why would it? Donbas will be in the KHL next year (with a junior program/school to boot) and if Sokil doesn't get back on its feet then some other oligarch will swoop in and *eventually* get a pro team / school in Kyiv within a few years.....that should be more than enough to stave off grim, cold death
With all the new hockey programs set up by the KHL/VHL, etc. hockey in Eastern Europe looks to finally be on the rise again. I think Ukraine will greatly benefit from the KHL team and hockey programs that it will bring to the country when it arrives. This should save it from a fate similar to Romania or Poland and hopefully allow them to keep their top talent from taking Russian passports/citizenship.
Ukraine is not really interested in hockey, but there's a group of people in Donetsk, and a few other places who like hockey and want to invest into it. How permanent are these intentions - remains to be seen. So far Donbas has a great for VHL roster and started off with two wins (on in SO)
Chapter Board of Directors of Holding Company "Berkut" Sergei Kharovskii noted that the club has set itself a maximum goal: win the championship this season in perspective and create a team of KHL.The immediate objective of the club - to build its own training base. There are currently preparing the project and the necessary documentation in order to get permission to build a base in Koncha Zaspa, except where the necessary infrastructure is planned to build two ice-skating rink. Until the end of the month club is planning to launch its own website.
Kharkiv Sharks are, at least, trying to promote hockey in the city
Quote:
President "Kharkiv Shark" has told, that now in Kharkov is actively working to ensure that every resident of the city knew about the hockey team: "We want to" infect " City hockey.
The article also mentions the Sumy Ravens and Ivano-Frankivsk Tsunami as teams that tried to get in this year but couldn't, and HC Vanguard (not sure the city?)
Also looking to expand to Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Severodonetsk, and Zakarpattia in the future
The best part of expansion is that teams are required to create their own hockey schools (and this year, since it happened so far, donate money towards youth development). For years its been Kyiv or Kharkiv or bust. Expanding youth development to cities that have never had it before is the absolute most important function this league could have.
With all the new hockey programs set up by the KHL/VHL, etc. hockey in Eastern Europe looks to finally be on the rise again. I think Ukraine will greatly benefit from the KHL team and hockey programs that it will bring to the country when it arrives. This should save it from a fate similar to Romania or Poland and hopefully allow them to keep their top talent from taking Russian passports/citizenship.
I wouldn´t be 100% sure about your first sentence. I think what they need even more is to finally understand the fact that hockey is build from the bottom up and not the other way around.
I wouldn´t be 100% sure about your first sentence. I think what they need even more is to finally understand the fact that hockey is build from the bottom up and not the other way around.
wouldn't an associated MHL / hockey school to the KHL team be part of the "bottom up"?
wouldn't an associated MHL / hockey school to the KHL team be part of the "bottom up"?
In a way yes, but not really, in MHL case we´re talking about mostly 18-19 year old players and while it still are important years in the development of a player, my point about the bottom up was about much earlier categories. Additionally, you´d have the KHL team first and only then the MHL team, which is compulsary for a KHL team to have, so that´s deffinitaly building from the above down.
said the chairman of the board of trustees of the club Serhiy Kharovsyi . - Our ambition - is to create a team in the KHL. And now we are preparing an arena with two ice rinks and associated sports infrastructure in Koncha-Zaspa (ed. here).
"We want our team to show a high-level of hockey. [...] To do this, we are trying to sign a long-term contract with the Palace of Sports. September 20 Berkut play with Donbass-2, and we are waiting for October 6 game with Sokil. The matches will take place just on the ice of the Palace of Sports. "
"We want to be an open and public team. We want to be loved by the fans. To do this we need to play good hockey and do it with quality."
Also before the end of September, Golden Eagle plans to launch its official website.
