–12 Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne FRA20571212 4 1 1 2 0 2012–13 Bisons de Neuilly-sur-Marne FRA.12520315112201122013–14 HC Astana KHC5116244016 4 0 1 1 12 2014–15 Beibarys Atyrau KHC515121744154156 2015–16 Beibarys Atyrau KHC53123345241564104 2016–17Beibarys AtyrauKHC461528432220110 2017–18 HC Slovan Bratislava KHL 35 1 3 4 33 — — — — — KHL totals 35 1 3 4 33 — — — — —

International Year National Team Tournament PlaceGPG.ATPPIM +/− 2005 Israel (U18) IIHF World U18 Championship Div.III3 5 4 5 9 4 1 2006 Israel (U18) IIHF World U18 Championship Div.III2↑ 5 6 8 14 8 5 2008 Israel (U18) IIHF World U18 Championship Div.II6↓ 5 2 2 4 8 -24 2010 Israel IIHF World Championship Div.II6↓ 5 3 3 6 12 -11 2011 Israel IIHF World Championship Div.III1↑ 4 14 12 26 0 22 2012 Israel IIHF World Championship Div.II5 5 9 5 14 0 6 2014 Israel IIHF World Championship Div.II6↓ 5 3 6 9 2 -8 Total (Junior) 15 12 15 27 20 -18 Total (Men) 19 29 25 53 10 9