From The Leader Telegram
By Allan Brown
For many college students adjusting to living away from home takes some getting used to. Imagine, though, being Adis Ultanbekov.
The UWEC junior is not only attending college out of state, he’s also almost 6,000 miles away from his native Kazakhstan. Big adjustment for Ultanbekov? Maybe, just a little, but it’s also not been a huge problem, either, save the understandable homesickness anyone would have in a situation like his.
That’s because Ultanbekov has a strong support system here in Eau Claire that has become like a second family to the Blugold club hockey squad’s star forward.
“It was definitely pretty hard in the beginning and I would feel homesick at times, but you just get used to it. I miss the people, my family, friends and the food back home,” he said.
While Ultanbekov has not returned to his native country in three years, he did note that “my sister was here two summers ago and it was a good time. The last two summers I spent here and I might stay here this summer, too.”
Arriving in the United States as an exchange student during his junior year of high school, he graduated from Bishop McCourt High School in Pennsylvania. It was in the Keystone State, where he was a standout hockey player in the sport that he has loved ever since he was six years old, that Ultanbekov’s focus changed ever so slightly from the hockey rink to the classroom. Yes, he still wanted to pursue his love of the game, but he also knew he needed to be focused on an eventual professional career, too.
“I was trying to make a hockey career and then I decided to pursue an educational path,” he said, explaining that he decided to major in accounting at UW-Eau Claire. “After high school, I was looking for a university here in the States that I could afford. When I got here as a freshman, I was looking for a place to play hockey and this was my only option.”
That option certainly reaped dividends for Ultanbekov both in the classroom, where he has been a dean’s list student, and to the Blugold men’s club hockey squad, where he has proven to be an invaluable asset during his three seasons with the team.
“I like the team, the festivals and the culture here,” Ultanbekov said, adding that “I like the team, they’re all really nice guys and you can always depend on them.”
The feeling is mutual.
“Adis is a great guy all around and brings a lot of energy and laughter to the team. He is a great role model for underclassmen, and knows when to run a tight ship, but also knows when to let loose and have a good laugh,” Gabe Bestul, a Blugold forward who also serves as one of the club’s two safety officers, told the Leader-Telegram. “He brings a lot of hockey knowledge to the table and is awesome to work with as a teammate because he is very creative on the ice.”
Blugold club president Cade Marschall concurs with his teammate’s assessment of Ultanbekov’s play on the ice and his persona off of it.
“Having Adis on the team since my sophomore year has been awesome. The kid brings so much energy and great vibes to the team. He’s one of our favorites on and off the ice,” Marschall told the Leader-Telegram.
Marschall, also a Blugold club forward, added that “he can score goals like crazy. I think he had 17 in 16 games this year, and to me, that’s just unreal. He’s got a knack for the net, being in the right spots. He’s got an excellent shot and he finally started shooting more this year, especially on the powerplay. I’m thankful to have played with a player from outside the U.S. He’s a great person and a great player and I’m proud to call him my friend.”
So, just how did Ultanbekov’s love for hockey come to pass? That’s a very simple answer actually. Like most children, it started at an early age and continued to grow for Ultanbekov as he progressed from being just a lover of the game to master of it.
“I was six years old and went to a KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) game in Russia with my father,” he said. “I got so interested in the game that I asked my parents to put me on a hockey team.”
As the internet progressed, Ultanbekov was able to see National Hockey League (NHL) games, too, and that only made his love for the sport grow even more, as did his appreciation for two of the League’s best and most recognizable faces, Pavel Datsyuk, a former star forward who played his entire NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, and current superstar Sidney Crosby, aka ‘Sid the Kid.’
Ultanbekov even attended the Russian-born Datsyuk’s summer camp twice where his appreciation for the NHL legend became even more solidified. “Sidney Crosby is my most recent icon,” he said, explaining that the accomplished Penguins’ captain and certain future hockey Hall of Famer is a “very well-rounded player.”
As for the differences in playing style between the KHL and NHL, Ultanbekov noted that “the NHL is more progressive, it’s the next level and their players are better. The NHL is number one in the world.”
Comparing his own game in Kazakhstan to how he’s developed as a player now that he’s been in the USA for half a decade, Ultanbekov noted that “I think I got smarter. I started to get more creative on the ice.”
Another thing that has developed over the several years he has spent in this country is his perfection of the English language, which was something he had to study and learn both prior to arriving in the USA and in the years he has lived here, too.
“I took some English classes and studied English, more as a hobby, so when I got here, my English wasn’t great. I’ve learned more through the years,” Ultanbekov, who also speaks Russian and has learned some Kazakh, too, said.
Mastering the English language will serve him well as he intends to continue his studies here and plans to graduate from UWEC in the spring of 2026.
As for an actual job in his major once he receives his degree, Ultanbekov admits that “I haven’t really thought about it that much. “Hopefully, though, I will get some experience” along the way.
With his bilingual background, academic success and athletic prowess, though, it’s a safe bet that Ultanbekov will triumph in his chosen field just as he has already accomplished so much in the sport he loves in his young life that is still a work in progress.
(Originally published at https://www.leadertelegram.com/sports/kazakhstan-native-masters-the-english-language-and-game-of-hockey/article_a02d1bf4-e63c-11ee-8199-2b70026df32e.html)
