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Ilya Samsonov

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Alexeyevich and the family name is Samsonov.

Ilya Alexeyevich Samsonov (/sæmˈsoʊ.nɔːv/, Russian: Илья Алексеевич Самсонов; born 22 February 1997) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Ilya Samsonov
Ilya Samsonov, 2020.jpg
Samsonov with the Washington Capitals in 2020
Born (1997-02-22) 22 February 1997 (age 27)
Magnitogorsk, Russia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Vegas Golden Knights
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Washington Capitals
Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL draft 22nd overall, 2015
Washington Capitals
Playing career 2014–present

Growing up in Magnitogorsk, Russia, Samsonov made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut playing in relief with Metallurg Magnitogorsk during the 2014–15 KHL season. After a successful junior season with Metallurg's Junior club, Stalnye Lisy, Samsonov was ranked as the top European Goalie in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He was eventually drafted 22nd overall by the Washington Capitals despite missing the scouting combine in Buffalo and conducting no interviews with the team. Following the 2015 Draft, Samsonov returned to the KHL where he posted a 6–4–3 record with a 2.04 goals against average and .925 save percentage through 19 games.

Following the 2017–18 KHL season, Samsonov embarked on his NHL career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals. Samsonov participated in the Capitals training camp but was re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears, prior to the start of the 2018–19 season. He eventually made his NHL debut the following season while playing in a primary backup role to starter Braden Holtby. Following his debut win, Samsonov subsequently won 10 more to become only the third NHL rookie goalie to win his first eleven contests and the first since 1973–74.

Early life

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Samsonov was born on 22 February 1997, in Magnitogorsk, Russia to mother Natalya.[1][2] Samsonov became a fan of ice hockey due to the influence of his grandfather, and chose the position of goaltender because he liked the look of the equipment.[3]

Playing career

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Metallurg Magnitogorsk

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Growing up in Russia, Samsonov began playing junior hockey with the Stalnye Lisy for the 2014–15 season.[2] While playing with the Lisy, Samsonov posted an 11–4–1 record, 2.66 goals against average, and a .918 save percentage.[4] As a result of his junior play, Samsonov made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut playing in relief with Metallurg Magnitogorsk on 11 December 2014, against HC Sibir Novosibirsk.[5] Samsonov was ranked as the top European Goalie eligible for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and drew comparisons to Andrei Vasilevskiy.[4] He subsequently became the first goaltender drafted in the first round since 2012 and only the third in franchise history when he was drafted 22nd overall. Samsonov was chosen in the first round despite missing the scouting combine in Buffalo and conducting no interviews with the Capitals.[6]

Following the draft, Samsonov returned to the Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the 2015–16 season where he posted a 6–4–3 record with a 2.04 goals against average and .925 save percentage through 19 games.[7] He played a backup role during the 2016 Gagarin Cup playoffs but made six appearances and posted a 2–2–0 record with a 2.29 GAA and a .916 save percentage. Samsonov subsequently helped the Magnitogorsk win the 2016 Gagarin Cup.[8] Once the season concluded, Samsonov attended the Capitals 2016 Development Camp and adjusted to North American ice. Due to the language barrier, Capitals senior director of communications Sergey Kocharov was on the ice when Samsonov was conducting drills during their Development Camp.[7]

After spending time with the Capitals, Samsonov returned to Magnitogorsk for the 2016–17 KHL season. He began the season strong by posting a 6–0–0 record and earned a .919 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average through 10 games played.[9] Samsonov concluded the season posting a 15–3–5 record, a save percentage of .936, and a goals against average of 2.13 through 27 games.[1] In his final KHL season, Samsonov began by posting a 6–5–1 record with a 2.77 goals against average and a .912 save percentage by November 2017. However, he then suffered a concussion during a 3–1 loss to the HC Lada Togliatti after he entered the game in relief of starter Vasily Koshechkin.[10] Samsonov finished the 2017–18 KHL season with a 12–9–1 record, a save percentage of .926, and a goals against average of 2.31 through 26 games.[1] He was the chosen starter for Game 1 of the 2017 Gagarin Cup playoffs and he saved 26 of the 28 shots to lead the team to a win.[11]

Washington Capitals

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Following the 2017–18 season, Samsonov embarked on his NHL career by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on 4 May 2018.[12] After the signing, the Capitals traded Philipp Grubauer to the Colorado Avalanche leaving a backup goaltending spot available which Samsonov was expected to eventually fill. Off the ice, he hired an English tutor to assist with the language barrier and worked on adjusting to North American rink sizes.[13] In September, Samsonov participated in the Capitals training camp but was re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hershey Bears, prior to the start of the 2018–19 season.[14]

Upon joining the Bears, Samsonov and the team struggled in their first five games. They recorded no points through five games and Samsonov suffered a lower-body injury that took him nearly a week to recover. He eventually earned his first AHL win on 1 November in a shootout over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by stopping 19 of 22 shots.[15] He posted a 3–5–0 record with a 3.73 goals against average before being called up to serve as backup for Pheonix Copley.[16][17] He did not make his NHL debut during the call up and was re-assigned to the AHL on 19 November.[18]

Once Samsonov was returned to the Bears, he continued to struggle and was replaced by Vítek Vaněček who tallied a 17–10–5 record through 32 games. However, Samsonov began to improve during the second half of the season and recorded two shutouts.[19] One of the items he worked on was changing his form from playing on his knees to standing taller in net, the Capitals’ preferred positioning.[3] Between 12 January and 27 February, Samsonov recorded three shutouts and posted a 10–0–1 record. By April, Samsonov posted a record of 19–14–5 with a 2.74 goals against average and a .896 save percentage in 36 games.[20]

Samsonov made the opening night roster for the 2019–20 season as Holtby's new backup and he made his NHL debut in a start against the New York Islanders on 4 October 2019. Samsonov made 25 saves in the 2–1 Capitals win, including 17 over the final two periods.[21] Following his debut win, Samsonov subsequently won 10 more to become only the third NHL rookie goalie to win his first eleven contests and the first since 1973–74. Following his win over the Ottawa Senators on 31 January 2020, Samsonov yielded a 16–2–1 record, 2.11 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage.[22] As a result of his play over this time period, Samsonov led all rookie goaltenders with 15 wins and was projected to replace Holtby who could become an unrestricted free agent.[23] However, following this achievement, Samsonov's playing time decreased once he went 0–4–1 in his last six games before the NHL was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of the pause, Samsonov ranked second among rookie goaltenders in wins behind Mackenzie Blackwood and ranked 15th overall in even-strength save percentage (.923) among the goaltenders who have played at least 25 games.[24] After a four month pause, The Capitals returned to the ice to prepare for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.[25] However, Samsonov was unable to play for the Capitals during their playoff berth as a result of an injury he suffered during the pause in play.[26]

 
Samsonov during a game against the Calgary Flames in 2021.

After Holtby was not retained, Samsonov became Washington's starter with Henrik Lundqvist serving as a veteran backup for the 2020–21 season.[27] Lundqvist was originally expected to share the net with Samsonov but a heart condition caused him to step away from hockey.[28] Once Lundqvist decided not to return to the Capitals, Samsonov became the Capitals full starter from the beginning of the season.[29] In his first game as Washington's starting netminder, Samsonov stopped 22 of 26 shots to beat the Buffalo Sabres 6–4.[30] However, his success was shortlived as he was placed in quarantine on 21 January and the team was fined $100,000 for player violations of League COVID-19 protocols.[31] Samsonov was removed from COVID protocol on 8 February but spent time with the Hershey Bears on a conditioning stint for an extra 20 days.[32] By May, Samsonov had accumulated a 13–4–1 record with a 2.69 GAA through 19 games before he was scratched for disciplinary reasons on 3 May.[33] Following the healthy scratch, Samsonov was placed in NHL COVID-19 protocols a second time.[34]

 
Samsonov before a game against the Ottawa Senators in 2022.

Between injuries and being in and out of coronavirus protocol, Samsonov missed some time, including the first two games of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins. Samsonov returned for Game 3 but misplayed the puck during double overtime and turned it over to Craig Smith, who took advantage and scored the game-winning goal, giving the Bruins a 2–1 series lead.[35] The following game, he made 22 saves in the first two periods before Boston scored four goals to win 4–1. The Capitals never recovered and were ultimately eliminated by the Bruins in five games.[36]

Prior to the 2021–22 season, the Washington Capital re-signed Samsonov to a one-year $2 million contract.[37] He began the season strong by recording a 9–1–1 record with a 2.52 goals against average and three shutouts by mid-November. He also did not record a loss in regulation until 30 November in a 5–4 loss to the Florida Panthers.[38] On 6 April 2022, Samsonov made his fourth start in 15 games and stopped 25 of 28 shots by the Tampa Bay Lightning to mark his first 20-win season in the NHL.[39]

Toronto Maple Leafs

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As a free agent from the Capitals, Samsonov opted to sign a one-year, $1.8 million contract for the 2022–23 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs on 13 July 2022.[40] Samsonov was hired in anticipation that he would be the secondary part of a tandem with Matt Murray, but after Murray was injured two games into the 2022–23 season, Samsonov was elevated to the team's starting goaltender for at least the next four weeks.[41] On 5 November, Samsonov was injured on a Penalty Shot and would have to miss one month of play. Samsonov would finish the season with 27 wins in 42 games played for the Leafs, and would backstop the team to their first playoff series win since 2004.[42]

As a restricted free agent after his first season in Toronto, Samsonov was at an impasse with the Maple Leafs on a new contract. Electing for salary arbitration, Samsonov was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million contract extension on 23 July 2023.[43] On December 31 he was placed on waivers after he surrendered 22 goals in his last 4 games.[44][45]

Vegas Golden Knights

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Samsonov with the Golden Knights in 2024.

As a free agent following the 2023–24 season, Samsonov signed a one-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1, 2024.[46]

International play

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Samsonov has represented Russia on the junior level at numerous international tournaments. He made his international debut during the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he helped the Russia men's national under-18 ice hockey team win a bronze medal. The following year, Samsonov represented Russia at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships where they placed 5th overall and failed to medal.[1] Despite this, he was recognized as the tournaments top goaltender.[47]

Samsonov later earned his first World Junior silver medal during the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[48]

In his final year of junior eligibility, Samsonov represented Russia at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. After Russia fell to Team USA following a Troy Terry hat trick,[49] the junior team won a bronze medal with a win over Sweden.[50]

Personal life

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Samsonov married in 2019,[51] and has one son.[citation needed]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2014–15 Stalnye Lisy MHL 18 11 4 1 1,039 46 2 2.66 .908 2 1 1 127 6 0 2.83 .937
2014–15 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 1 0 0 0 21 2 0 5.50 .500 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Stalnye Lisy MHL 5 5 0 0 300 9 1 1.80 .935 1 0 1 63 3 0 2.82 .875
2015–16 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 19 6 4 3 853 29 2 2.04 .925 6 2 2 263 10 0 2.28 .916
2016–17 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 27 15 3 5 1,127 40 2 2.13 .936 3 1 0 93 2 0 1.28 .949
2017–18 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 26 12 9 1 1,325 51 3 2.31 .926 5 1 2 234 9 0 2.30 .913
2018–19 Hershey Bears AHL 37 20 14 2 2,202 99 3 2.70 .898 5 2 3 342 17 0 2.99 .897
2019–20 Washington Capitals NHL 26 16 6 2 1,412 60 1 2.55 .913 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 19 13 4 1 1,093 49 2 2.69 .902 3 0 3 201 10 0 2.99 .899
2020–21 Hershey Bears AHL 4 2 1 1 240 13 0 3.25 .869 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 44 23 12 5 2,361 119 3 3.02 .896 5 1 3 263 13 0 2.97 .912
2022–23 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 42 27 10 5 2,476 96 4 2.33 .919 9 4 4 499 26 0 3.13 .898
2023–24 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 40 23 7 8 2,301 120 3 3.13 .890 5 1 4 279 14 0 3.01 .896
KHL totals 73 33 16 9 3,327 122 7 2.20 .929 14 4 4 590 21 0 2.13 .920
NHL totals 171 102 39 21 9,642 444 13 2.76 .904 22 6 14 1,241 63 0 3.05 .901

International

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Medal record
Representing   Russia
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place  2016 Finland
Bronze medal – third place  2017 Canada
Year Team Event Result GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2014 Russia U17 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  3 1 2 0 179 17 0 5.71 .887
2015 Russia U18 5th 3 2 1 0 180 8 0 2.67 .934
2016 Russia WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s)  2 2 0 0 120 2 0 1.00 .956
2017 Russia WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  6 3 3 0 370 13 2 2.11 .930
Junior totals 14 8 6 0 849 40 2 2.87 .927

Awards and honors

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Award Year Ref
KHL
Gagarin Cup champion 2016
International
WJC18 Best Goaltender 2015 [52]
WJC All-Star Team 2016 [53]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Ilya Samsonov". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b Doyle, Diane (4 October 2019). "Ilya Samsonov: A Look at Braden Holtby's New Understudy and Potential Heir Apparent". Nova Caps. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b Pell, Samantha (14 January 2021). "Ilya Samsonov, the Caps' present and future in goal, is ready for the spotlight". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b Lewis, Scott (22 June 2015). "Prospect of Interest: The 411 on Ilya Samsonov". Sportsnet. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  5. ^ "NHL PLAYER, Ilya Samsonov". The Hockey Agency. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  6. ^ Prewitt, Alex (26 June 2015). "NHL draft: Capitals take goalie Ilya Samsonov in first round". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b Gulitti, Tom (28 June 2016). "'Culture shock' for Capitals goalie prospect Samsonov". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  8. ^ Cerullo, Chris (19 April 2016). "Alex Semin and Ilya Samsonov Win Gagarin Cup with Metallurg Magnitogorsk". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  9. ^ Fleetwood, Michael (26 October 2016). "Capitals Goaltending Prospect Ilya Samsonov Shining in the KHL". Nova Caps. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  10. ^ Alfieri, Joey (3 November 2017). "Capitals top prospect Ilya Samsonov suffers concussion during KHL game". NBC Sports. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  11. ^ Sorensen, Jon (23 February 2017). "Samsonov Wins Game 1 of First Round". Nova Caps. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Capitals Sign Ilya Samsonov". National Hockey League. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  13. ^ Gulitti, Tom (16 July 2018). "Samsonov ready to take next step with Capitals". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  14. ^ "Shumakov, Samsonov headline the latest round of Capitals cuts". NBC Sports. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Capitals prospect report: Ilya Samsonov earns first AHL win". NBC Sports. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  16. ^ "Capitals Recall Samsonov, Re-Assign Siegenthaler". Hershey Bears. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Capitals' Ilya Samsonov: Recalled from minors". CBS Sports. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  18. ^ Farrell, Sean (19 November 2018). "Capitals at Canadiens preview". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  19. ^ Williams, Patrick (27 March 2018). "AHL Report: Capitals prospects find stride, propel Hershey up standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Capitals Recall Samsonov from Hershey". National Hockey League. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  21. ^ Compton, Brian (4 October 2019). "Samsonov wins NHL debut, Capitals spoil Islanders opener". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  22. ^ "Facts and Figures: Samsonov joins exclusive club in Capitals win". National Hockey League. 1 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  23. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (27 January 2020). "Rookie watch: Samsonov earns top honor among first-year goalies". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  24. ^ Jensen, Pete (27 March 2020). "Washington Capitals season snapshot fantasy honors". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  25. ^ Vogel, Mike (13 July 2020). "Caps Reconvene After Four Months Apart". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  26. ^ Gulitti, Tom (25 July 2020). "Samsonov unable to play for Capitals in postseason". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  27. ^ Gulitti, Tom (9 October 2020). "Lundqvist signs one-year, $1.5 million contract with Capitals". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  28. ^ Vogel, Mike (17 December 2020). "Heart Condition Forces Lundqvist to Step Away". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  29. ^ Gulitti, Tom (23 December 2020). "Samsonov ready to handle No. 1 goalie job for Capitals, GM says". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  30. ^ Vogel, Mike (15 January 2021). "POSTGAME NOTEBOOK - Caps 6, Sabres 4". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  31. ^ Gulitti, Tom (21 January 2021). "Ovechkin, three other Capitals out four games due to COVID-19 protocol". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  32. ^ "Samsonov on his recovery from coronavirus: 'A really bad sick is COVID'". NBC Sports. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  33. ^ "Capitals bench Kuznetsov, Samsonov". The Sports Network. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  34. ^ "Capitals' Ilya Samsonov: In COVID-19 protocols". CBS Sports. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  35. ^ Pell, Samantha (20 May 2021). "Ilya Samsonov's short Caps career has seen highs and lows. His Game 3 packed in both". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  36. ^ Gulitti, Tom (24 May 2021). "Capitals fall short in first round of playoffs due to age, injuries". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  37. ^ "Capitals Re-sign Ilya Samsonov". National Hockey League. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  38. ^ Pell, Samantha (1 December 2021). "Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov is showing flashes of growth amid inconsistency". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  39. ^ Vogel, Mike (8 April 2022). "POSTGAME NOTEBOOK: Caps 4, Lightning 3". National Hockey League. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  40. ^ "Maple Leafs sign goaltender Ilya Samsonov". Toronto Maple Leafs. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  41. ^ Fox, Luke (16 October 2022). "Matt Murray injury affects Maple Leafs' salary cap and Ilya Samsonov's 'mission'". Sportsnet. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  42. ^ Long, Corey. "Maple Leafs defeat Lightning in OT in Game 6, win East 1st-Round series". nhl.com. NHL.
  43. ^ "Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov awarded one-year, $3.55 million contract in arbitration case". The Sports Network. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  44. ^ TSN ca Staff (31 December 2023). "Toronto Maple Leafs place goalie Ilya Samsonov on waivers". TSN. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  45. ^ McGran, Kevin (31 December 2023). "Why the Maple Leafs waived goalie Ilya Samsonov, and who might replace him". Toronto Star. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  46. ^ "Samsonov signs 1-year, $1.8 million contract with Golden Knights". NHL.com. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  47. ^ "IIHF Directorate Awards & Most Valuable Player". Hockey Canada. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  48. ^ "Russia are the WJC 2016 silver medalists". Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. 6 January 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  49. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (4 January 2017). "USA plays for gold after Troy Terry's shootout heroics vs. Russia (Video)". Yahoo!. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  50. ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (5 January 2017). "Bronze goes to Russia". IIHF. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  51. ^ Oland, Ian (13 July 2019). "Ilya Samsonov gets married to longtime girlfriend in hometown of Magnitogorsk". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  52. ^ "Awards - U18 WJC Best Goaltender". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  53. ^ "Awards - U20 WJC All-Star Team". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Washington Capitals first round draft pick
2015 		Succeeded by
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