The women's national team squad for World Championship preparation

Russian women's national team head coach Mikhail Chekanov has now named his initial squad for 2016 IIHF World Championship preparation. Three goaltenders, ten defenders and nineteen forwards have been included:

Goalkeepers: Nadezhda Morozova (Biryusa Krasnoyarska), Maria Sorokina (Dynamo Saint Petersburg), Anna Prugova (Dynamo Saint Petersburg).

Defenders: Maria Batalova (Tornado), Maria Bodrikova (SKIF), Angelina Goncharenko (Tornado), Irina Donchenko (Biryusa Krasnoyarsk), Alexandra Kapustina (Agidel), Yuliya Koshevaya (Biryusa Krasnoyarsk), Yekaterina Nikolaeva (Dynamo Saint Petersburg), Nina Pirogova (Tornado), Anna Shibanova (Agidel), Anna Schukina (Dynamo Saint Petersburg).

Forwards: Lyudmila Belyakova (New York Riverters), Tatyana Burina (Tornado), Alexander Vafina (Calgary), Iya Gavrilova (Calgary), Yelena Dergachyova (Tornado), Evgeniya Dyupina (Dynamo Saint Petersburg), Fanuza Kadirova (Arktik Universitet Ukhta), Diana Kanaeva (Dynamo Saint Petersburg), Elina Mitrofanova (Agidel), Karina Ovcharenko (Biryusa Krasnoyarsk), Valeria Pavlova (Biryusa Krasnoyarsk), Yelena Silina (SKIF), Galina Skiba (Tornado), Yekaterina Smolentseva (Connecticut Wild), Yekaterina Smolina (Dynamo Saint Petersburg), Olga Sosnina (Agidel), Maria Shepelinskaya (Dynamo Saint Petersburg), Anna Shokhina (Tornado), Alevtina Shtaryova (Tornado).

Mikhail Chekanov, Russian women's national team head coach:

- Our training process and selection work has taken up seven months. The team has taken part in six international tournaments, and has played twenty matches against strong opponents. Also, we won the Five Nations competition in the Czech Republic and played well in other tournaments. We have an optimal squad for the World Championship, and are in good form. Our girls are ready to fight for high places at the World Championship and for direct qualification to the Olympic Games. The whole of our coaches congratulate all women with the eighth of March!

The training camp will begin on the 6th of March when a special gala match will be played inside the small Moscow Ice Palace arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 17.00 local time, and entry is free.

We add that players who belong to North American clubs will join up with the team on the 20th and 21st of March.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation