Internationally, Kabanov played with the Russian junior team at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships. He finished eighth in tournament scoring with eleven points, and helped the Russians win a silver medal. He was unable to participate in the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships due to a wrist injury. The injury required surgery, leaving Kabanov out of the Moncton lineup until February 2010. Late in the season, Kabanov would become a regular healthy scratch and fall out of favor with the Wildcats. Being a scratch for the entire first round of the playoffs, Moncton released Kabanov of his obligations, allowing him to play in the 2010 U18 tournament. There, he would become the center of controversy after being rejected by the Russian squad for disciplinary reasons. "I removed him from the team because [although] we thought [he] would help us, but he brought only confusion to the team," Vasiliev told Sovietsky Sport. "Kabanov came and thought 'Here I am, a star from Canada, who will save all.' But it's the team that wins rather than an individual player."