Reaktor History
23.12.2025
Reaktor's next game will be their 1,001st in the JHL. The recent away game against Mamonty Ugry, as you might guess, was their 1,000th! In honor of this, we will delve into the history of our junior team and recall the most memorable moments, from the team's first game to its 1,000th!
Reaktor played their first game in the JHL on September 8th, way back in 2009. Back then, Reaktor, coached by Alexander Sokolov, hosted Bars from Kazan. There's a certain symbolism to this game, as the inaugural meeting featured teams from Tatarstan. The Tatarstan derby ended with our junior team winning 6–3. Defenseman Maxim Berezin, who still plays in the KHL, scored the first goal in Reaktor's history. Forward Airat Ziazov even scored a hat trick. Scoring three goals in the team's first game is truly unique!The teams played the next game the following day. Reaktor achieved a more convincing 5–1 victory. Airat Ziazov once again played well, scoring 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist). It's also worth mentioning forward Yaroslav Alshevsky, who scored 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in two games.
At the end of the regular season, our player, Airat Ziazov, became the league's top scorer. In 53 games, the forward scored 83 points (37 goals, 46 assists), easily leading the league in scoring. The Alshevsky brothers, Yaroslav and Stanislav, were among the JHL's top five in scoring. The former scored 72 points (29 goals, 43 assists), while the latter had 71 (35 goals, 36 assists). This is a unique achievement, as three of our players were among the league's top ten. Indeed, back then, this attacking trio was making waves throughout the league. However, in recent years, Reaktor players have been actively contributing to the team's history. For example, forward Raul Yakupov became Reaktor's top scorer: in 172 games, he scored 158 points (88 goals, 70 assists).
Reaktor's debut season was a success – they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference, earning 94 points with 31 wins. In the first round of the playoffs, our junior team faced Sherif, which plaуed in the Western Conference. Reaktor needed just three games to advance to the next round. In the quarterfinals, Alexander Sokolov's team faced Kuznetskie Medvedi, where they prevailed, winning the series 3–1.
The first coach in Reaktor's history.
Alexander Yuryevich Sokolov took charge of the team in its debut season in the JHL. He previously coached Neftekhimik–2 and the main Neftekhimik team. Speaking of Reaktor, Alexander Sokolov led it from 2009 to 2012. He then served as head coach in the VHL, but returned to the Nizhnekamsk youth team before the 2013/14 season.
Under Aleksandr Sokolov, the team always made the playoffs, and in the 2016/17 season, the coach managed to lead our youth team to the Kharlamov Cup final!
The coach holds the Reaktor record for most games coached – 414! Under Aleksandr Yuryevich, the team won 197 games, 10 of which were in playoffs.
It's impossible not to mention the players who graduated under this head coach and went on to have successful careers: defensemen Maxim Berezin, Andrei Sergeyev, and Damir Sharipzyanov; forwards Airat Ziazov, Stanislav and Yaroslav Alshevsky, Ansel and Emil Galimov, Pyotr Khokhryakov, Pavel Kulikov, Pavel Poryadin, Marat Khairullin, Rafael Bikmullin, and Bulat Shafigullin. The list goes on and on…
The most crushing victory in Reaktor's history.
On February 8, 2018, an away game against Sputnik Almetyevsk took place. This game went down in the history of our youth team, as the boys defeated their opponents 11-4! To date, it is the highest-scoring victory in Reaktor's history.
After the first period, there was no indication of a crushing victory – the opponent went into the break leading with a one–goal lead 1-2. However, the second period completely changed the path of the game. Reaktor scored eight unanswered goals! One goal after another, turning a 1-2 lead into a 9-2 lead within twenty minutes. Reaktor kept scoring and won this game.
In this game, our players had a good time scoring points: Islam Khasanov, Timur Khafizov, and Bulat Shafigullin each scored five points. Razat Timirov scored four points, and Arsen Khisamutdinov three.
The most successful season.
The 2016/17 season will forever be in the team's history. Then, under the leadership of Alexander Yuryevich Sokolov, Reaktor reached the Kharlamov Cup final, where they lost to Krasnaya Armiya.
During the regular season, Reaktor took first place in the JHL standings! In 60 games, Reaktor won 40 games and earned 123 points.
In the first round of the playoffs, our junior team faced Avto, where they easily advanced to the next round, winning the series 3-1. The second round saw a series against the Sibirskie Snipery. The suspense remained tight until the final game, but our guys secured a convincing 6-1 victory in the deciding game. In the semifinals, Reaktor played against Almaz. The result was a 3-1 series victory and a passage to the final, where Reaktor lost to Krasnaya Armiya. Despite the defeat, reaching the final series can safely be considered a success!
Over the course of 16 years, Reaktor has amassed a rich collection of memorable moments and unforgettable victories. We believe the biggest events and achievements are yet to come!
