Potential participants of the 2024/2025 season and representatives of the Hockey Federation of Ukraine discussed the upcoming start of the new game year.
Seven teams have submitted their preliminary applications for participation in the championship. In addition to the six teams that competed last year (Sokil, Kremenchuk, Dnipro, Kyiv Capitals, Tryzub and Berserks), a new team, Shtorm from Odesa, has joined the competition.
To find more information about the agenda of the first meeting and our club’s application for the 2024/2025 season, we interviewed the sports director of Kyiv Capitals, Oleg Hrushetskyi.
Oleg, tell us how the first meeting of potential participating teams of the 2024/2025 season with FHU ended?
FHU was represented at the meeting with the clubs by Serhii Babynets, the director of the championship department. Babynets, who was part of the championship-winning team Sokil last season, discussed the upcoming season’s plans and the championship’s structure with the representatives of six clubs (at the time of the meeting, Dnipro had not yet submitted its participation letter). The championship is set to follow the same system as last year, with hopes that all seven teams that submitted preliminary applications will participate. The preliminary start of the championship is scheduled for mid-September.
Considering the risks associated with the current situation in the country, for how long has our club been contemplating participating in the upcoming championship?
The club is currently operational and in the process of forming its squad for the upcoming season. Despite ongoing risks due to the continuation of the war and challenging circumstances with electricity supply, we remain optimistic about the future of Ukrainian hockey. Kyiv Capitals initially withheld their intentions to join the championship to ensure they had the necessary draft regulatory documents for the season preparation. These documents have now been received, and we are reviewing them in detail. We encourage everyone to carefully review previous versions of the regulations and the calendar and provide their suggestions, as this significantly impacts the competition’s organization. It is evident that certain issues require a collaborative resolution among the clubs and FHU.
Last season marked the inaugural season for Kyiv Capitals in Ukrainian hockey. How significant is this experience in shaping the future operations of the club?
Every season brings with it a fresh set of challenges and opportunities. The previous game year marked the Kyiv Capitals’ debut in the elite ranks of Ukrainian hockey, though many of our team members and employees were no strangers to this level of competition. Our ultimate goal is to foster growth and development as a club. As we look ahead to the upcoming season, we are setting our sights on achieving championship success and securing medals.
