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Road to World Juniors: Vasily Ponomaryov
Renowned French author Jules Renard once said, “When I think of all the books still left for me to read, I am certain of further happiness.” I can only imagine the joy Renard would find in the suitcase of Vasily Ponomaryov, a talented Russian forward and voracious reader who—by his own admission—will carry a personal library of six or eight books to World Juniors. When asked about the contents of his undoubtedly overweight luggage, the subjects ranged from psychology and BMWs to legendary athletes and artists.
Road to World Juniors: Nikita Guslistov
Nikita Guslistov grew up in hockey-mad Cherepovets, a city nestled on the Volga-Baltic waterway between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The nineteen-year-old forward honed his craft in the shadow of local favorite Severstal, a club he could never imagine lacing up for someday.
KHL players leading Russia at 2021 World Juniors
The Russians have completed the round-robin stage in Group B’s second place, and they’re now looking forward to a quarterfinals matchup against Team Germany on Jan. 2. There will be a Nordic derby between Finland and Sweden in the other quarterfinals, while the host country Canada will face the Czech Republic. In the day’s last matchup, Team USA will take on Slovakia.
Road to World Juniors: Vasily Podkolzin
In the late 1970s, a defenseman named Valery Rakov joined Khimik Voskresensk, a club in the top flight of the Soviet League. He played alongside a five-foot-nine center named Igor Larionov, who was barely three years into a professional career that ended with a Hall of Fame induction. Nearly forty years later, Rakov’s nephew Vasily Podkolzin would debut alongside Pavel Datsyuk and Nikita Gusev, becoming the first 21st century-born player to play in the KHL.
Road to World Juniors: Yaroslav Askarov
When Yaroslav Askarov was six years old, his team played without goaltenders. The effort required to skate up the ice and score felt thankless when the opponent swiftly equalized. Unwilling to see his team’s lead squandered, the future SKA St. Petersburg netminder dropped to his knees and blocked shots in skaters’ pads. Noticing his courage in front of the puck, the coach offered Askarov an opportunity to step between the pipes—and perhaps you could say the rest was history.
Road to World Juniors: Daniil Chayka
Daniil Chayka’s hockey tape bag is heavier than most. It bears an unexpected gift that is perhaps as important as any other accessory. A golden horseshoe has traveled over 7,000 kilometers from Ontario to Moscow—a talisman that brought Chayka an OHL Showcase Cup, and one that reminds the eighteen-year-old of his second family in a faraway home.
Road to World Juniors: Amirov, Mukhamadullin
The competition between Rodion Amirov and Shakir Mukhamadullin is electric. One Salavat Yulaev coach summarizes the dynamic in a single word: “intense.” A wash of probabilities race across the minds of Ufa’s high-profile teenagers as they look one another in the eye. Has proximity granted the gift of clairvoyance—an anticipation of the counter-attack? The pair of prospects are teammates in the lens of a television camera, but in the confines of Ufa’s locker room, they wage war. The battleground may be confined to the nineteen inches of a backgammon board, but the prize is immeasurable.
Goals and drama in World Juniors' finals, Russia loses to Canada
No one was expecting the game to end with a 6-0 score as it was the case in the round-robin. In fact, it was a game full of drama as the showdown between Team Russia and Team Canada gifted hockey fans yet another classic for the years to come. The Russians blew away a 2-goal lead as the team displayed a lack of discipline in the third period, and the Canadians won their eighteenth World Juniors' gold medal.
Russia trashes Germany in last World Juniors’ round-robin game
As expected, the Russians had an easy path to victory against Team Germany in the last round-robin game, and the match was virtually over already after the first period. With Team Russia up by five goals, the third period was nothing more than a formality.
Tauber’s legacy guides Russia’s juniors
Russia begins its World Junior Championship campaign today in Ostrava – and one coach will be following the action more closely than most. Oleg Tauber, currently in charge of the U18s in Khanty-Mansiysk, has had a hand in the development of dozens of promising youngsters and several of them are expected to form part of Valery Bragin’s team at the World Championship.
