On youth affairs: The Cup of the Future became a screening of candidates for a trip to the MFM

The Cup of the Future in St. Petersburg suddenly acquired new meanings after it became known about the admission of the Russian national team of all ages to international competitions. Our youth team has a real chance to play in the World Cup at the end of December, and the Future Cup in this case is the last opportunity to test candidates from Russian leagues. There is still no final clarity on many issues: who will coach the national team, whether the players will be given visas to Canada, and whether there will be other obstacles. The IIHF has already sent a preliminary calendar to the national federations, in which Russia should replace Norway. But the new line-up of participants has not yet been officially approved.

Zharovsky and Privalov are the main stars

The Russian U20 national team won the Future Cup, which ended in St. Petersburg. The youth national teams of Belarus (6:2), Kazakhstan (7:0) and the Russian national U18 team (10:3) were consistently beaten.

Alexander Zharovsky and Nazar Privalov were expected to become the brightest players of the Russian youth team at the tournament. They not only ensured the advantage of our national team on the ice, but also took part in an autograph session. On the final day, they signed cards for the fans together with Roman Rotenberg, First Vice-president of the Russian Olympic Federation and head coach of the Russia 25 national team. Such attention to the guys is absolutely no coincidence: for the second season, Zharovsky has been considered one of the leaders of Salavat Yulaev, and Privalov, at the age of 17, gained a foothold at the heart of CSKA.

Zharovsky played in a threesome with Torpedo players Viktor Fedorov and Sergey Skvortsov, both of whom had already gained sufficient experience in the KHL. Fedorov is one of the main contenders for a place in the top 6 attacks on the MFM and one of the strongest centers of his age. It is noticeable from his game that the experience of matches at the adult level has already benefited him. Skvortsov still clearly lacks power, but he is one of the most talented players among those who will be drafted in the summer.

Privalov is listed in the top 3 of the NHL draft - the bulky striker plays at number eight and is compared to the young Alexander Ovechkin for a reason. And it's definitely not just because of the number: Privalov stands out from his peers with pressure, aggression and shooting, just like the best sniper in the history of the NHL. A lot of scouts from overseas came to the Future Cup, and there is no doubt that Privalov was one of the main objects of their attention.

Clubs for peace: The Cup of the Future will be a rehearsal for the return of the national team to the MFM

After the CAS decision, the St. Petersburg tournament gained special significance.

Who will be the youth coach

At the Future Cup, the youth team was coached by Andrei Mironov, who had to leave Sochi for this. He looks like one of the obvious candidates to take the team to the World Cup, but this will create great difficulties for the club — in this case, the head coach will be absent for a whole month. According to Izvestia, the option of strengthening the headquarters with a more experienced specialist is being considered.

After the signing session, Roman Rotenberg was also asked about the head coach, who did not rule out the possibility of his appearance in this position. His inclusion in the headquarters can also be considered as one of the options.

There is an option in which hockey players playing in Russia may not be granted visas — in this case, the RIHF is considering the option of assembling a team from those who play overseas. According to SE, Sergey Gonchar, Sergey Fedorov and Igor Larionov are among the possible candidates for the post of head coach.

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Who will play defense

If the composition of the attacking line of the Russian youth team at the Cup of the Future was impressive (even the guys from the KHL played in the third tier), then there were not so many candidates for a trip to Canada in defense. For example, Yaroslav Deminsky played for Amur these days, and Nikolai Dronov played for Spartak.

But in St. Petersburg, several defenders showed themselves very brightly. Nikita Poltavchuk scored 6 (1+5) points in three matches. Andrey Razin connected the talented defender to Metallurg's base last season, and for good reason — Poltavchuk is strong primarily with connections to the attack.

But with the goalkeepers, it seems, there are minor problems — Dubrovin and Borichev did not do without mistakes. However, if Pyotr Andreyanov from Sochi goes to the MFM, then it will be much calmer for the first number — he can potentially be one of the strongest goalkeepers of the tournament.

The junior national team led by Anton Corredor is also worth noting — at the Future Cup it lost only to its older compatriots and beat the youth national teams of Kazakhstan and Belarus, made up of more senior players. I was also pleased with the playing style of the Russian U18 national team — the juniors did not sit on the defensive even with a winning score.

The Junior World Championships will be held in April in the United States, and the visa situation here may be easier than in Canada, although there is still no final clarity. By age, both Privalov and Skvortsov fall into it, so the FHR will be able to claim the strongest possible squad, and the chances of the Russian junior national team winning will be very good.