The 2018 SKODA Cup has finished

In Yekaterinburg, the 2018 SKODA International Youth Cup came to an end. Pavel Datsyuk awarded the cups and medals after the final match.

The tournament took place between the 9th and 14th of April. For the sixth consecutove year, SKODA AUTO Russia organised the competition with the support of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. This year, Czech ice hockey players also took part in the SKODA Cup.

Traktor Chelyabinsk defeated Sibir Novosibirsk 2:1 in the final after Spartakovets Yekaterinburg had taken bronze. During the final day of competition, Alexei Morozov held a master-class in connection with the National Development Program for training young ice hockey players.

Alexei Morozov:

- This is the second consecutive year when I've supported this tournament. The competition gives children a great opportunity to show what they're capable of, the best players from the regions are given a chance to show what they're capable of. It's important that it's an international tournament too, so that our players can play against foreign competitors. This tournament gifts the players even more motivation to keep progressing.

In connection with the National Hockey Development Program, I hosted a master-class. For this program, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation used the best parts of the Russian, American and European systems currently in place. All coaches will in accordance with this program. I would like to thank SKODA for supporting children and creating great facilities for them. After the final, HC Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg players impressed with a special show.

In the closing ceremony, representatives of SKODA, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and the Sverdlovsk Region government all took part.

Jan Prochazka, head of SKODA AUTO Russia:

- This year, the SKODA Cup moved onto the international market and had teams from Russia and the Czech Republic competing with each other. Family values and the popularization of sport are fundamental to SKODA, so it's important for the company to contribute to the development of a healthy lifestyle for young people. I am glad that the sixth SKODA Cup is helping develop ice hockey and to nurture future champions. I would like to thank the tournament's participants for their performances and the fans for their support. Also, I thank the young athletes' parents.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation