After formally being charged with one count of third-degree assault last week by the Denver District Attorney, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov next faces a Dec. 2 court date.

Depending on how the case is resolved will affect Varlamov's status with the Russian Olympic team, which has already seen a politician claim an American conspiracy with all this.

Now comes Russian Olympic general manager Alexei Kasatonov chiming in believing that the netminder's play since the arrest shows that he's innocent.

From R Sport:

“Semyon’s in good form now, continuing to show that he’s one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and showing with his game that the truth is on his side,” Russian national team general manager Alexei Kasatonov said on the website of the SKA St. Petersburg KHL team. In another apparent reference to the domestic abuse charge, Kasatonov said that Varlamov “is not that kind of guy and would not be capable of such a dirty deed.”

In his nine appearances since being arrested, Varlamov has posted a 2.39 goals against average and a .922 save-percentage, which is somehow a reflection that he'll soon be in the clear, in Kasatonov's mind.

Back to reality, according to the Denver Post's Ryan Parker, if convicted, Varlamov could face up to two years in jail. He'll be told of the charges during the Dec. 2 court date and will soon thereafter be arraigned and have to enter a plea.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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