Kazakhstan's selected hockey squad for upcoming games against Russia and Belarus announced
Get Ready for the Clash: Kazakhstan's men's ice hockey team is all set to face off against Russia and Belarus at the "Barys Arena" from May 1 to 3, as announced by the federations.
The roster for the Qazaqstan Hockey Open is shaping up, with the following players confirmed so far:
- Goalkeepers: Jellal-Addin Amirbekov, Sergei Kudryavtsev, Maxim Pavlenko;
- Defensemen: Stepan Alexandrov, Adil Beketayev, Samat Danyar, Tamirlan Gaytamirov, Artem Korolev, Dmitry Breus, Leonid Metalnikov, Eduard Mikhailov, Valery Orekhov;
- Forwards: Alihan Asetov, Dinmukhammed Kaiyrzhan, Batyrlan Muratov, Maxim Mukhametov, Alihan Omirbekov, Ruslan Ospanov, Kirill Panukov, Kirill Savitsky, Roman Starchenko, Vladimir Volkov, Denis Chaporov, Vyacheslav Kolesnikov, Artem Likhotnikov, Nikita Mikhailis, Yevgeny Rymarev, Arkady Shestakov.
Keep an eye out for updates, as the official roster may undergo changes in the coming weeks. The coaching staff includes head coach Oleg Bolyakin, assisted by Leonid Tambiev, Georgiy Vereщаgin, and Pavel Bessonov.
Although the finalized roster for the Qazaqstan Hockey Open has yet to be publicly announced, recent reports suggest that the team is gearing up for the 2025 World Championship in Denmark, having secured a third consecutive Asian Winter Games gold medal in February. Key players include Andrey Buyalskiy, Dmitriy Breus, Roman Starchenko, and Kirill Panyukov, who contributed significantly to the team's victory against Japan in the final.
Stay tuned for official roster announcements closer to the tournament dates (expected in late April/May 2025), as the Ice Hockey Federation of Kazakhstan continues to prepare for the big event. Keep an eye on their official channels and the IIHF for updates!
I, Pavel Bessonov, will assist in coaching Kazakhstan's men's ice hockey team in upcoming tournaments, including the Qazaqstan Hockey Open and the 2025 World Championship in Denmark. In the Qazaqstan Hockey Open, Tamirlan Gaytamirov and perhaps other players from the confirmed defensemen and forwards list may participate. The roster for the Qazaqstan Hockey Open, which includes me, is expected to be finalized closer to the tournament dates in late April or May 2025.
