Valery Bragin speaks about the Black Sea Cup

On the eve of the Black Sea Cup, Russian under 20 national team head coach Valery Bragin shared his thoughts:

- I have always said that the Black Sea Cup and this training camp are very useful for the World Championship. In May last year, when some candidates didn't show what they are made of, they all listened to the coaches, and began to play better for their clubs in the autumn. They understood what they had to improve on, and this is very important for the national team.

We are going to try out some new players, and these matches will show how the players respond to the given game plan. We know what these players are capable of, but it is a different matter when they put on the Russian jersey. I would like to thank the Ministry of Sports and the Russian Ice Hockey Federation for the organisation of this competition, the facilities in Sochi are perfect.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation