Pre-season 2021. Tournaments

The start of the preseason is less than a month away, and the teams and the players are preparing to kick off the first tournaments. KHL.ru presents the list of all the preseason tournaments. The organizers can change dates, participants, and schedules based on the epidemiological situation and relevant decrees of federal and local authorities.

Sochi Hockey Open

Aug 3-8, Sochi
HC Sochi, Avangard, Avtomobilist, SKA, Traktor, Team Russia

Sochi will host its sixth tournament in a row, and, as tradition dictates, it will be the first in August. Usually, the teams will face two stages: a round-robin and a playoff. However, last year, the format changed, and now teams will face each other to form a final ranking.

In the first five editions, five different teams won the title. Between this year's participants, HC Sochi, SKA, and Team Russia are at it for a second triumph.

Aug 3

Traktor - Avangard (3:00 PM)
HC Sochi - Avtomobilist (7:30 PM)

Aug 4

Avangard - Team Russia (3:00 PM)
HC Sochi - SKA (7:30 PM)

Aug 5

Traktor - Team Russia (3:00 PM)
SKA - Avtomobilist (7:30 PM)

Aug 6

Traktor - Avtomobilist (3:00 PM)
HC Sochi - Team Russia (7:30 PM)

Aug 7

Traktor - SKA (1:00 PM)
HC Sochi - Avangard (5:30 PM)

Aug 8

Team Russia - Avtomobilist (1:00 PM)
SKA- Avangard (5:30 PM)

Republic of Bashkortostan Cup

Aug 10-13, Ufa
Salavat Yulaev, Avtomobilist, Lokomotiv, Severstal

The Ufa tournament is held since 1999 (with pauses), with exactly half of the editions won by the home team, including the latest two. The Cup will be awarded after a round-robin.

Romazan Memorial Tournament

Aug 9-13, Magnitogorsk
Metallurg, Ak Bars, Amur, Neftekhimik, Sibir

The Magnitogorsk tournament is seven years older than the Ufa's one, and Magnitka accumulated the most wins (14). However, the hosts managed to win only once in the latest six years (2018), with two consecutive second places in the most recent pair of editions.

This year's tournament will most likely host Sergei Mozyakin's farewell game, and Magnitka will have extra motivation to achieve the final victory.

Aug 9

Sibir - Ak Bars (1:00 PM)
Metallurg - Neftekhimik (5:00 PM)

Aug 10

Amur - Sibir (1:00 PM)
Metallurg - Ak Bars (5:00 PM)

Aug 11

Neftekhimik - Sibir (1:00 PM)
Ak Bars - Amur (5:00 PM)

Aug 12

Neftekhimik - Ak Bars (1:00 PM)
Metallurg - Amur (5:00 PM)

Aug 13

Amur - Neftekhimik (1:00 PM)
Metallurg - Sibir (5:00 PM)

Bauer Games

Aug 11-13, Imatra
Jokerit, Kettera, Krefeld, SaiPa, Jukurit

For the second time in a row, Jokerit will prepare for the new campaign in Imatra, a town just 200 km from St. Petersburg and sitting on the Russian border. The tournament doesn't have a fixed formula, and all the teams will only face two opponents.

Jokerit games:

Aug 12
Jokerit - Krefeld (7:30 PM)

Aug 13
Jokerit - Jukurit (5:00 PM)

President of the Republic of Kazakhstan's Cup

Aug 11-16, Nur-Sultan
Barys, Dinamo Riga, Kunlun

The Kazakhstan tournament is held since 2010, and each edition always had at least a Russian team. However, this won't be the case this year and, if no other team joins, each participant will face each other twice.

Aug 11

Barys - Dinamo Riga

Aug 12

Dinamo Riga - Kunlun

Aug 13

Kunlun - Barys

Aug 14

Dinamo Riga - Barys

Aug 15

Kunlun - Dinamo Riga

Aug 16

Barys - Kunlun

Salei Cup

Jul 28 - Aug 15, Belarus

The Belarusian tournament will see local teams facing up, and, starting from the semifinals (Aug 14), Dinamo Minsk will enter the clash. The next day Minsk will play in the finals or in the third-place game should they lose.

Aug 14

Semifinals (2:00 PM or 5:00 PM)

Aug 15

Third-place game (2:00 PM) and grand final (5:00 PM)

TANECO Champions' Cup

Aug 18-22, Kazan
Ak Bars, Metallurg, Salavat Yulaev, SKA

The Kazan tournament is the youngest of the bunch, but it promises to become one of the most prestigious a few years down the road, as only Gagarin Cup winners will enter the competition. Ak Bars is the tournament's reigning champion. After the round-robin, the teams will challenge again in the finals and the third-place game.

Chelyabinsk Region Governor's Cup

Aug 23-27, Chelyabinsk

Traktor, Avtomobilist, Lokomotiv, Sibir

The Chelyabinsk tournament was held for the first time in 2011, with three missed editions in 2014, 2017, and 2020. Since 2013, the hosts have won every other year. In this offseason, Traktor was very active, and they will have a fantastic chance to lift the cup out of their turn.

Aug 23

Sibir - Avtomobilist (1:00 PM)
Traktor - Lokomotiv (5:00 PM)

Aug 24

Avtomobilist - Lokomotiv (1:00 PM)
Traktor - Sibir (5:00 PM)

Aug 26

Lokomotiv - Sibir (1:00 PM)
Traktor - Avtomobilist (5:00 PM)

Aug 27

Third-place game (11:00 AM)
Grand final (3:00 PM)

N. Puchkov Memorial Tournament

Aug 24-29, St. Petersburg
SKA, Avangard, Severstal, HC Sochi, Torpedo

The St. Petersburg tournament was held from 1999 through 2008, then was restarted in 2014. Since then, Avangard (last year), Jokerit (twice), and SKA (four times) were crowned champions. The teams played three (with five participants) or four (with six participants) games in the latest few editions. The schedule will be published later.

Mayor of Moscow Cup

Aug 25-28, Moscow
Dynamo Moscow, Vityaz, Spartak, CSKA, Amur, Kunlun

Last year, a team from the Moscow Region, and not from the city itself, lift the Mayor of Moscow cup - Vityaz. This year, Amur and Kunlun will have the same chance. The new format will see the teams split into two groups, then placement games for the first, third, and fifth positions. However, a final between CSKA and Dynamo Moscow is now impossible as the organizers put them in the same division.

Aug 25

Vityaz - Spartak (2:00 PM)
CSKA - Dynamo Moscow (6:00 PM)

Aug 26

CSKA - Amur (2:00 PM)
Spartak - Kunlun (6:00 PM)

Aug 27

Vityaz - Kunlun (2:00 PM)
Dynamo Moscow - Amur (6:00 PM)

Aug 28

Fifth-place game (10:00 AM)
Third-place game (2:00 PM)
Grand final (6:00 PM)