The SKA system will be represented in the MHL by the SKA Junior Academy

Alongside SKA-1946 Saint Petersburg, the SKA system will be represented in the 2023/2024 Junior Hockey League (MHL) by the SKA Junior Academy team which has been created on the basis of SKA-Varyagi. The team will play its home matches at the Vladimir Petrov Arena in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region.

The relocation of one of SKA's youth teams is an important step in the increasing of the club's geographical representation. Players emerging from schools of the SKA system in the region will now have a professional team to join, without moving away from home or changing clubs. Those who have progressed through the Red Machine Junior academy will have the chance to compete against the best teams from Moscow, something which will help them progress and develop. The best senior players of the Red Machine Junior team in Moscow, which is displaying excellent results under the leadership of Gennady Kurdin, will have the opportunity to represent the SKA Junior Academy in the MHL.

13 ice hockey schools from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Leningrad Region, Novgorod Region, Kaliningrad Region, Sverdlovsk Region and the Republic of Karelia are currently functioning within the SKA Academy, and they're all operating in accordance with the Red Machine National Development Program. In the 2022/2023 campaign, four teams representing the SKA Academy won medals at the Champions Cup. Furthermore, SKA players managed to win the Champions Cup in the U15 and U17 categories.

SKA head coach and general director of the SKA Academy Roman Rotenberg:

- The relocation of one of our MHL teams to Krasnogorsk is a fair and thoughtful step which we have been gradually moving towards. We have the Red Machine Junior school which is functioning excellently in the SKA Academy, with the elder players displaying great results under the leadership of Gennady Kurdin. Having a youth team in the region will allow the players to calmly begin playing at professional level without moving away from their homes, parents and club.

We are taking a strong, capable group to Krasnogorsk alongside professional coaches. Our system is ready to meet any challenge. Competition is the recipe for progression, so therefore we are striving to create competitive and also comfortable facilities for our young players. We want them to progress in our system. I want to thank the governor of Moscow Region Andrei Vorobyov, the leadership of Krasnogorsk and the Department of Sport for Moscow Region for their cooperation, they've been very supportive of us in this project.

Minister of Sport for Moscow Region Dmitry Abarenov:

- Krasnogorsk is a city which loves sport. A new, modern ice rink opened here in 2019, an event which sparked a lot of development and progression for winter sports. The opening of a branch of the SKA Academy here will serve as an additional incentive for parents to allow their children to engage in ice hockey. Also, it's important for ice hockey fans in Krasnogorsk that the SKA Junior Academy will play in the MHL here. I'm sure that the team will make the supporters happy with their victories!