By: Benjamin He

Recently, Ivan Fedotov, a Russian hockey player who signed with the Philadelphia Flyers, was detained. According to reports from Russian news outlets, he was charged with planning to evade military service.

On May 7, Fedotov, a 6-foot-7 goalie, signed with the Flyers and was expected to compete for a spot on the team’s roster in training camp. In the Winter Games, he played for the Russian Olympic Committee, in which he assisted the team in earning a silver medal.

A spokesman for the NHL said the league knew what was happening but refused to comment further.

Fedotov was supposedly detained the same day the American basketball star Brittney Griner’s trial began in Russia.

Griner has been in Russia since February, and she was detained at a Moscow airport where Russian officials claimed that she was carrying vape cartridges containing traces of hash oil in her luggage. Griner’s supporters think that Russia is using her as a bargaining chip for the United States, which has been a Ukrainian ally ever since Russia attacked Ukraine.

25-year-old Ivan Fedotov grew up in Russia but was born in Finland. Last year, he was with the CSKA Moscow team, a team known for its history of ties with the Russian army. It’s also one of the top club teams in the KHL. The KHL is the top hockey league in Russia.

According to reports from Russian news outlets, Fedotov was arrested at a St. Petersburg hockey rink and then brought to an army enlistment office. By law, young Russian men are required to complete one year of military service.

Russian hockey goalies are currently known as the elite netminders in the N.H.L., led by stars like Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Igor Shesterkin of the Rangers, and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers.

Fedotov helped the CSKA Moscow get to the Gagarin Cup, the KHL’s championship. He was also recognized as the best goalie in the league with a 2.00 goals-against average.