Dmitry Khristich’s team prepares for the final round of the Olympic qualification
Ukrainian National Hockey Team began a training camp in Budapest ahead of the final round of Olympic qualifying matches.
Nineteen players took part in the first training session. Eight more players will arrive in the coming days. Artur Cholach, who represents the American Hockey League club Henderson Silver Knight, will join the national team on August 19.
“We were also counting on striker Yaroslav Panchenko, but unfortunately the Kyiv Capitals club did not let him go,” said assistant coach of the Ukrainian national team Oleg Shafarenko.
“We are aware that the Olympic qualification matches will be held in front of full stands of Arena Riga. Therefore, we are betting on experience, on players who are not only skilled, but also mentally strong. We would also invite defenders Vsevolod Tolstushka and Aleksey Yanishevsky from Sokol, but they dropped out of the lineup due to injuries and are currently undergoing treatment. Finally, the presence of a large number of experienced hockey players does not mean that the young people who are currently working at the training camp have fewer chances. Whoever is stronger will be included in the final roster.”
“The guys worked with enthusiasm during the first training session. They are all fresh, so it is still difficult to draw conclusions about their readiness. Clarity will come after about a week of work.”
The Ukrainian national team planned to hold two friendly matches at the training camp in Budapest – with the Hungarian national team and one of the local clubs. The match with the Hungarian national team will take place on August 25, negotiations on the second friendly match are still ongoing.
In the preliminary round of Olympic qualification, the blue-yellows defeated South Korea (4:0), beat the Polish team (3:2) in a shootout, and triumphed over Estonia (5:3).
In the final round, Dmitry Khristich’s team will play France, Slovenia and Latvia. The matches will be held in Riga from August 29 to September 1. The winner of the quartet will receive a ticket to the 2026 Olympic Games.
Source: Sportarena
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