After an unsuccessful season, CSKA has significantly updated itself. The core, which won more than one Gagarin Cup, went to other KHL clubs, and the “young blood” came to the military team. Most of them come from abroad. Nikita Nesterov – one of the former former players of the champion CSKA. In an interview with correspondent Alexander Bedarev he said:
— How do you find Minsk?
— Excellent conditions. There is good ice, a hall, a large field. It is not the only one, so there is a lot of work to be done. Basically, everything is nearby and everything is convenient. Within walking distance, you could say.
— What does your training process look like now?
— The loads are quite high. We work closely together in the hall. On the ice, we work more on the speed of decision-making so that they are quick and correct. Therefore, we work on it mainly in the gym now, and on the ice, I think there will be a third cycle, the key cycle.
— From what I understand, everyone is ready in terms of physical fitness?
“Everyone like this has been coming in for so long. There’s no such thing as someone coming in unprepared. There’s a lot of competition now, there’s a lot of youngsters, we have to work harder. So everyone was in good shape and it was nice to watch the team.
“We’ve already discussed this, but I’ll ask again.” Is it normal that you’re picked up on August 1st?
— If the league decides to extend the season until May, then the guys who played in the final on May 25 will have only one month of rest. Because in June, let’s say, you rested, in July you have to prepare for training camp, on August 1 you are recovered. I think that if you move the end of the season, move the beginning as well. You can follow the example of the National Hockey League: collect from September 1 and not have such a big training camp for the whole month. We trained for two weeks, played exhibition games and left. But there must be conditions for everyone to be fit and ready. Everything is modern.
— CSKA has become younger, hasn’t it?
– Yes.
— But I wouldn’t say you have such a young team. The players were 23-24-25 years old, an excellent age for hockey.
— Nobody said 18-year-olds would play.
— You, I am not afraid of these words, you are a star and, probably, a veteran of the club, you have the right to evaluate the selection. Express yourself.
— I think the selection was successful, at the highest level. Igor Vyacheslavovich (Esmantovich) knows his job, so many guys were brought from America, almost all of them are graduates, all of them have NHL experience. I think they will help us.
— You went through the same path when you came back from the NHL. And you could fight for a roster spot there. The people who came here now are the same, at least some of them. What motivates players who come back to the KHL?
– It’s hard to say. After spending a lot of time abroad and not having enough playing time to prove himself, the player decides to come back home. Because here, they are waiting for you and will let you play and prove yourself. The main thing is to prove. In the NHL, it works, you prove it, everything seems to work out for you, but there is no next step, they don’t let you take it.
— Do you think that CSKA’s game plan will change this season compared to last season?
– Definitely, all tactics are going to change.
-Can you open the curtains a little? How do you want to play?
“We will always play with the puck, we will play aggressively and will not back down. A minimum of formation, like the old CSKA built in the middle zone.
— CSKA taught everyone that they would at least play in the final and most likely win it. Why didn’t it work last season? Basically, you always have a champion team.
– It’s like they didn’t wake up or something. It was such a slow, tough season. We win one game, we lose three. We had a hard time starting the season, everyone thought we were going to make the playoffs. As usual, based on experience.
— It seems to me that this could be a competitive season in the Western Conference…
– “West” – yes. It turns out that all the leaders of CSKA who were leaders left mainly for Dynamo and SKA. Now every match is a derby. Here is the army one, here is the Moscow one. So it will be a very interesting season, I think. Well, our guys are not weak.
– That’s exactly what I’m talking about.
— Judging by the pre-season, the guys came very hungry and are ready to prove that they did not come back in vain.
The new season of the FONBET KHL Championship starts on September 3. The current champion of the league is Metallurg Magnitogorsk. CSKA will start the tournament on September 5 with a match against Spartak on the red and white ice.
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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.
