Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov turned himself in to Denver police Wednesday night and is currently in the Denver County Jail on domestic violence-related charges.
According to NHL.com, police said that Varlamov was arrested on second-degree kidnapping and third-degree assault charges that involved someone the 25-year-old Russian goalie is personally intimate with. While the assault charge is just a misdemeanor, NHL.com reports that the kidnapping charge is a Class 4 felony under state statutes that is punishable by up to two to six years behind bars.
"The league is aware of the situation involving Semyon Varlamov," said an NHL spokesman, according to NHL.com. "We will not comment unless or until we have a fuller understanding of all of the facts and circumstances related to the legal charges that have been filed."
According to The Denver Post, Varlamov was held in jail overnight Wednesday because he can't post bail on the assault charge and he was set to appear before a judge Thursday morning. NHL.com reports that the goaltender was placed in a jail cell alone due to his status as an athlete, but he declined to talk via his cell phone in the cell when he was contacted by the paper.
The Avalanche released a team statement following the news.
"[We are] aware of the allegations concerning Semyon Varlamov. At this time, and until the conclusion of this investigation, the Avalanche organization will have no further comment on this situation," the team's statement read per NHL.com.
Varlamov's agent Paul Theofaneous also issued a statement on behalf of his client.
"My client Semyon Varlamov is completely innocent of all of these charges," he said via NHL.com.
First-year coach Patrick Roy had just praised the goalie for his turnaround to start the season.
"I think Varly, today, when I said how proud I was the way he's bounced back, he had a big smile," Roy told ESPN after practice Wednesday and before news of the arrest. "He was happy. I think as a player that's what you want to hear from your coach."
NHL.com reports that Roy declined to comment after the arrest.
Varlamov is an impressive 7-1-0 this season with a stingy 1.74 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.
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