Honorary president “Cupid » Alexander Mogilny told that despite an unsuccessful start to the season, the team managed to find strength for the decisive period and naturally reached the playoffs.
In the first round of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoffs, Amur, which took eighth place in the East, lost in series to the conference leader Metallurg Magnitogorsk (2-4).
— The season for Amur turned out to be contrasting – the team spent a long time outside the playoff zone, but then broke into the first round, where they fought well against Magnitogorsk (2-4 in the series). How are you finding this year?
— The governor of the Khabarovsk Territory, Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev, said that he would pay great attention to the club. He actually kept his promises and arranged the financing. We recruited good players.
Why, unfortunately, did “Amour” sag a bit at the start of the season? Because the main players were injured – the same Alex Broadhurst missed most of the season. And he’s really one of the leaders of the club. Of course, it crippled us – they hoped so. But at the end of the season he came back and showed himself well.
A good selection was made… Well, yes, during the championship there were chatter: ups and downs. But in the end, the guys pulled themselves together, put together a solid winning streak, and earned their spot in the playoffs.
— Was there a moment with Magnitogorsk when Amur could have won a series, but didn’t take advantage of their chance?
— The first home match turned out to be a bit chaotic. “Amur” lost with a score of 2:3. And in the fourth meeting he confidently won (5:2). It seems to me that Amour could win two matches at home. The guys realized that they were capable of playing for a big club. And at times, they even dominated.
In my opinion, it was a wonderful and interesting series. And the sixth game in Khabarovsk (2:3 OT) could have gone in any direction. It turns out that Magnitogorsk scored. But the series was incredibly interesting. The fans had a lot of fun and they missed the playoffs…I think this is just the beginning. The main victories of Amur are yet to come.
— “Amour” set itself a very shocking goal: to win the Gagarin Cup in 2026. This season showed that a step in the right direction has been taken. Is it difficult to attract the best players to the Far East? What changed? Why did they leave?
— First, Amour offered good contracts. It also means a lot. Plus the attitude towards the guys. And the organization is at the highest level.
Players understand that they can and should go to Khabarovsk. Yes, flights are difficult. But we have to adapt to this. Treat it well, recover.
And the 2026 goal – yes, we need to set big goals. Why not do that? We have to try to go towards them,” Mogilny told .
In March last year, Mogilny left the post of president of Amur, which he had held since 2015, and became honorary president of the club. Previously, he was the president of Admiral Vladivostok since the club’s establishment in 2013.
Watch live broadcasts of the Fonbet KHL Championship playoff matches on the Match Group channels, matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru sites.
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
