Kovalchuk Headlines Russia's World Championship Roster

© RIA Novosti . Mikhail Fomichev / Go to the mediabankIlya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk - Sputnik International
Subscribe
New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk was one of six NHL players named to Russia’s world hockey championship roster on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 30 (R-Sport) – New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk was one of six NHL players named to Russia’s world hockey championship roster on Tuesday.

Kovalchuk joins 22-year-old teammate Andrei Loktionov, Columbus Blue Jackets’ defenseman Fedor Tyutin and forward Artem Anisimov, Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and Colorado Avalanche netminder Semyon Varlamov on a list of 29 players Russia will bring to Helsinki for the start of the championship on May 3.

Kovalchuk, who scored eight points in nine games the last time he suited up for Russia in major international competition at the 2011 world championship, will be expected to carry much of the scoring load alongside Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s Sergei Mozyakin and Alexander Radulov of CSKA Moscow, who finished first and second in points in the KHL last season.

Radulov, widely considering one of the best forwards not currenly playing in the NHL, skipped out on the final stage of the Euro Hockey Tour earlier month, citing a sore throat. Kovalchuk, meanwhile, battled through a shoulder injury during the Devils’ disappointing lockout-shortened season, but still scored a respectable 31 points in 37 games. He told reporters in New Jersey last week the season was “probably the worst season of my career.”

He’ll look to rebound as Russia hopes to defend their 2012 world championship title and take gold for the fourth time in six years – this time with a roster depleted of high-scoring NHL stars. Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk, who led Russia in last year’s tournament, are with their club teams in the NHL playoffs.

Washington Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov, who scored 25 points in 51 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk last season as a 20-year-old, is one of 12 players returning from last year’s team. Kovalchuck, 30, is among four players who won gold in 2009 including Mozyakin, Radulov and Bryzgalov. Mozyakin, Radulov, Kovalchuk, Tyutin and current Ak Bars Kazan defenseman Ilya Nikulin played on the 2008 team, which also won gold.

Rounding out the roster are goalies Vasily Koshechkin and Konstantin Barulin; defensemen Anton Belov, Evgeny Biryukov, Evgeny Ryasenky, Denis Denisov, Jakob Rylov, Nikita Zaitsev; and forwards Alexander Svitov, Viktor Tikhonov, Denis Kokarev, Alexei Tereschenko, Alexander Popov, Alexander Perezhogin, Sergei Soin, Egor Averin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Kirill Petrov and Vadim Shipachev.

Russia opens preliminary round play against Latvia on Saturday.

 

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала