 As a youth, he played in the 1994 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Kharkiv.After playing two seasons with the Russian Superleague's Torpedo Yaroslavl, Shvidki made his North American debut with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League in the 1998–99 season.After two seasons with the Colts, he joined the Panthers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Louisville Panthers, in the 2000–01 season.