BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Like millions before him, Alexander Mogilny said he came to America to make a better life for himself.

“I have to think about the future — about the time when I no longer will be playing hockey,” Mogilny, the first Soviet hockey star to defect, said Sunday at Ais first news conference since arriving in Buffalo. “So thinking about the future, I'm doing what I have to do now while I'm still young and strong.”

What he hopes to be doing in the fall is playing for the Buffalo Sabres, who Slicked the 20-year-old winger in the fifth round of last June's entry draft, the highest a Soviet player has ever been picked.

Buffalo general manager Gerry Meehan, who accompanied Mogilny from Stockholm, where he defected last week after the Soviet national team won its 21st world hockey championship, monitored the questions and refused to allow Mogilny to answer many questions about his saga.

But Mogilny said he felt that he — not officials in the Soviet Union — should be able to decide whether he can play in the NHL.

“Why should they (the Soviet Sports Federation) do my thinking for me?” he asked. “Why should they be the ones to decide?

Soviet hockey officials have Indicated they may allow several national team veterans to come to the NHL next season. But Mogilny, a rising star, undoubtedly would not have been allowed to play in North America for several years, at best.

“I've heard they write that I think only of myself,” he said. “But who is thinking about me when I finish playing hockey in the Soviet Union? They don't think about that.”

He said he has been considering leaving the Soviet Union for about a year, “but circumstances didn't make it possible. It's very hard to take a step like that. I fought It out with myself for some time “

Mogilny played down reports concerning his alleged romance with an American college student he met in Alaska at the world junior championship last winter.

“That has nothing to do with it,” he said “She's just a friend — an acquaintance.”

He said the anguish involved in making the decision is one reason for his poor performance in the world championships. Mogilny, nicknamed Magic for his offensive skills, had three assists in 10 games.

After the tournament, Mogilny, through an unidentified intermediary, allegedly called the Sabres and said he wanted to defect.

“You must understand,” he said. “The thought about coming here didn't give me any peace. I wasn't thinking about the game.”

Meehan refused to let Mogilny answer questions about his reported dissatisfaction with his status among Soviet hockey officials, but Mogilny acknowledged he was recently stripped of his Master of Sport order and docked a month's pay after receiving a 10-game suspension for fighting in a Soviet league game.

“I don't think they did the right thing,” he said. “I don't think they had the right to take that from me. They did not consider the incident surrounding the fight… it wasn't a fight. ‘

Mogilny said he was confident he would be able to play well in the NHL. Whether he'll get the chance is another matter.

The Sabres still have to clear up his status with U.S. immigration officials He Is in the U.S. on a seven-day “probationary” status, and the team will have to take some further action before Friday. Meehan said he was exploring all available options.

The NHL also must approve Mogilny's contractual agreement with the Sabres.

Meehan said he has talked with NHL president John Ziegler, who asked for a clarification of the events leading to Mogilny's defection.

“I agreed to present him with a written report by the end of tomorrow (Monday),” he said.

Several European players now with the Sabres said the biggest adjustment the five-foot-11. 185-pound forward faces will be adjusting to life in the U.S.

“He's going to go through a culture shock that's unbelievable,” said centre Christian Ruuttu, a native of Finland. “Even the Swedes and Finns that come through the league go through a culture shock because things are different from back home A