Thursday, November 3, 2011

Team Russia Roster Announced for 2011 SUBWAY® Super Series

Press Release

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced the roster for Team Russia that will compete in the 2011 SUBWAY® Super Series which begins Monday November 7 in Victoriaville, QC.

A team of 22 Russian players will make the trip to Canada for the entire series with a roster that has two players selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft including fourth round Chicago Blackhawks pick forward Maxim Shalunov, and fifth round Tampa Bay Lightning pick defenceman Nikita Nesterov.  Shalunov and Nesterov are two of only four 1993-born Russian players making the trip for the series while the other 18 players are all 1992 birth years.

Nine Russian-born CHL players will compete in various games of the series including top 2012 NHL Entry Draft prospects Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting who will play in Ottawa, ON, November 10, and Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts who will compete in Quebec City, QC, November 9.  Four NHL drafted OHL players will also play for Russia in the Ottawa game November 10 including Vladislav Namestnikov who was selected in the first round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning.  2011 second round Boston Bruins pick Alexander Khokhlachev of the Windsor Spitfires, third round New York Islanders pick Andrey Pedan of the Guelph Storm, and Winnipeg Jets prospect Ivan Telegin of the Barrie Colts will also participate in Ottawa.  Defenceman Artem Sergeev of the QMJHL’s Val d’Or Foreurs and forward Anton Zlobin of the Shawinigan Cataractes will play for Russia in the series opener November 7 in Victoriaville, QC, while Saskatoon Blades’ goaltender Andrey Makarov will compete in the game November 16 in Regina, SK.

Team Russia is led behind the bench by Head Coach Valery Bragin who returns for a second straight season with the Under-20 program.   Prior to last season, Bragin was Russia’s Head Coach in the 2005 World Junior Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota, capturing silver with a team that included Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin.
The 2011 SUBWAY® Super Series will take place November 7 – 17 and marks the ninth straight year that teams of CHL All-Stars have competed against Team Russia in preparation for the World Junior Hockey Championship.  The SUBWAY® Super Series is an integral part of the evaluation process prior to Team Canada’s final selection camp in December.  This season, Canada will be competing for their 14th straight medal at the 2012 tournament in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta.

Last season Team Russia emerged with their first series win, later sending 17 players from the 2010 SUBWAY® Super Series team to the 2011 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Buffalo, NY, where they won gold defeating Canada in the final game.

Team Russia (Club):

Goaltenders:
Sergey Kostenko (Metallurg, Novokuznetsk)
Pavel Suchkov (Dizel, Penza)

Defencemen:
Victor Antipin (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)
Roman Rukavishnikov (Atlant, Moscow Region)
Mikhail Naumenkov (CSKA)
Efim Gurkin (Salavat Yulaev, Ufa)
Artem Karavaev (Sibir, Novosibirsk)
Grigory Zheldakov (Spartak, Moscow)
Ildar Isangulov (Salavat Yulaev, Ufa)
Nikita Nesterov (Traktor, Chelyabinsk)

Forwards:
Nikita Gusev (CSKA)
Nikita Kucherov (CSKA)
Vladislav Kartaev (Salavat Yulaev, Ufa)
Kirill Rasskazov (Avangard, Omsk)
Daniil Apalkov (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)
Pavel Kulikov (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk)
Maxim Shalunov (Traktor, Chelyabinsk)
Pavel Medvedev (Spartak, Moscow)
Bogdan Potekhin (Metallurg, Magnitogorsk)
Bulat Shavaleev (Ak Bars, Kazan)
Valery Knyazev (Sibir, Novosibirsk)
Emil Galimov (Neftekhimik, Nizhnekamsk)

Victoriaville Game Only:
Artem Sergeev (Val d’Or Foreurs)
Anton Zlobin (Shawinigan Cataractes)

Quebec City Game Only:
Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec Remparts)

Ottawa Game Only:
Alexander Khokhlachev (Windsor Spitfires)
Vladislav Namestnikov (London Knights)
Andrey Pedan (Guelph Storm)
Ivan Telegin (Barrie Colts)
Nail Yakupov (Sarnia Sting)

Regina Game Only:
Andrey Makarov (Saskatoon Blades)

Staff:
Head Coach – Valery Bragin
Assistant Coach – Sergey Cherkas
Assistant Coach – Vladislav Krutskikh
General Manager – Alexey Kochetkov
Doctor – Alexander Borodin
Physiotherapist – Artem Timofeev
Equipment Manager – Alexander Rezepov


(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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