Russian Cup for players aged no older than 16

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) is launching the Russian Cup, a new tournament for players aged 16 and under.

The tournament format was developed jointly with the flagship clubs of youth ice hockey development, which seek to have more opportunities to compete with opponents of comparable class. The Russian Cup will provide the country's leading players with quality game practice, which is one of the key factors in the development of sporting skills at this age.

The first Russian Cup will be held in the 2025/2026 season. Players representing the country's leading youth academies will compete in the new tournament with the following 21 clubs set to participate: Avangard Omsk, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Admiral Vladivostok, Ak Bars Kazan, AKM Tula, Amur Khabarovsk, Vityaz Podolsk, Dinamo Minsk, Dynamo Moscow, Dynamo Saint Petersburg, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, Moscow Hockey Academy, Severstal Cherepovets, Sibir Novosibirsk, SKA Saint Petersburg, Spartak Moscow, Traktor Chelyabinsk, CSKA Moscow and Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. The structure of the Russian Cup includes three group stages in October, January and March. Based on the results, groups will be formed to participate in the final round: the eight best teams will take part in the Golden Final, the following eight in the Silver Final and the remaining five in the Bronze Final.

The creation of a new tournament will not entail significant changes in the existing system of RIHF competitions. All clubs participating in the Russian Cup will continue to take part in regional and interregional competitions, but without the right to qualify for the U16 Champions Cup.