Kazakhstan before the World Championship: a team with a lot of KHL players aiming for a quiet rescue, but maybe also for promotion

The World Hockey Championship starts on Friday, and a day later Kazakhstan will also present itself to Czech fans. What can we expect from the Asian country at the championship and who will be its main star?

Published

6 months ago

8. 5. 2024

Petr Karábek

Stepanov-Kazachstan — Zdroj: Depositphotos

You may have known Kazakhstan before as a team that was considered a big underdog and kept falling into the first division and getting promoted back. In recent years, however, the players in the light blue jerseys have managed to establish themselves among the elite and will play their fourth World Championship in a row.

Earlier, the Kazakhs even tried to naturalize a few foreign players and give them their passports to play for the national team, but they have backed away from that route.

But hockey in Kazakhstan is certainly on the rise. To be honest, Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has helped a bit, driving a lot of European players out of the KHL and opening the door to Kazakhs.

Modest preparation

While some teams have played as many as 8 preparatory games before the championship, Kazakhstan hasn’t really stepped up. In 2024, it played only two friendlies.

In early May, it faced Belarus. In the match, it managed to close the gap to 0:3 and 1:4 and take the match to extra time. However, the Kazakhs came up short against their opponent.

On Tuesday, Kazakhstan challenged Great Britain in Slany. The English took the lead after a goal by Kirk, but the Light Blues turned the score around in the second period. In the last period another 4 goals were scored and Kazakhstan took a valuable 5:2 win.

Kazakhstan’s preparatory matches before the World Championship

Main star Mikhailis

The 28-year-old winger played for Magnitogorsk in the KHL last season, scoring 42 points and helping the team to win the Gagarin Cup. He is regularly among the most productive Kazakhs at championships.

The coaches of the national team really have a lot to take from the KHL, however, there are 19 players from this competition in the nomination. The Kazakhs will also rely on the ageless Roman Starchenko, who will be playing in his ninth championship at the age of 37.

In the defense we can find 4 players from Astana from the KHL, so the interplay should not be a problem. They will be joined by Leonid Metalnikov from Vladivostok and Valeri Orekhov from Magnitogorsk.

Kazakhstan’s nomination for the 2024 World Championship

Goaltenders:
Nikita Boykin (Nomad Astana)
Andrei Shutov (Astana, KHL)
Sergey Kudryavtsev (Kokchetav).

Defenders:
Tamirlan Gaitamirov, Artyom Korolyov, Samat Daniyar, Adil Beketaev (all Astana, KHL )
Madi Dichanbek, Dmitry Breus (both Nomad Astana)
Leonid Metalnikov (Vladivostok, KHL)
Valery Orekhov (Magnitogorsk, KHL)

Forwards:
Alikhan Asetov, Batyrlan Muratov, Maxim Musorov, Alikhan Omirbekov, Mikhail Rakhmanov, Evgeni Rymarev, Kirill Savitsky, Roman Starchenko, Arkady Shestakov (all Astana, KHL)
Oleg Boyko (Nomad Astana)
Dmitry Grenc ( Kokchetav)
Maxim Mukhametov, Nikita Mikhail (both Magnitogorsk, KHL)
Kirill Panyukov (Khabarovsk, KHL).

Kazakhstan will enter the tournament on Saturday, May 11 with a game against France. That will give a clue as to the modest team’s ambitions for the tournament. The clear goal is rescue, but if they can do it just a little bit, the Kazakhs will be aiming for a sensational promotion.