Russia hockey news

[icing101]

One of the best Russian young players signs with CSKA:

Alexander Frolov, one of the best young Russian players signed an agreement with CSKA of Moscow according to Sovetsky Sport. 22 year old Frolov, Moscow born left winger had 24 goals and 24 assists for Los-Angeles Kings in his second season in NHL.

Frolov was rookie of the year in Russia two seasons ago and won gold medal with team Russia in 2002 World Championship for players under 20.

Sovetsky Sport does not give any information if his agreement will have a clause to leave CSKA if there is no lockout in NHL.
------------------------------------------------------------------------Viktor Kozlov signed with Lada:

According to Togliatti Lada official website, Viktor Kozlov, forward of New Jersey Devils signed one year contract with this club. No details of the contracts are released yet.
------------------------------------------------------------------------Gonchar confirmed he will join Russian Superleague:
Sport-Express

Q: Is it true that you will soon be in one of the Superleague clubs?
A: It is very true.

Q: Which team would that be?
A: Big chance it will be Lada. First of all, this team according to my information will have good presence of players from NHL - Viktor Kozlov from New Jersey, Dainus Zubrus and Alexander Semin from Washington. Second, Togliatti club is willing to give me a clause in the agreement that I can leave for NHL if lockout is over. This is very important. Also, there is some chance I could also play for CSKA.

Q: Just before the World Cup some Russian NHL players showed a parade of refusals to play for team Russia. Will you participate in the main tournament of the year?
A: To be honest, the position of some guys from NHL, who loudly refuse to play at the World Cup, raises my eyebrows. If you do not want to go - just do not go. I o not understand, why make these scenes. I will not be involved in this campaign, I am always ready to play for my country.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zherdev is training with Kristall
Sports.ru

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nikolai Zherdev along with another ex-CSKA player Alexei Shkotov is training in Electrostal, city of 150 thousand, 60 km from Russian capital. This information was provided to Sports.ru by spokesman for HC Kristall of Saratov, Western Conference team of Vysshaya Liga.
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Kalinin wants to play at the World Cup:

Dmitry Kalinin, Buffalo Sabres defenseman answers questions to Sovetsky Sport

Q: Dmitry, how did you decide to join "Magnitka" (Metallurg Magnitogorsk)?
A: During the whole last season we had rumors in NHL about the lockout. Naturally, thinking of future, we calculated different ways. I had visited Magnitogorsk many times back when I was a junior. I am myself a graduate of Ural hockey school, I was born in Chelyabinsk. Basically I came back home. The interests came from both sides, me and club management. I chose this city to be closer to home.

Q: How long is the contract for? Will you finish the season in Russia?
A: I know what you want to know. Of course I do not want to leave Buffalo myself. But I guess this is the fate, I will have to get used to my new club. Perhaps I will finish the season in Russia. In my contract there is no clause if lockout ends.

Q:You played in three tournaments for team Russia, you have the silver medal from the World Championship in 2002. Does it hurt not to be invited to the World Cup?
A: Yes, it hurts. But it is all up to the head coach. If Zinetula Bilyaletdinov will have extra vacancy for the team I want to officially announce, I will answer the invitation immediately.

Q: Does it mean you would be desiring to play for Russia at the Eurotour games?
A: I know that last year nobody from Metallurg played for Russia. I would change that with pleasure!

[DanCan]

Originally posted by Icing101[/b]

With a stoppage in NHL play looming, players are looking to alternative sites

By MARK MacKINNON, Globe and Mail

NOVOGORSK, RUSSIA -- Vladimir Krikunov is jovial in ordinary times, but his smile widens when he thinks of the power-play unit he might be able to put on the ice next season as the coach of Moscow Dynamo.

"We think [Pavel] Datsyuk and [Alexander] Ovechkin will fit well together," he said, referring to, respectively, the Detroit Red Wings' all-star centre and the Russian prodigy who went first overall in the National Hockey League entry draft last weekend to the Washington Capitals.

With the start of the 2004-05 NHL season all but certain to be delayed because of labour strife, both players are expected to don Dynamo blue jerseys next season and play in the Russian Hockey League. The 18-year-old Ovechkin still has a contract with Dynamo and plans to play for his home club during a lockout. Datsyuk, a restricted free agent, was expected to sign a big-money deal with Dynamo.

They might not be the only names on Krikunov's lineup card. If there's a lockout, he expects Buffalo Sabres sniper Maxim Afinogenov to play right wing with Datsyuk and Ovechkin, with Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens and Alexander Khavanov of the St. Louis Blues lining up behind them on defence.

Afinogenov, Markov and Khavanov are in Russia now and close to signing with Dynamo, figuring there is little point hanging around North America when there might not be a 2004-05 season.

The club is offering the NHL players lucrative deals, albeit with escape clauses that allow them to return to the NHL as soon as a lockout ends.

Krikunov said that while the players closest to signing with Dynamo are all Russians, the club has had talks with players of all nationalities, including several Canadians.

The only thing keeping Dynamo from icing something that resembles an NHL all-star lineup next season is the knowledge that everybody will go back to North America as soon as the NHL and the players' union sign a collective agreement.

"It's a problem if we have too many NHL players," Krikunov said, reclining in a black leather chair in his office outside Moscow. "We could have a whole team of NHLers, but 24 hours after the lockout is over, they'd go back to North America. In two hours, we could lose our whole team."

The Russian Hockey League, which was talent-poor just five years ago, was already in the midst of a big rebound, with rich owners giving clubs the money to lure stars with million-dollar salaries. In recent years, former NHL players such as Oleg Tverdovsky, Maxim Sushinsky and Dmitri Yushkevich have all taken the enriched bait and returned home.

Other European leagues are hoping to draw big-name talent if the NHL shuts down next season; there were reports yesterday that Minnesota Wild star Marian Gaborik is close to a deal with a club in his native Slovakia, and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Tommy Salo has agreed to play in Sweden next season. But no league can compete with Russia's in terms of player salaries. The Russian league is looking at the looming lockout as a chance to promote itself as the next best thing to the NHL.

"I think it really is the top league in the world after the NHL right now," said Andrei Nikolishin, who played last season with the Avalanche but is signed for next season with the Central Red Army team.

He said he was very eager to return to his native Russia and had serious chats with some of his Avalanche teammates about the Russian league, recommending to several of them that they should join him there if the NHL is on hold come September.

"Some of the guys don't want to leave their countries and are scared because they don't know the language over here, but a few of the guys were really interested in coming," he said.

Nikolishin could have some illustrious company on Red Army next year. General manager Valeri Gushin acknowledged the club is in talks with five-time Art Ross trophy winner Jaromir Jagr and is pursuing former Red Army stars Sergei Fedorov and Vyacheslav Kozlov.

While Gushin wouldn't talk about individual contracts, he said Nikolishin signed for an amount comparable with the $1.75-million (U.S.) he made in Colorado last season. There is clearly more money than ever for free agents in the Red Army's coffers.

"Things are a lot better now than five years ago," Gushin said. "Clubs have big sponsors now, and the local authorities and provinces help out a lot."

The clubs are better at marketing themselves, too, selling jerseys and other merchandise to complement the income from ticket sales. Having players such as Jagr and Sergei Fedorov on board would certainly help the club sell a few sweaters, Gushin acknowledged.

Even if Jagr and Fedorov do sign with the Red Army, there may be a bigger splash yet to come. There is talk that billionaire Roman Abramovich will try to use his money to lure big-name stars to his Siberian-based club, Avangard Omsk. Abramovich made waves in the soccer world last year by luring pricey talent to Chelsea, the English Premier League club he owns.

In fact, there's a buzz about big signings coming from almost every one of the Russian Hockey League's 16 clubs. "The Russian league has an obvious advantage now with the lockout across the ocean," former NHL star Sergei Makarov wrote in his column in the Sport Express newspaper. "There will be a great possibility for Russian teams to fill the void."

[NyQuil]

Heh, I'd love to see a powerhouse of hockey based in Siberia!



As long as the players don't stay in the Gulags, I think it'll work out

[Mrs. Sykora]

NyQuil,
I wonder if you know what Gulag is, how it pronounces and what does the abbrevation mean.