Alexei Byvaltsev: "Everyone is working hard"

After the maiden training session in Denmark for the 2018 World Championship, Russian national team forward Alexei Byvaltsev shared his emotions.

Russian national team forward Alexei Byvaltsev:

- It's a bit too warm inside the arena, but I think that everything will be fine.

- Do you feel tired after flying here?

- No, I certainly don't have any tiredness. It was only a two hour flight, I am used to being on planes for longer.

- With the roster not yet decided, is there more motivation at training?

- Of course, competition is a good thing. Everyone is working hard, and the coaches will decide who to play. We will keep waiting and working.

- Is there a feeling that this isn't really an ice hockey arena?

- To be honest, I haven't paid attention to this. Everything is nice here, the dressing room is great.

- Your feelings after transferring to a new club?

- I'm in the national team right now and am not thinking about that. After the World Championship, it will be a different story.

- Is it good enough just to be here, or do you want to be included in the roster?

- It's good that I am here, but I need to keep working in order to improve at every training session and in matches. I have to learn from the experienced players in the team.

- This is your first senior World Championship.

- It is interesting for me. If I had been told that I would be here today, I probably wouldn't have believed them. It's nice, but I have to keep working and proving myself.

- Are the coaches speaking with you individually?

- They are working with the team as a whole. However, both the coaches and the more experienced players are helping me and sharing advice.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation