Roman Rotenberg wants Junior players to play better than NHL players.
The First Vice-President of the FHR summed up the results of the season of the Red Machine Junior team.
– There are two criteria: results and player development. Both of these criteria are met 100 percent. Our entire SKA Academy with the participation of «Red Machine Junior» is practically already operating in many cities with a population of over a million. And in St. Petersburg, where we started, and in Moscow, the Moscow region.
Competition appears, and this is the engine of progress. The guys are developing. The main thing for us is that these guys develop.
Now, thanks to the Russia 25 team, they have traveled to many cities. We took with us pupils born in 2014 and 2015. They played with their peers. In Kazakhstan, the guys are more technical, in Omsk they are more physically strong. If we join forces, we can develop hockey players.
You look at the Stanley Cup final, for example. We can prepare our children who are 8-9 years old. They will skate and play better than those hockey players who are currently playing in the Stanley Cup. And our compatriots – Tarasenko, Bobrovsky.
And of course we look at the world level. We need our guys to end up playing better than McDavid or the rest of the best players in the world.
– Do you believe that someday the Russian national team will consist entirely of Junior students?
– We do not strive to ensure that the entire team consists of our students. We strive to ensure that all of our hockey develops.
You know, it’s always the coach’s decision. In football they ask: «Why do Brazilians play?» Because they are stronger in terms of sportsmanship.
If our guys perform better, they will play. Everything is simple here. «It’s a sports principle,» said the head coach of SKA and «Russia 25», first vice-president of the FHR Roman Rotenberg.
