Most hockey players, leaving the team of elite divisions, are thinking about completing a sports career. Some go into business, some start coaching, but there are those who cannot live without hockey and go to the league a level lower. Among them is Dmitry Utkin - the last time he played as part of the Soligorsk Shakhtar in Belarus.
Becoming a Pro
Utkin Dmitry Sergeevich was born on July 10, 1984 in Yaroslavl. At age 5, his father brought him to a hockey school, where he helped his son constantly develop in a professional direction. As a result, speaking for a long time in favor of the youth team of his native Lokomotiv, in 2002 Dmitry made his debut on the ice of the Super League, having played 4 meetings as a basis, in which he scored one point.
Three seasons of the Super League
Utkin failed to gain a foothold in the Yaroslavl club, and he went to gain experience in other teams. After a successful season in the youth team of the capital “Spartak”, Dmitry spent the season in Belarus, after which he was able to return to the Moscow team, but already at the base.
In 2006, despite the low performance of the young hockey player, the Russian noticed the Chelyabinsk “Tractor”, where the athlete spent the next one and a half seasons. The final part of the championship of 2008 Dmitry Utkin was forced to finish the game in Yekaterinburg. Due to poor personal performance, the coaching staff of “Tractor” has ceased to include the player in the base. As it turned out, those matches were the last in the Super League for the hockey player.
Help in the VHL
Despite the failure to fight for a place in the Russian elite, Dmitry Utkin was distinguished by his desire to play, for which he was appreciated by the teams of the Second Division, which later became known as the VHL. Over the next 7 years, the hockey player has traveled across Russia, playing for 7 different clubs. Starting from the Khanty-Mansiysk Ugra, in transit through the Neftekamsk Toros, Dmitry ended up at Sputnik. The team from Nizhny Tagil turned out to be the best stage in the hockey player’s career - in two seasons, he scored a mark of 61 scoring points.
In 2012, Utkin moved to Chelmet, where he did not lower the bar, gaining 32 points. Following were the Tver club of the THC, the Kurgan “Zauralie”, the Orsk “Southern Urals” and the Izhevsk “Izhastal”. None of the teams Dmitry did not stay longer than a season. As a result, in 2016, the Russian accepted the invitation from Belarus, moving to the Soligorsk Shakhtar. But the hockey player did not stay there for long - already in November Utkin left the club and had not yet found a new job for himself.
Personal life
Dmitry Utkin is married to Russian athlete, master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics Alla. Friends brought the future wife of the hockey player, and a few years after meeting, a happy couple played a wedding. One of Dmitry’s hobbies is cooking - he loves to improvise in the kitchen, as well as delight his wife with pleasant and tasty mini-masterpieces.