2001 IIHF World Junior Championship

All eyes will be on 17-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk, a 6-3, 200-pound center who is likely to be the top choice in the 2001 NHL draft. Kovalchuk led Russia to the gold medal at last year's World Under-17 Challenge in Timmins, Ont. Pint-sized Evgeny Muratov, and Pavel Vorobiev are also sharpshooters to watch. Winger Evgeni Shastin and defenseman Anton Volchenkov have excellent pedigrees - their fathers both played for the Central Red Army Club when it was a powerhouse in Europe. Andrei Shefer, top choice of the Los Angeles Kings in 1999, is back in Russia this season after averaging better than a point a game for the Quebec League Halifax Mooseheads in 1999-2000. Defenseman Kirl Safronov, a gold medalist at Winnipeg in 1999, is expected to be released to play by the AHL Springfield Falcons. Petr Vorobiev was fired from his job as head coach of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the Russian Superleague in November, but managed to maintain his position as national junior team coach. Goaltending could be the team's only weakness. Sergei Mylnikov, son of the goalie by the same name who gave up Mario Lemieux's historic winning goal in the 1987 Canada Cup, is number 1 and some say he is about as mediocre as his father.

 

# Player S/C Ht. (cm) Wt. (kg) Birthdate 2000-01 Team
Goaltenders/Gardiens de but
1 PETROV Alexey L 177 79 13/04/81 Sibir Novosibirsk
3 Barkunov Alexander L 185 84 13/05/81 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
30 CHEREPANOV Denis L 185 78 21/03/82 Molot Perm
Defence/Défense
4 VOLCHENKOV Anton L 185 100 25/02/82 Sovjet Wings
5 TUTIN Fedor L 188 89 19/03/83 SKA St/ Petersburg
6 KORNEEV Vladislav L 179 81 30/03/81 Severstal
7 ROZAKOV Rail L 183 88 29/03/81 Metallurg Novokuznetsk
9 KNIAZEV Igor L 180 77 27/01/83 Sibir Novosibirsk
14 NEPRJAEV Ivan L 188 81 04/02/82 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
21 SAFRONOV Kirill L 185 86 26/02/81 Quebec Remparts
23 GOLIKOV Sergey R 183 75 22/08/82 Molot Perm
29 DENISOV Denis L 185 84 31/12/81 HC Moscow
Forwards/Avants
2 MEDVEDEV Andrei L 183 96 01/04/83 Spartak Moscow
8 SELOUIANOV Alexandre R 184 79 24/03/82 Salavat Yulaev Ufa
10 DUMA Pavel L 189 87 20/06/81 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
11 MURATOV Evgeny R 176 80 28/01/81 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
12 SVITOV Alexandre L 191 90 03/11/82 Avangard Omsk
13 SHASTIN Egor L 177 75 10/09/82 Avangard Omsk
15 CHAGODAEV Alexandr R 188 80 15/01/81 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
16 LUCHKIN Vladislav L 184 83 03/02/82 Severstal Cherepoveta
17 VOROBIEV Pavel L 184 77 05/05/82 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
18 TCHERNOV Artem L 179 82 28/04/82 Metallurg Novokuznetsk
19 RUDENKO Konstantin R 178 79 23/07/81 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
20 CHISTOV Stanislav L 179 77 17/04/83 Avangard Omsk
22 JAKOUBOV Mikhail L 190 89 16/02/82 Lada Togliatti
24 BOUTOURLINE Alexandre L 182 82 03/09/81 CSK Samara
25 KOVALTCHOUK Ilia R 187 92 15/04/83 Spartak Moscow
26 CHEFER Andrei L 184 96 26/07/81 Severstal
27 GLADSKIKH Evgueni L 181 83 24/04/82 Metallurg Magnitogorsk
28 ZOTKINE Alexei L 181 91 05/02/82 Metallurg Magnitogorsk