Junior Russian national team roster for the 2021 World Junior Championship

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation can reveal the junior Russian national team roster for the 2021 World Junior Championship which will take place between December 26 and January 5 in Edmonton, Canada.

These following 25 players have been picked:

Goalkeepers: Yaroslav Askarov (SKA Saint Petersburg), Artur Akhtyamov (Ak Bars Kazan), Vsevolod Skotnikov (CSKA Moscow).

Defensemen: Roman Bychkov (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl), Kirill Kirsanov, Yegor Shekhovtsov (both SKA Saint Petersburg), Artemiy Knyazev (Ak Bars Kazan), Yan Kuznetsov (Connecticut University), Shakir Mukamadullin (Salavat Yulaev Ufa), Daniil Chayka (CSKA Moscow), Semyon Chistyakov (Avangard Omsk).

Forwards: Mikhail Abramov (Victoriaville), Rodion Amirov, Daniil Bashkirov (both Salavat Yulaev Ufa), Yegor Afanasyev (CSKA Moscow), Zakhar Bardakov (Vityaz Podolsk), Arseniy Gritsyuk, Yegor Chinakhov (both Avangard Omsk), Maxim Groshev, Vasily Podkolzin, Yegor Spiridonov, Marat Khusnutdinov (all SKA Saint Petersburg), Vasily Ponomaryov (Shawinigan), Ilya Safonov (Ak Bars Kazan), Vladislav Firstov (Connecticut University).

As a consequence, goalkeeper Vadim Zherenko (Dynamo Moscow), defensemen Alexander Kirpichnikov (Traktor Chelyabinsk) and Ivan Rogov (Severstal Cherepovets) and forward Takhir Mingachyov (CSKA Moscow) have all left the team.

Russian national team management group for the 2021 World Junior Championship:

General manager: Roman Rotenberg
Head coach: Igor Larionov
Senior coach: Vladimir Potapov
Coaches: Vladimir Filatov, Sergei Golubovich
Goalkeeping coach: Nikolai Khabibulin
Physical training coach: Filipp Arzamazov
Sporting director: Oleg Kupriyanov
Coordinator: Daniil Kupriyanov
Team manager: Vladislav Shulya
Analyst: Vasily Kazanov
Doctor: Valeri Yegorov
Masseur: Yan Vorobyov
Equipment manager: Alexei Milov
Press officer: Andrei Ryzhikov
Marketing manager: Nikolai Dulev

Russia U20 head coach Igor Larionov:

- The toughest thing is always to make the big decisions upon the conclusion of the training camp, because all of the guys had worked well. However, it doesn't mean that the guys who weren't selected are bad players. We simply don't see them in the squad for the competition. We're grateful to them for their efforts and wish them luck for the future. Of course, it was tough for them to hear this news, but life goes on. This will give them more motivation to be selected for other national team tournaments. 

The team will travel to Canada on December 13, where they will subsequently continue training after going through quarantine and coronavirus testing procedures. Russia will compete in friendly matches against Slovakia (December 22) and Canada (December 24) before starting out at the tournament on December 26 against the USA.

Group stage schedule:

December 26, Russia - USA, 05:30*
December 28, Czech Republic - Russia, 05:30
December 30, Austria - Russia, 05:30
December 31, Russia - Sweden, 05:30

The quarter-finals will be played on January 3, the semi-finals on January 5 and the medal games on January 6.

*All times are in accordance with Moscow time