The new head coach of the KHL team “Kunlun Red Star” named Viktor Ignatiev, who last season was part of the coaching staff of Greg Ireland in the club and the Chinese team, reports the press service of the Beijing club.
In the 2019/20 season, he worked in the Kunlun system with the KRS-BSU VHL team.
– In the coming season, like the previous two, HC Kunlun Red Star will essentially be the national team of the People’s Republic of China. Accordingly, the composition is formed from the players of the national team and the candidates for it, and the coaching staff will also become the headquarters of the national team.
During the season, the Chinese team will not only participate in the World Cup, but also in the qualifying tournament for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Viktor Ignatiev has rich experience of working with the Latvian national team not only in the World Championships and Olympics, but also in Olympic qualification, and most importantly, this experience is winning.
In addition, he has been working in the Kunlun Red Star system for several years and knows the national team players well. Given his diverse background, we are confident that Viktor Ignatiev is the best candidate for the head coaching job today. We really hope that under his leadership the national team and the club will be able to fulfill the tasks set for the upcoming season,” said Nikolai Feoktistov, executive vice-president of the club.
Ignatiev worked with the Latvian national team three times, including at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. In the KHL, the 53-year-old specialist also previously coached Dynamo Riga, Dynamo Moscow and Spartak, Lada Togliatti, Vityaz near Moscow and Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
Last season, the Chinese club took second-to-bottom place in the Western Conference standings following regular-season results.
Source : MatchTV
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