Kirill Petrov invited to Islanders’ rookie camp (Photo © Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Kirill Petrov of Ak Bars Kazan was invited to New York Islanders‘ rookie camp. The 20 years old player will most likely leave the KHL this summer and will report to North America, according to Petrov’s agent Vyacheslav Makhrensky.

Petrov was U20 team Russia’s top scorer at the latest WJC. He’s got little chances with Ak Bars this year and he has been demoted down to Kazan’s affiliates in the Russian First League, Neftyanik Almetievsk. In the KHL he played only eight regular season games, without getting any point.

Kirill Petrov: “I will finish the season in Russia, come to America next year” (Photo © Jana Chytilova/NHLI)

Kirill Petrov is likely to join the New York Islanders of the NHL at the end of this season. His KHL team, Ak Bars Kazan, isn’t giving him ice time as he was demoted down to the Russian High League.

“I wasn’t getting ice time and I was going to leave for the second half of the season,” Petrov said through a translator to The Hockey News. “But management told me after the World (Junior) Championship I will get ice time. I will finish the season in Russia and maybe come to North America next year.”

Kirill Petrov was a big part of this year’s WJC Team Russia. In the six games of the tournament he scored four points an six assists. He also got the C on the chest after head coach Vladimir Plyuschev decided to strip Nikita Filatov of the captaincy, after the surprising defeat against Team Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

“It means I must be a leader on and off the ice,” Petrov said of the captaincy to The Hockey News. “It was the coach’s decision, so I took it.”

Russians finish sixth at the WJC (Photo © Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Losing 4-3 against team Finland in the fifth place deciding game, Plyuschev’s team Russia got their second straight defeat and finished the World Junior Championships at a very disappointing sixth place, the worst result since 2001.

This year’s team Russia performed badly throughout the whole tournament, and the match against Finland was no different. Ramis Sadikov started between the pipes, with Igor Bobkov being iced after twenty-sixth minutes.

The first period counted three goals: Maxim Trunev opened the score, while Teemu Eronen made it 1-1 with the man advantage at the sixteenth. All the four Finn goals will be scored while on the powerplay. With only twenty-three seconds to play, Alexander Burmistrov scored the go-ahead goal for the Russians.

During the second period Plyuschev subbed Sadikov with Bobkov, which allowed a goal to the Finns ninety seconds to the second horn.

The third period decided the game. With a double man advantage Jyri Niemi made it 3-2, but Burmistrov scored his second goal of the game to tie it up once again. At the fifty second minute team Russia was caught with too many men on the ice and the Finns spoiled the chance getting the game winning goal with Edmonton Oilers’ prospect Teemu Hartikainen.

In the dying seconds Plyuschev recalled Bobkov on the bench for the extra-attacker, but the desperation move didn’t work and thus the Finns could celebrate a well deserved win.

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Team Russia to face Switzerland in WJC quarterfinals (Photo © fhr.ru)

After finishing the group stage with nine points in four games, Team Russia earned the second seed of the B Group and thus is going to face in the World Junior Championships quarterfinals the third seed of the A group, team Switzerland, who managed to skate past Slovakia 4-1 despite being without their top two defensemen, Luca Sbisa and Roman Josi.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, January 2nd at 4 PM local time.

In the last two group stage games Team Russia faced Team Sweden and Team Czech Republic. The match against Tre Kronor wasn’t good for Plyuschev’s guys, as they were down 2-0 already after the first period. During the second period Team Russia tried to react and scored a goal with Kirill Petrov, but it wasn’t enough as Team Sweden added a further marker in any period to finish the match 4-1.

In the very last group stage match Team Russia downed Team Czech Republic. The game’s breaker was Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored a double and added one assist in Plyuschev’s squad 5-2 victory. Tarasenko himself opened the score in the first period after a beautiful combination between Maxim Trunev and Alexander Burmistrov. Kirill Petrov doubled the advantage for Team Russia in the second period, who allowed a powerplay breakaway to Jan Kana at the thirty-sixth minute that meant the 2-1. The third period was quite until the 54th minute mark, when Stepan Novotny tied up the match.

But less than one minute later Vladimir Tarasenko took control of a loose puck in the neutral zone, launched Maxim Kitsyn, who returned him the puck seconds later. After a couple of strides Tarasenko shoot the puck in and scored with an eye-catching wrist shot.

Team Russia added a couple of goals later, first with Maxim Chudinov and then with Alexander Burmistrov.

The winner of the quarterfinal match will face Team Canada in the semifinals on January 3rd.

WJC Final roster released (Photo © fhr.ru)

On December 25th, Russian national junior team head coach Vladimir Plyuschev named the final roster for the World Junior Championships. He took some drastic decisions as he decided not to call goalkeeper Alexander Pechursky, defenseman Kirill Yuriev, forwards Mikhail Fisenko and Dmitry Kugryshev.

This is how the final roster looks like:

Goalkeepers
Igor Bobkov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1991
Ramis Sadikov, Erie Otters, OHL, 1991

Defensemen
Anton Klementyev, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, AHL, 1990
Dmitry Orlov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Chudinov, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Dmitry Kostromitin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL, 1990
Nikita Zaitsev, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk, 1991
Alexander Tarasov, HC MVD, 1990

Forwards
Nikita Filatov, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Colts, OHL, 1991
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Pavel Dedunov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Ivan Telegin, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 1992
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Trunev, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1992
Evgeny Timkin, Avangard Omsk, 1990
Vyacheslav Kulemin, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, 1990
Magomed Gimbatov, SKA St. Petersburg, 1990
Petr Khokhryakov, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, 1990

Team Russia’s first match will be played on Boxing Day against Team Austria.

Team Russia WJC roster released (Photo © Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

The roster for the World Junior Championships has been released today by head coach Vladimir Plyuschev and Russian Hockey Federation. Just as usual it looks like that the team’s strongest area will be the offensive front, with many high quality forwards. The defense looks a bit thin and there isn’t a clear starting goaltender. The team’s leader will be Nikita Filatov.

This is how the roster appears to be:

Goalkeepers
Igor Bobkov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1991
Alexander Pechursky, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1990
Ramis Sadikov, Erie Otters, OHL, 1991

Defensemen
Dmitri Orlov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Chudinov, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Dmitri Kostromitin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL, 1990
Nikita Zaitsev, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk, 1991
Alexander Tarasov, HC MVD, 1990
Kirill Yuriev, Lada Togliatti, 1991

Forwards
Nikita Filatov, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Colts, OHL, 1991
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Pavel Dedunov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Ivan Telegin, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 1992
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Trunev, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1992
Evgeny Timkin, Avangard Omsk, 1990
Vyacheslav Kulemin, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, 1990
Magomed Gimbatov, SKA St. Petersburg, 1990
Petr Khokhryakov, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, 1990
Dmitry Kugryshev, Quebec Remparts, QMJHL, 1990

Extended WJC roster for Team Russia released (Photo © Shaun Best/Reuters)

Today coach Vladimir Plyuschev released the extended list of the players called for the WJC. Nikita Filatov is there, as well as Evgeny Grachev, who recently has been ruled out by the Rangers. isn’t part of the roster. The team will start the training camp in Novogorsk on December 7th and will go on until December 18th.

This is how the roster appears to be:

Goalkeepers
Igor Bobkov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1992
Alexander Zalivin, Dinamo Moscow, 1991
Ramis Sadikov, Erie Otters, OHL, 1991
Alexei Trifonov, Lada Togliatti, 1990

Defensemen
Anton Klementyev, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, 1990
Dmitri Orlov, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Chudinov, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Dmitri Kostromitin, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL, 1990
Nikita Zaitsev, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Nikita Pivtsakin, Avangard Omsk, 1991
Konstantin Plaksin, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1990
Alexander Tarasov, HC MVD, 1990
Ildar Isangulov, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, 1992
Kirill Yuriev, Lada Togliatti, 1991
Vyacheslav Voinov, Manchester Monarchs, AHL, 1990
Dmitry Kulikov, Florida Panthers, 1990

Forwards
Nikita Filatov, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Alexander Burmistrov, Barrie Colts, OHL, 1992
Vladimir Tarasenko, Sibir Novosibirsk, 1991
Pavel Dedunov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Ivan Telegin, Saginaw Spirit, OHL, 1992
Maxim Kitsyn, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1991
Maxim Trunev, Severstal Cherepovets, 1990
Sergei Plotnikov, Amur Khabarovsk, 1990
Evgeny Kuznetsov, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1992
Evgeny Timkin, Avangard Omsk, 1990
Vyacheslav Kulemin, CSKA Moscow, 1990
Egor Dugin, Traktor Chelyabinsk, 1990
Kirill Petrov, Ak Bars Kazan, 1990
Magomed Gimbatov, SKA St. Petersburg, 1990
Petr Khokhryakov, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, 1990
Dmitry Kugryshev, Quebec Remparts, QMJHK, 1990
Evgeny Grachev, Hartford Wolf Pack, AHL, 1990