The Olympic wait is over - now the Russians look to prepare the next generation
of stars under a new head coach.

After winning Olympic gold under a neutral flag, Russia returns to the international stage in Copenhagen. But it's a very different team from the PyeongChang champion: head coach Oleg Znarok is gone, Ilya Vorobyov replaces him behind the bench and has seen his team struggle for form in recent Eurotour
action. Five defeats in six games there, even with some experimental rosters, suggest that this may not be a vintage Russian roster, but there is still a formidable team lining up for the Red Machine. However, the decision to omit the Gagarin Cup winning players from Ak Bars Kazan will surely prompt big questions of Vorobyov if the team fails to impress in Denmark.

Goalie

After Sergei Bobrovski turned down an invitation to represent Russia in Denmark, Vorobyov went with the same trio that won gold in Korea. In February, Metallurg Magnitogorsk's Vasili Koshechkin did the bulk of the work; this time around Ilya Sorokin (CSKA) is likely to see more action, while Igor Shestyorkin
(SKA) had several opportunities during the recent Eurotour games. Perhaps surprisingly, Emil Garipov of Ak Bars was not considered despite helping his team to win the Gagarin Cup last month.

Defence

Toronto's Nikita Zaitsev is the big arrival from the NHL and his experience could be crucial for a relatively young brigade of blue liners. CSKA's Nikita Nesterov and Bogdan Kiselevich return from the Olympic roster, as do SKA's Vladislav Gavrikov and Yegor Yakovlev. Dinar Khafizullin, who missed an Olympic
trip due to injury, and Nikita Tryamkin (Avtomobilist), who was cut from the long list on the eve of the tournament, also get their chance in a major tournament. Alexei Bereglazov, an immensely promising prospect from Vorobyov's former club, Metallurg, also makes the party.

Forwards

Nikita Gusev and Kirill Kaprizov, the stars of that thrilling gold-medal game in PyeongChang are back, as is new Triple Gold Club member Pavel Datsyuk. However, much of the talk in Russia is about the players who won't be suiting up in Copenhagen. Alexander Radulov and Artemi Panarin have both cried off and further absentees include Valeri Nichushkin (CSKA) and Ilya Kovalchuk; the former injured, the latter seeking a new NHL contract after five years in St. Petersburg. Vorobyov was left lamenting that ‘about 50 players are injured right now' when asked about the unavailability of rugged CSKA centre Ivan Telegin and others.

However, there is still a significant Trans-Atlantic presence here. Yevgeni Dadonov (Florida) needs no introduction to this tournament, Chicago's Artyom Anisimov won gold with Russia in 2014. And there are new faces from across the ocean: Maxim Mamin gets his first World Championship action after swapping CSKA
for the Panthers and Pavel Buchnevich makes his debut at a major men's tournament after establishing himself in the Rangers' roster this season. Then there's Nikita Soshnikov, wrapping up a fractured season divided between the Maple Leafs, the Marlies and the Blues with a call-up for his country.

From the KHL, there are two new faces: Alexei Byvaltsev is fresh from a move to
SKA after impressing with Amur Khabarovsk last season, while Avangard's Ilya Mikheyev also gets a call-up. But there's no place for Vladimir Tkachyov of Ak Bars: the recent Gagarin Cup winner does not have a single player in Russia's party for Copenhagen.

Coaching

It's evolution rather than revolution for Russia, despite the surprise announcement that Oleg Znarok would not take charge of the team in Denmark. The
Olympic winner is still involved as a consultant to the team, while acting head
coach Ilya Vorobyov was a long-term assistant to the SKA supremo on the international stage. New faces on the coaching staff include Traktor's Anvar Gatiyatullin
and Alexei Kudashov, recently of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. It all adds up to a fairly young coaching crew - most of them in the 40s. Vorobyov's career highlight was winning the Gagarin Cup with Metallurg Magnitogorsk in 2016, lifting the big prize after taking over behind the bench part-way through the season. A beaten finalist in 2017, he struggled to find an adequate replacement
for Danis Zaripov and lost his job as Metallurg made an indifferent start to this season. Rated as one of Russia's brightest young coaches, this tournament is likely to be an audition for the top job.

Projected results

Only Sweden in 2006 has won Olympic and World gold in the same season in the modern era and Russia's recent form suggests that its World Championship athletes might struggle to emulate their Olympic counterparts. The usual sky-high expectations have been tempered by a roster that lacks some of the star quality of previous years: many commentators feel that the Russians will face a battle to get among the medals this time. That said, it's hard to imagine Vorobyov's team struggling too much in the group phase, especially given a kind schedule that starts with games against France, Austria and Belarus before a potentially stiffer test against the Czechs on 10 May. That game, and the meeting with Sweden on 15 May, will likely determine how tough Russia's quarter-final task proves to be: it would be a brave man who bet against Russia getting to the medal games once again.

ANDY POTTS

http://https://www.new-iihf.com/en/events/2018/wm/news/2235/russia-ready-for-new-era
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