HC Donbass
HC Donbass | |
---|---|
League | Kontinental Hockey League (2012–present) |
Conference | Western |
Division | Bobrov |
Founded | 2005 |
Home arena | Druzhba Palace of Sports (capacity: 4,130) |
Owner(s) | Borys Kolesnikov |
General manager | Serhiy Shakurov |
Head coach | Július Šupler |
Captain | Václav Nedorost |
Affiliates | HC Donbass-2 (PHL) Donetsk Bears (junior) |
Website | HCDonbass.com |
Hockey Club Donbass (Russian: ХК Донбасс; Ukrainian: Хокейний Клуб Донбас, tr. Hokeinyi Klub Donbas) is a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team based in Donetsk. The team is member of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), joining in the 2012–13 season,[1] and is the sole representative from Ukraine competing at the elite international level. Borys Kolesnikov, a prominent Ukrainian politician and businessman, purchased the team in 2010,[2] and since this time the organization has become the most successful in Ukraine.
The club was founded in 2005 as Hockey Club Donetsk-Kolbyko and took part in the XIV Ukrainian Championship by competing in the First League. After 3 years of competing only in tournament play, the club returned to the Ukrainian Hockey Championship, and ascended to the Ukrainian Major League. In its 4 seasons of national competition beginning in 2008, the franchise won its first national title in 2011, before joining the Russian Major Hockey League (VHL). Following the 2010–11 season, Donbass split into two teams with their affiliate, Donbass-2, representing the organization in the Professional Hockey League of Ukraine. The team also won the IIHF Continental Cup 2013[3]. Donbass-2 won its first title in 2012 during the inaugural PHL season.
The team takes its name from its geographic location in the heart of the Donets Basin (Donbas).
Franchise history
Origins
Donbass made its first appearance in 2001, participating in Belarus' and Ukraine's respective entry divisions, earning bronze medals in each league's finals. However, thereafter, the team would dissolve.[4]
Founding and amateur competition (2005–2009)
In December of 2005 the team was reformed under the name Donetsk-Kolbyko, and applied for participation in the First League of the annual Ukrainian Hockey Championship. A lack of artificial ice in Donetsk forced the team to practice on Lake Yasinovataya.[4] The two game competition took place between January 31 and February 3, and on only three weeks of practice,[4] the team still managed to top its respective division, and win the finals match against the Kharkiv Olympic Reserve Sports School (SDYuSShOR). Donbass would lose to ATEK Kyiv in the following playoff, failing to earn promotion to Major League.[4] Between 2006 and 2008, First League play was cancelled, but the team did compete in a series of tournaments.
In 2008 the team returned to competition in the Ukrainian Hockey Championship, participating in the Eastern Division of the Ukrainian Major League; finishing 1st and leading the division in all offensive categories.[5] Donbass was able to sweep HC Verony in the qualifying round, and Ekspres Lviv due to forfeiture, but were themselves swept by HC Kharkiv 2-0.[5]
Kolesnikov ownership and the Major League (2009–2011)
The XVIII Ukrainian Championship for the first time saw Donbass compete at the highest level of the nation; this time, competing in the "A" Division of the Major League against the likes of repeat national champions, Sokil Kyiv. However, the rise in competition meant the team would only place 5th, and lose in the quarterfinals to Bilyi Bars. Fortunes for the club changed in 2010 when owner and prominent Ukrainian businessman Borys Kolesnikov gained full control of the team,[6] making them the most financially secure team in the history of Ukrainian hockey.[7] The first influential addition to the club was former Sokil Kyiv head coach, Aleksandr Kulikov. Under Kulikov, the team would extend a record 27-game win streak in the Ukrainian Hockey Championship. This year, Donbass was capable of sweeping HC Kharkiv, and would also in an upset victory sweep Sokil to win the national championship for the first time.[8] With the win, Donbass became the first non-Kiev based team to win the national title and begin a new era of Donetsk as the epicenter of Ukrainian hockey.[4]
The win also secured the club entry to the 2011–12 IIHF Continental Cup, the third round of which was hosted in Donetsk. Donbass secured a berth in the Super Final, falling to the host Dragons de Rouen in the final match 5-2.[9] Vladimir Malevich of Donbass took home honors as the best defenseman of the tournament.[10]
Russian Major League (2011–12)
Following the 2011 Ukrainian League season, Donbass applied for and was given membership to the Russian Major League. A vast majority of championship winning roster from the 2010–11 season were cut from the roster as the team rebuilt for its freshman year in the VHL. While the primary team would compete in Russia, Donbass also iced a team in the newly formed Professional Hockey League of Ukraine, Donbass-2. Like its parent club the year prior, Donbass-2 secured the second consecutive national title for the franchise, again defeating Sokil in the final.
In July, 2011, Donbass trained for the upcoming season in Ontario and held an exhibition game against the Ontario Hockey League all-star team. Donbass won the fight-filled game 4–1 and was reported to have garnered overwhelming fan support from the local Ukrainian diaspora, accounting for approximately 500 of the 550 in attendance.[11]
On September 23, 2011, owner Borys Kolesnikov elevated his role to that of team president over Serhiy Shakurov, who had held the role with the club since its inception in 2006.[12]
Kontinental Hockey League
Their new arena will be 18,000 seats large.[13]
Evgeny Belukhin scored the first goal in Donbass' KHL history.[14]
Due to the 2012 NHL lockout, the team was able to sign Ukrainian NHLers Ruslan Fedotenko and Alexei Ponikarovsky for the 2012-13 season.[15]
The team's budget is approximately $25 million.[16]
Team identity
Logo
The team's original colors of 2001 were blue and grey and featured a logo representing a hockey puck, with a hockey stick overlain. On November 14, 2008 the club changed their logo and team colors to the current scheme of red, black, and white. As part of this change, the team's name was changed from the Ukrainian spelling (Хокейний Клуб Донбас, Khokeinyi Klub Donbas) to Russian (Хоккейный Клуб Донбасс, Khokkeynyi Klub Donbass). The team again altered its logo in 2010, where it remains currently. The modern Donbass logos feature prominently two spoil tips, which represent the city's strong ties to the steel and coal mining industry. The change from a metallic script to white is meant to symbolize "a blank page".[17]
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Original Donbas logo in Ukrainian, 2006–08
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Second Donbass logo in Russian, 2008–11
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Current logo, 2011–Present
Honours
Ukraine
Europe
- IIHF Continental Cup
- Winners: (1) 2013
Seasons and records
Season by season results
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, OW = Overtime wins, SW = Shootout wins, T = Ties, OL = Overtime Losses, SL = Shootout Losses, L = Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Conference Leader |
Season | League | Conference | Regular season | Post season | Awards | ||||||||||||||||
Conf. Finish |
League Finish |
GP | W | OTW | SOW | OTL | SOL | L | Pts | GF | GA | GP | W | L | GF | GA | Result | ||||
2011–12 | VHL | Western | 1st | 3rd | 53 | 31 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 111 | 179 | 112 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 17 | Won conference quarterfinals, 3–0 (Titan Klin) Won conference semifinals, 3–0 (Neftyanik Almetyevsk) Lost league semi-finals, 0–4 (Toros Neftekamsk)[18] |
Oleksandr Materukhin (UkrPOY, UkrAST) Oleksandr Pobedonotsev (UkrAST) Serhiy Varlamov (UkrAST)[19] |
VHL totals | 53 | 31 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 111 | 179 | 112 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 17 | 1 Playoff Appearance |
League history and results
Players and personnel
Kontinental Hockey League roster
Team captains
- Dmytro Isayenko, 2010–11
- Serhiy Varlamov, 2011–2012
- Jaroslav Obšut, 2012
- Ruslan Fedotenko, 2012–2013[20]
- Václav Nedorost, 2013– present[21]
Head coaches
- Ivan Polischuk, 2008–09
- Andriy Ovchinnikov, 2009–10
- Aleksandr Kulikov, 2010–12
- Július Šupler,[22] 2012– present
KHL draft picks
Player | Hometown | Origin | Drafted from | Year | Round | Overall | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D | Hampus Lindholm | Helsingborg | Sweden | Rögle BK | 2012 | 1 | 30 |
C | Erik Karlsson | Lerum | Sweden | Frölunda HC | 2012 | 2 | 68 |
C | Egor Morozov | Tolyatti | Russia | HC Lada | 2012 | 3 | 104 |
C | Henri Ikonen | Savonlinna | Finland | KalPa | 2012 | 4 | 131 |
D | Vladimir Abashkin | Izhevsk | Russia | HC Metallurg Mg. | 2012 | 5 | 165 |
References
- ^ Ukrainian HC Donbass applies for VHL membership
- ^ Leshchenko, Serhiy. "Борис Колесніков: Чому зібрався в Києві податковий майдан? Це ж смішно!". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.iihf.com/competition/326/news/news-singleview-club-continental-cup/recap/7491.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=7028&cHash=213b662f3e
- ^ a b c d e "Club History". HCDonbass.com. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ a b "2008-2009 Ukrainian Championship". HC.Lviv.ua. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ Leshchenko, Serhiy. "Борис Колесніков: Чому зібрався в Києві податковий майдан? Це ж смішно!". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ Hapshenko, Serhiy (26 August 2011). "PHL. Introducing the team. HC Donbass". isport. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
- ^ "2010-2011 Ukrainian Championship". HC.Lviv.ua. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "2011-12 Continental Cup Super Final". IIHF. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/301/IHM301000_85I_1_0.pdf
- ^ "HC Donbas won the first match at the training camp in Canada". 23 July 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
- ^ http://www.hcdonbass.com/home/club/founders?lang=uk
- ^ http://www.hcdonbass.com/home/news/news/18563?lang=ru
- ^ http://www.hcdonbass.com/news/donbass_1/maksim_kvitchenko_avtor_pervoy_shayby_donbassa_v_kkhl/#2
- ^ http://hcdonbass.com/news/phl/khk_donbass_dostig_dogovorennosti_o_zaklyuchenii_kontraktov_s_fedotenko_i_ponikarovskim
- ^ http://www.kyivpost.com/content/sport/ukrainian-hockey-making-comeback-313944.html
- ^ "Club Logo". HCDonbass.com. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "2011-2012 Russian Major Hockey League". VHL Official Site. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ Tuniz, Davide. "Aleksandr Materukhin voted Player of the Year in Ukraine". Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ http://www.hcdonbass.com/news/fan_zone/ruslan_fedotenko_pozdravil_bolelshchikov_khk_donbass_s_novym_godom/#2
- ^ http://hc.lviv.ua/hockey_news/4291.htm
- ^ sport.sk: Július Šupler trénerom HK Donbass Doneck; in Slovak