New Jersey Devils and Metropolitan Riveters at the Olympics

Ludmila Belyakova

National Team: Olympic Athletes from Russia

Position: Forward

Years With Riveters: 2015-16

Current Team: HC Tornado, Russia Women’s Hockey League

Ludmila Belyakova (whose first name can and often is spelled in no less than three ways) was one of the first big international acquisitions for the then-new NWHL. A mainstay of the Russian international team, she signed with the New York Riveters after international camp.

She was given limited ice team, despite being an excellent possession player, and her misuse is cited by critics of coach Chad Wiseman’s systems to this day. There was also issues with the language barrier. She was not provided with a translator, which was a source of minor controversy at season’s end. Despite these obstacles, she scored 10 points in 15 games

She was not offered a new contract at years’ end, nor could she find any takers from the NWHL’s other three teams.

Belyakova is still beloved by current and former Rivs players, even getting a shoutout from Jenny Scrivens on Twitter the other day. She never became the star she was meant to be in America, but remains immensely popular in Russia.