MINSK, 2 May (BelTA) – The coaching staff of the Belarusian national ice hockey team announced the players who will take part in the 2017 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in France and Germany on 5-21 May, BelTA has learned.
Head coach Dave Lewis has confirmed the following 25 players:
goalkeepers – Kevin Lalande, Mikhail Karnaukhov (both Dinamo Minsk), Vitaly Trus (HC Heman);
defensemen – Roman Graborenko, Ilya Shinkevich, Christian Helkel, Yevgeny Lisovets, Dmitry Korobov (all – Dinamo Minsk), Vladimir Denisov (HC Traktor), Pavel Vorobei (HC Dinamo Molodechno), Oleg Yevenko (Cleveland Monsters, AHL);
forwards – Sergei Drozd, Alexander Kulakov, Artyom Volkov, Alexander Pavlovich, Danila Karaban, Yevgeny Kovyrshin, Andrei Stas (C) (all – Dinamo Minsk), Sergei Kostitsyn (Torpedo), Andrei Kostitsyn (HC Sochi), Artyom Demkov (HC Shakhtyor), Yegor Sharangovich (Belarus U20), Alexander Kogalev (HC Yunost Minsk), Mikhail Stefanovich (HC Neman), Charles Linglet (Eisbaren Berlin, DEL).
Among the last to leave the team were defenseman Nikolai Stasenko and forward Maksim Parfeyevets who took part in the final stage of the preparations in Bordeaux. Belarus played two games against France as part of the Euro Hockey Challenge (1-3, 4-1).
Belarus will open the 2017 IIHF World Championship against Finland in Group B on 5 May.
Dave Lewis' men will also play against the Czech Republic on 6 May, Canada on 8 May, Switzerland on 10 May, France on 12 May, Slovenia on 13 May and Norway on 16 May.
Group A teams (Sweden, Russia, the United States, Germany, Latvia, Denmark, Slovakia, Italy) will play in Cologne.
Four best teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinal (18 May). Belarus Five Channel will broadcast games of the Belarusian national team.
