Igor Fyodorov: «It is all about character»
01.05.2024
Reaktor head coach Igor Fyodorov spent his sixth season with his team – four years as an assistant coach, and the last two as head coach. In the interview, he summed up the season that ended and shared his plans for the future.
– Igor Viktorovich, how would rate this season?– Something like two sides of a coin. There was an upswing when we made play-in, so I was afraid that the boys had become overconfident. Overall, it was a good season. Time flies. Of course, we wanted to play longer. We play active hockey and always score a lot. Unfortunately, it happens that we concede a lot. Playing defensively is not my style, I want it to be interesting for both the audience and the boys. You need good physics and a smart head.
– Which of the newcomers played good in your opinion?
– I do not want to single out anyone, everyone is great. No one dropped out of the roster during the season.
– Due to age, 12 players left Reaktor. Have you begun work on the roster of the new team?
– First of all, we are looking at the graduates of Neftekhimik Hockey School, while we are analyzing, we already have several players in mind. We will involve them in preseason tournaments, and if they prove that they are good players, we will include them in the roster. I would like to give an opportunity to local players. Finding suitable players among the large number of people who want to play in the youth team sometimes is so difficult. But last year we found the guys from 2006, Muissa and Reshetnikov, and we hope that they will be able to play even better in the new season.
– What positions do you think need to be strengthened in the team?
– We need to strengthen our defensive line.
– Now the team has two goaltenders Rukhlyadev and Lyubalin. Are you looking for a third goaltender?
– If they used to say that the goaltender is half of the team, now it is 99% of the team. If you have a reliable goaltender, then half the battle is done. Rukhlyadev, a student of our Neftekhimik school, is a fighter with character, I have never met anyone like him before. If he works, he will succeed. This season, two guys came from Yaroslavl, Sharpanov and Lyubalin, they are great, they played for 100% to the best of their abilities. I watched Vitya for several years and made no mistake; towards the end of the season he became the main goaltender. There were different games, but at the end of the season I trusted my mind, it worked, I think, very well. Now he has already passed the youth age, we are looking for a replacement and we also count on our guys. We have got our eye on a couple more guys, we will analyze their game.
– Does the coaching staff remain the same?
– We have an excellent team, my assistants Ilnur Vakilovich and Anton Vitalievich are good specialists and do their job. Our coaching staff has developed, I do not think changes are needed.
– Do you give the guys an independent training program during their vacation? What should it be like in a best possible way?
– The program was developed in cooperation with Strength and Conditioning Coaches, I hope the guys will practice. Two weeks of rest is enough, and then you need to start working independently. Gym, swimming, running – everyone received a training program. When we start our preseason camp on July 8, it will be immediately clear who prepared well and who did not. We plan to have a medical examination, then we will conduct training camps at our Almash base. We will conduct three training sessions a day in the first week, and on July 15 we will skate on the ice.
– There were often situations when your team lost the initiative and their advantage even by several goals at the end of the game. Why did this happen?
– Some awkward situations happened, we missed two chances, conceded a goal, then the game went into overtime, and we lost it. This is hockey, if no one made mistakes, then everyone would play with the score 0:0.
– Among those who will continue to play next season, do you see those who can take leadership positions?
– Seva Sokolov has made a big step, I hope he will be able to take the lead roles. Reshetnikov, Muissa, Gizyatov, Stolyarov, I can name them all – all our guys are great. Anyone can get on ice time, it is all up to them. We give information, prepare them, and it is up to them to play, who does great work and applies this knowledge.
– For you, the primary task is to prepare players for the transition to the next level – VHL and KHL, or is it more important to play here and now, to go further, to win games?
– The result is needed, without it the youth will not grow, so that they feel the intensity. Moreover, in knockout games, skill is added. The main task is still to prepare players for the KHL. I think we have succeeded in this over the past two years. Several guys went further – Islam Gainullin, Danil Sherstobitov, Max Ustimkin, Nikita Khoruzhev. Whoever wants to play will make his way through. Several guys went through Reaktor system and became JHL champions. In two years, three of our players – Artamonov, Morozov and Nugmanov – won the Kharlamov Cup. This season, Grisha Morozov became one of the best defensemen in the JHL. It is all about character. In the final stretch of the regular season, the more experienced guys really helped out. We have known them for five years, appreciate their help, they showed a great example for the youth. Now they have graduated from youth hockey, they need to do their best at the adult level. Morozov and Khoruzhev signed contracts, I am happy for them. The boys are progressing, they need to earn their chance and prove that they deserve to play. We are waiting them to play in the KHL.
