Matvei Korotky: “In Game 7, the team that handles the mental pressure better wins”
SKA-1946 captain shares his thoughts on the 2024-2025 season.
The 2024/2025 season was a busy one for Matvei Korotky: he had his debut in the Kontinental Hockey League, a run to the MHL final, appearances in the Challenge Cup and the KHL All-Star Game. In the MHL regular season, the forward posted 31 (17+14) in 27 games, adding 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) in 16 playoff contests. His main goal for 2025-2026 is to establish himself in the KHL.
Korotky spoke on the Molodyozhka podcast about his emotions after Game 7 of the final, his impressions of playing in the KHL, and his preparation for the new campaign. Hosts Artyom Batrak and Vitaly Magranov discussed with the forward SKA’s system and why the team fell short of winning a second straight Kharlamov Cup.
You can watch the latest episode of Molodyozhka on YouTube and VK Video.
In the 2024-2025 final SKA was down 0–3 in the series and came back to tie the series, just to then lose to Spartak in the seventh match. “After game three, the guys and I went into the locker room. Sometimes it helps to say everything you’re thinking to each other,” the forward explains. “It can really bring the team together. We just talked, realized we had no more room for mistakes, and said we’d be coming back to Moscow for the seventh game.
The players had a meeting before the decisive match, without the coaches. “We talked freely, mostly we, the most experienced players,” Korotky explains. “We mostly had suggestions, organizational things: fewer penalties, play tighter defensively. For example, in game three at home, we tied it up, and a minute later they scored again. It was more about moments like that.”
During the playoffs, SKA-1946 found themselves several times in the situation where the team would retain the puck most of the time, but couldn’t finalize. “I think in the first three games it was simple: whoever took their chances won. We didn’t capitalize, and they did. I remember the guys playing against Atlant – 50 shots on goal to nine, and still lost 0:3. The number of shots and pressure doesn’t always guarantee you a win,” he concludes.
During the finals against Spartak, in the first two games in Moscow, SKA-1946 clearly had the advantage. The puck just wouldn’t go in – including for Korotky himself. “Yeah, our line – me, Ignat Lutfullin, and Matvey Polyakov – created a lot but couldn’t score,” he admits. “That’s also a mental thing. You have to let it go at the right time and just focus on your job: shoot even more and lead the team forward.”
Looking at the forward’s stats, he actually increased your point production in the playoffs compared to the regular season. “A lot depends on your physical condition,” he says. “Before the JHL playoffs, I had played in the KHL playoffs, and in the last two or three games I was just practicing. Game rhythm makes a difference. The KHL and JHL are different levels, and you have to adapt to each. When they sent me to help in the JHL, we played Lokomotiv, and at first, I didn’t really get how to play there – everyone’s flying around and shooting from everywhere. In the KHL, everyone’s thinking the game and playing with experience.”
In game six of the finals, there was a fight early in the third period, and Korotky was involved. “Honestly, I thought it was going to happen back in game five on the road, when we went up 2:0 near the end,” the forward recalls. “I can understand them – I don’t blame anyone. It’s an effective way to get under the skin of the other team’s leaders and take a scoring line out of the game. I get it, no hard feelings. Here’s how it went: we lined up for a faceoff, and I saw they’d put out their 13th forward along with two guys from the fourth line. Right away I knew something was up – normally we’d be facing Sergei Lukyantsev’s line. Then it was drop of the puck, whistle. I see them coming in swinging and think: “Well, here we go.”
Everything started with a faceoff in the zone with a collision right at the whistle. “It was obvious it was planned,” he said. “That player came out to do a job. He took the draw, whistle blew, and he went straight for the fight. How could you miss that?” They couldn’t avoid answering, as he said, and the forward was assigned a game-misconduct penalty. That was a potentially dangerous situation, as he could face suspension. “Once the fight was over, I wasn’t thinking about it,” Korotky says about the suspension. “I just wanted to get back out and finish the game. Afterward, I realized it wasn’t the smartest move. But I was sure none of us would be suspended – it would’ve been unfair.”
He claims not to have any problem with Silanty Kozhushko – the player who sparked the fight. “I spoke to him after the final, during the handshake. He told me there was no bad intent, and I told him it was all good.”
The JHL final was played in front of 12,000-seat arenas. It wasn’t easy at first for the players. “It was a bit unsettling, because usually our games draw about a thousand fans,” he says. “Maybe four thousand for Krylya Sovetov. And here it was eight to twelve thousand. That’s pressure for guys who’ve never played in front of that many people, especially the younger ones.”
Korotky made his KHL debut in a home game against Torpedo, with 20,000 in the stands at the SKA arena. He feels a difference between 12,000 and 20,000 fans in the place. “You can feel it,” he confirms. “But since I’d already played in front of 20 and 10 thousand, it didn’t really affect me much.”
Korotky said one of the problems in the final was that the team couldn’t score. Spartak’s Ivan Ryabov was given the playoffs MVP award, but Korotky has another candidate. “I’d give Spartak’s goalie Yaroslav Kuzmenko that award. In my opinion, they won largely because of him.” Moreover, Korotky himself had a great chance in the first period in game seven. “I shot into an open net, and he still stopped it,” he says. “Then Ignat Lutfullin had a breakaway and didn’t score either. Those were two key moments – if we had buried both, everything could have been different.”
Earlier in the season, Korotky and SKA played the Molodyozhnaya Klassika against AKM in Tula in a open air game. “That was a real grinder in the snow,” he says. The teams entertained the crowd with five goals, with AKM taking the game in extra time. However, they took a while to get going. “How are you supposed to get going when you’re skating and the snow’s coming down?” Korotky says. “At best, you can dump the puck in and go battle for it.” However, he enjoys that. “I love that kind of hockey,” he firmly says. “I enjoy skating hard, then winning the puck and playing.” That’s a bit surprising, considering Korotky’s offensive skills in both creating chances for others and scoring himself. “You can be a playmaker, but someone still has to go win the puck. You need to get possession before you can make plays. Many times, it’s hard to enter the zone. The defense is set up tight there too. So you dump it in and chase.”
He enjoyed the outdoor game for the Molodyozhnaya Klassika. “I liked it,” the forward says with a smile. “As a kid, you watch the NHL Winter Classic – like when Chicago plays somebody – and you imagine what it would be like. It felt a bit like I’d made it to the NHL. And our coach German Titov told us a story about when he played in the NHL for Calgary – they had their own outdoor classics, with 30,000 fans in the stands. It was great to hear his take on it.”
Korotky has now played his first season at the pro level. He’s probably going to change his preseason routing. “Yes, I understand that I have to change it,” he says. “To get through a full KHL season, I’m now on a special program, working on my legs. To skate faster and maintain my level.” The KHL is more demanding. “I can keep up with the KHL speeds, but there’s always room to grow. I can get stronger, faster, and have more stamina.”
Playing in the KHL also means sharing the locker room with experienced players. Some surprised him. “Among the younger guys, the one who surprised me more was Grigory Kuzmin, who I played with,” Korotky starts. “He’s a real workhorse – after every game he cools down, does an intense warm-up, goes to the gym. He does all the team activities and then adds his own extra work. Among the older guys – Sergei Plotnikov. Another hard worker.”
A lot of people, however, probably expected him to mention Ivan Demidov. “He is on another level,” Korotky admits. “He didn’t actually surprise me. With him, everything is clear without needing to say anything.”
In his vacations, Korotky met with other players, including Spartak’s forward Sergei Lukyantsev. The young man had a memorable 2024-2025 season, with a record-breaking 103 games played throughout the season. He looked tired, on the ice. “He told me he burned six thousand calories in game seven,” Korotky recalls. However, he thinks something was off in Lukyantsev’s calculations. “I think his tracker was broken. After my last game I had a little over two thousand,” the forward explains. For a comparison, Korotky had 77 across three leagues. “I was surprised with Lukyantsev’s record,” he says. “I was worn out after about 80, and he played 103. On one hand, that’s great, but on the other, it’s a big injury risk. Your body’s in shock, and anything can happen at any moment.”
Usually, the forward visits his native Krasnoyark in the offseason. But not this year. “I used to go once a year after the season, like clockwork. This year I didn’t,” he admits. “No time, no opportunity.” Hockey is developed in the city, which boasts more than a million inhabitants and is Russia’s sixth most populous center. “About once every ten years a player makes it from there,” Korotky explains. One prominent player in the last few season coming from Krasnoyarsk was Arseni Gritsyuk. “There’s a junior arena, and they built a lot for the Universiade. Two years ago in the VHL, when they made the finals, the level was good. Last year they didn’t even make the playoffs. But hockey’s there – and that’s already something.” The city’s biggest hockey legend is Alexander Syomin. “Honestly, I can’t even remember what I thought about as a kid,” Korotky admits. “The only thing I know is that at home I had a shooting area, and I wrecked the walls. The repairs were really expensive. It was just a regular 11-story building – three apartments, and in the fourth there was a big empty space. The residents of the three apartments chipped in and made it into a playroom.” What makes it even more remarkable is that they were no hockey families. “Just regular inhabitants that we’ve known for a lot of years.”
Korotky says that his most remarkable game from the season was the seventh game against Spartak in the JHL finals. However, he had plenty of good moments in the KHL too. “When I scored my first goals against Neftekhimik,” he says when asked. “And in the JHL, I remember we had a tight game with someone… when I scored four against AKM-Junior. That was fun – I’d never even scored three before. In my entire MHL career I’d maybe had five two-goal games, and then four in one night.”
He has a good memory for goals, too. “I liked the one against Severstal in the KHL. We were on the power play,” Korotky recalls. “I think Demidov carried the puck in, passed to Mikhail Vorobyov. I cut through the middle, he fed me cross-ice, and I took the shot.”
In the Neftekhimik game, Korotky could’ve had a hat trick. “I got spooked and didn’t score the third,” the forward says. “I think if I’d had more experience and had scored before, I could’ve buried it. It would’ve been cool to get three in one game.”
Everyone’s got their own superstitions – some only use black tape, some put the left skate on first. Korotky is no exception. “I’m never the last one out of the locker room. If I’m not scoring, I’ll switch from white tape to black – just to try it. The only thing I’ve really noticed is, if my skate lace breaks, we lose. It’s happened like ten times. The second it breaks I’m thinking, “No, not this again.”
Despite his excellent skills, he doesn’t see himself as a pure offensive player. “About myself, I could say that I’m kind, positive, and a checker,” he confirms. “I’m two-way… three-way!” he adds. For a checker, however, he scores lots of points. That may not fit the mold. “I’ve got 250 hits – how doesn’t it fit? For the second straight year I’m first in hits.” However, he knows where to improve. “Faceoffs? I’m lucky if I’m at 50 percent,” he admits.
