Makar Kurbatov: «I really wanted to score a lacrosse goal»
31.01.2025
17-year-old Reaktor forward Makar Kurbatov made his debut in the JHL during the current season and immediately became a noticeable player in the Reaktor team. Makar talked about adaptation in the team, impressions in the new league, building a daily routine and the training process in an interview.
– I think the adaptation went great. Everything is fine in the team, there is a very cool team here. As for the city - yes, Nizhnekamsk is much smaller than St. Petersburg and Ufa, but for me the most important thing is to play hockey, train, give 100%, that's why I came here. I live in our dorm with Semyon Lyubalin, we have a great connection - we like the same temperature in the room, we have the same attitude to order - you could say we are exemplary neighbors.
– Did you know any of the guys before?
– Yes, Mitya Semenenko, Chris Muissa and Kondrat Reshetnikov - we played with them in St. Petersburg in the Silver Lions as children. I played with Chris on the same team most of the time.
– You made your JHL debut on Reaktor. Do you remember your first game in the new league?
– I was extremely dissatisfied with myself because I knew I could do better. I wanted to stand out in the very first match, I wanted to show what I was capable of. It seems like there was no particular excitement, but the decision-making was a little late. Apparently, I got used to playing in the UHL, when I could calmly take the puck and run with it to the goal. Here the level of play is different and there is a lot of competition.
Last season, when you finished playing at the children's level, you had weighty statistics, you scored more than 60 points in a season.
– Maybe that's why I expected to immediately shoot?
– I remember when I came to play in the Salavat Yulaev system, I didn’t think about points at all. I thought that the most important thing was the team’s victory, and I had to play well in defense and support the attack. Then they told me that I needed to score points myself. I began to focus not only on the team’s victory, but also on my own results. Artyom Makarkin helped me with this, last season more than half of my goals came from his assists. In the MHL, I have 23 games and only 7 points, I need to improve the situation.
– Nevertheless, your lacrosse became the hit of the week…
– It’s nice when you are noticed. Such moments inspire me to new achievements. I really wanted to score a lacrosse goal, and I did. Mom and Dad saw this moment, it was great. But in fact, the main thing is the team’s result.
– Is your daily routine different on training and game days?
– Not much. Before game days, I try to get enough sleep. I am demanding of myself in terms of following the regime, but it can be difficult to fall asleep on time. When away, we live together with Danil Shishkin, he is a real talent - he can lie down and fall asleep in a minute. I can’t always do that.
– What else is important to you, besides following the sleep schedule and proper nutrition?
– Giving it all in training, like it’s the last time, working on the ice. I admit, working out in the gym is not my favorite thing at all. Playing football or basketball is great, but working with weights is not. Although I understand the importance of the gym, I work out, we need to change our attitude to strength training. Physics is important to us.
– How do you prepare yourself before a game?
– I try to be noticeable on the ice. The coaching staff gives instructions, I try to follow them as much as possible - this is a power struggle, catching the puck on myself, bringing the puck to the goal. I perceive and remember Igor Viktorovich's instructions well, and he gives us feedback, personally notes in moments where it worked and where it didn't. If he says that he played well in the body, I try to repeat it in the next shift. Of course, everyone notices more, for example, lacrosse, but for me it is more of an element of the show, for the beauty of the game.
– Who put you on skates?
– My dad also started playing hockey as a child, but the family did not have the financial means for this sport. When I was 4 years old, my dad and his close friend brought me to a lesson for the first time. He said that when he first laced up his skates and I first stood on the ice, I immediately ran, as if I had been skating on them all my life. And right after that, when we came home, he said that now we would have a serious manly conversation. He sat down opposite me and asked if I wanted to play hockey, if I could see myself in it. I confidently said yes. By the way, his friend chose my first number – 31, because my birthday is on March 31.
– Is your number important to you?
– I really wanted the number to have 7 – either 37 or 71 – it doesn’t matter. Because my sister’s birthday is on April 7. Now I have number 67 – I like it.
– The team is going through a tough time right now – several players and head coach Igor Viktorovich Fedorov have been disqualified. How did the team take this news?
– That’s hockey, it happens. But I can say one thing for sure, this situation has definitely united the team. And at the same time, it has given a chance to prove themselves to those guys who didn’t get much playing time. Including me, I got the opportunity to prove myself in the upcoming matches. I am sure this will make us stronger. We have a crazy attitude for every game. I have played in different teams, but in Reaktor it feels especially good. And it is very cool. I am sure that we will do everything possible to bring all possible points from the next away game.
– What, in your opinion, creates this atmosphere in the team?
– It all comes from the older guys. There are very good relationships within the team, everyone is for each other. Our captain, Andrei Eremenko, plays a very important role in the team. There is no division between adult players and those who are in their first year in the MHL, thank them for that. The most important thing is positivity. And I am attracted to such people - in the team, and in life!
– What is your goal for the rest of the season?
– If we had reached the play-in, and then the playoffs and won the cup, it would not have mattered to me at all how many points I earned. For myself, my goal is to gain a foothold in the team and continue playing next season. I only worry about points when, for example, there was an opportunity to score into an empty net, but I missed. The main thing is for the team to win.
– Not much. Before game days, I try to get enough sleep. I am demanding of myself in terms of following the regime, but it can be difficult to fall asleep on time. When away, we live together with Danil Shishkin, he is a real talent - he can lie down and fall asleep in a minute. I can’t always do that.
– What else is important to you, besides following the sleep schedule and proper nutrition?
– Giving it all in training, like it’s the last time, working on the ice. I admit, working out in the gym is not my favorite thing at all. Playing football or basketball is great, but working with weights is not. Although I understand the importance of the gym, I work out, we need to change our attitude to strength training. Physics is important to us.
– How do you prepare yourself before a game?
– I try to be noticeable on the ice. The coaching staff gives instructions, I try to follow them as much as possible - this is a power struggle, catching the puck on myself, bringing the puck to the goal. I perceive and remember Igor Viktorovich's instructions well, and he gives us feedback, personally notes in moments where it worked and where it didn't. If he says that he played well in the body, I try to repeat it in the next shift. Of course, everyone notices more, for example, lacrosse, but for me it is more of an element of the show, for the beauty of the game.
– Who put you on skates?
– My dad also started playing hockey as a child, but the family did not have the financial means for this sport. When I was 4 years old, my dad and his close friend brought me to a lesson for the first time. He said that when he first laced up his skates and I first stood on the ice, I immediately ran, as if I had been skating on them all my life. And right after that, when we came home, he said that now we would have a serious manly conversation. He sat down opposite me and asked if I wanted to play hockey, if I could see myself in it. I confidently said yes. By the way, his friend chose my first number – 31, because my birthday is on March 31.
– Is your number important to you?
– I really wanted the number to have 7 – either 37 or 71 – it doesn’t matter. Because my sister’s birthday is on April 7. Now I have number 67 – I like it.
– The team is going through a tough time right now – several players and head coach Igor Viktorovich Fedorov have been disqualified. How did the team take this news?
– That’s hockey, it happens. But I can say one thing for sure, this situation has definitely united the team. And at the same time, it has given a chance to prove themselves to those guys who didn’t get much playing time. Including me, I got the opportunity to prove myself in the upcoming matches. I am sure this will make us stronger. We have a crazy attitude for every game. I have played in different teams, but in Reaktor it feels especially good. And it is very cool. I am sure that we will do everything possible to bring all possible points from the next away game.
– What, in your opinion, creates this atmosphere in the team?
– It all comes from the older guys. There are very good relationships within the team, everyone is for each other. Our captain, Andrei Eremenko, plays a very important role in the team. There is no division between adult players and those who are in their first year in the MHL, thank them for that. The most important thing is positivity. And I am attracted to such people - in the team, and in life!
– What is your goal for the rest of the season?
– If we had reached the play-in, and then the playoffs and won the cup, it would not have mattered to me at all how many points I earned. For myself, my goal is to gain a foothold in the team and continue playing next season. I only worry about points when, for example, there was an opportunity to score into an empty net, but I missed. The main thing is for the team to win.
