The competition on the ice: the Springfield Falcons. Off the ice, the 19-year-old Russian native has another kind of competition: working to overcome homesickness, language and cultural barriers, and to fit into life in the U.S.

"It takes time to adjust and get used to the life in Albany, because I miss Russia so much," says Khomutov in Russian, adding that he loves his job and is ready to make sacrifices for his career.

Khomutov's Russian friend, teammate, roommate, adviser and interpreter, Aleksander Suglobov, says his friend will learn to fit into life anywhere.

"Hockey takes much moral and physical effort," said the 22-year-old Suglobov. "What we need is a comfortable life environment in order to recover and be able to progress professionally. Here we have an opportunity and a means to create the environment we need."

Khomutov, a center, was the New Jersey Devils' third draft choice (93rd overall) in the 2003 entry draft and one of the organization's top prospects.

"He is a very teachable and promising player," says Robbie Ftorek, coach of the River Rats, the Devils' top farm team. "And he is a goal-scorer."

Khomutov has played 21 games but has scored only one goal. He has had five assists, however, and seems to be getting more comfortable on the ice.

A week after the NHL draft, the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights selected Khomutov and he spent last season playing junior hockey in Canada to grow and get more experience since he was barely 18. It was much harder for him to adjust to life in Canada than in America, he says.

Khomutov had trouble adjusting to both the new environment and to the new playing system. He was also stressed and frustrated by the previous up-and-down season while he was playing with the Russian Hockey Club CSKA (Central Sports Clubs of Army) junior farm team.

"It was a wrong step to transfer from Dynamo Moscow (the team he started his career with) to CSKA," says Ivan's mother, Irina Yurievna Khomutova the phone from Saratov, Russia. "If you could only imagine how much he has gone through, and it did not break him. He is a strong personality and I admire him."

Khomutov says Suglobov has helped him more than anyone else adjust to life in the U.S., treating him like a younger brother.

"He is only a child and doesn't know anything about life," says Suglobov, who is in his second season with the Rats. "And certainly he needs some help when in a new environment."

After two months in Albany, Khomutov thinks about Russia, his parents and friends every day.

"America is good, but home is better," he says, describing himself as a real Russian patriot who adores his native city of Saratov, its nature and its people. In Khomutov's mind, nothing can compare to the picturesque view of the Volga River that he sees from the windows of his family's house in the Saratov suburbs.

He looks forward to going there every summer to enjoy the beautiful weather and play soccer on the football field on his family's property.

Here in Albany, Ftorek stands in as a second father, and Khomutov says the coach supports him emotionally on and off the ice through constant advice and encouragement.

His English-speaking coach also tries to avoid misunderstandings by slowing down his speech, which is heavily influenced by a Boston accent.

Khomutov said his own English gets better every day through hanging out with teammates on their off-time and interacting with new people. The men often spend free time at restaurants, dance clubs or at the movies. The team is friendly and united, says Khomutov.

"There are no rookies and no veterans on our team," he says.

Khomutov's favorite leisure activity is shopping, especially for clothes. He recently spent a day in New York City searching for fashionable outfits and Russian books, but Ftorek and his teammates often razz the young player about his bad taste in clothing, especially his workout clothes.

"He looks like a clown in his red shoes and orange pants," Ftorek says.

Khomutov doesn't get upset by the jokes, but he does get frustrated when he misses a shot on goal or the team loses. He plays hard and is an aggressive defensive player at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. Ftorek said his defense still needs a lot of work.

"He keeps wandering in the defensive zone," Ftorek says. "His main strengths, though, are his shot and his size. And you can't teach size."

Ivan's main priority now is to succeed in the profession he chose as a child.

"At the age of 9, he declared that he would be playing in the NHL," Khomutov's mother says. "He started playing hockey at the age of 7."

A decade later, Khomutov says he is willing to work as hard as he needs to make the dream of every hockey player come true. He understands that life in the U.S. is not the last thing that he will have to adjust to during his career, and he is ready for it.

"Hockey is worth it," Khomutovays.