Muissu adjusts to life in Canada

When Russian forward Kris Muissu joined the Brandon Wheat Kings just over a month ago, it turned out he was fulfilling one of his hockey fantasies.

The six-foot-three, 215-pound Muissu was still 19 when he arrived in Canada in August. With just a basic grasp of English, making the jump into the unknown for a chance to test himself in North America was an act of courage but he said it’s worth it.

“It’s really hard but it’s my dream,” Muissu said. “I wanted to learn full English and come in play in Canada.”

The St. Petersburg product and the Wheat Kings kicked off their West Coast swing last night against the host Prince George Cougars in a game that ended well after deadline.

Muissu’s father moved from Congo to Russia when he was 20, and trained to be a surgeon who specialized in kidneys, while his mother was a nurse.

“He learned English and Russian and stayed in Russia,” Muissu said of his father, who died when he was five from diabetes.

His mom was a swimmer and his father was a soccer player so they actually had different plans for him, and his older sister did end up playing water polo.

But when his father made a wrong turn taking him to a soccer facility and ended up at an arena instead, fate led him to the ice.

“I didn’t want to play hockey, my mom wanted me to swim and then football, soccer,” Muissu said. “We went to the rink to go footballing but it was a different rink, hockey.”

That little mixup led to him trying the sport, and it proved to be a good fit. He started to pull away from his peers around age 12 or 13.

He spent last season with Reaktor Nizhnekamsk in the Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (MHL), a high-end junior league where he had 34 goals and 35 assists in 57 games and finished in the top five in scoring.

“That’s my work,” Muissu said. “I need to score lots of goals because I can do this. It was a good season but I wanted a better one.”

The 20-year-old winger has also skated in 18 KHL games with Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons. Despite his great season last winter, the KHL club called him up for just one game.

“KHL is a power league,” Muissu said. “It’s big guys. I think here hockey is faster and stronger. In Russia, it’s simple and calm.”

The big forward, whose Brandon teammates call him Moose, first heard from Brandon in the spring and was taken with the 45th pick in the first round of the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft on June 30. By then, he was already considering the move.

“My contract ended and I talked to my agent about the next thing,” Muissu said. “He told me about my options in Russia and I picked Canada.”

In total, 114 players were selected from 13 countries, with 32 Russians taken to lead the way.

Brandon head coach and general manager Marty Murray said the difference in styles will be the biggest adjustment for the Russian forward. In Europe, on the wider ice, teams attack and if nothing opens up, they’ll start over instead of firing a low percentage shot.

On the smaller ice in North America, the puck is always moving towards the net and players are more likely to shoot from anywhere.

“I think he has the ability to be a top-end tier player in the league,” Murray said. “He’s still adjusting to the game: Him coming from a bigger ice surface, there is a willingness to probably want to slow the game down and try to regroup and have patience with the puck, which you need obviously.

“It’s different, their game is all about pace and here you have to be skating. He’s a guy who can really fly when he gets going. He’s so powerful and big.

“The message to him is to try to have that big, no pun intended, moose mentality where he’s hard to handle because he’s so big and so strong and he’s quick and he has a rocket of a shot. Him finding consistency in his game is going to be important and just understanding that he can have a lot of success if he uses his size and strength.”

Muissu admitted his transition to North American hockey is a work in progress.

“I feel a little bit different here,” Muissu said. “Here it’s faster and I have to get used to this hockey. I have good coaches who help with everything.”

Muissu didn’t take long to show a level of dominance in the Western Hockey League. He scored four goals against the Regina Pats in a 6-4 loss in his second exhibition game, and his six markers tied him for the pre-season goal lead with Saskatoon Blades forward Kazden Mathies.

In three regular season games, Muissu has a goal and an assist.

The quick start may be in part because he quickly became comfortable in his new surroundings. Muissu said that started when he arrived.

“My first day in Brandon, I met Nigel (Boehm) and Cam (Allard),” Muissu said. “I didn’t know English, maybe a couple of words, but my teammates were really good for me and helped me. Every day we joke. It’s perfect.”

Even before he could communicate well, it was clear there was a big personality just waiting to spill out. At practice and when he’s off the ice, he gravitates to the people around him, and they’ve clearly found a lot to like in him.

Murray said it didn’t take long to notice.

“He’s a real colourful character,” Murray said. “He brings a lot of energy to the locker room. I think he’s one of those guys, even though there is a big language barrier, that guys are drawn to. They get a kick out of him. He’s a personality for sure and it’s fun to see him evolve even in the first couple of weeks.

“His English is limited: He’s probably one of the kids since I’ve been here where the English language is a challenge, but credit to him, he’s learning fast, and credit to our guys too for helping him out and taking him under their wing.”

(In this interview, questions were filtered through Google Translate so Muissu understood them correctly, and then he answered in English.)

Muissu waited for the app to clarify a question about that big personality, and quickly agreed that’s who he is.

“I’m very social,” Muissu said. “I need this. It’s helped me learn English quickly.”

He’s not exaggerating. It’s hard to overstate how rapidly Muissu’s English has developed since he arrived. “I’m trying with my teammates and my billets, and they help me,” Muissu said. “It’s very good. I myself want to learn English faster. I’m a quick learner.”

He talks a lot to the people back in Russia, including his sister, mother and grandparents, but his life has taken him on a new adventure. He’s confident the Wheat Kings will have a strong season and playoff run.

When asked what he wants Wheat Kings fans to know about him, Muissu talks about the team, himself and his English skills, neatly combining all the elements of his new life.

“I’m just a simple guy and social,” Muissu said. “Social is a new word for me. I like hockey. In Brandon, we want to win the cup this season. It’s the main thing.”

ICINGS: The Wheat Kings trip continues on Sunday when they visit the Victoria Royals … New Brandon defenceman Cole Slobodian made his debut with Brandon on Friday. He was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks for two draft picks in a deal announced Thursday.

» pbergson@brandonsun.com