N. Puchkov Tournament. SKA - Russia U23. Press-conference

HC SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg:

- I would like to thank all of the fans who attended the Ice Palace during this competition! Hopefully, this trophy is the smallest which we'll win this season. 10 of our players competed for Russia here, so we knew what to expect and they performed excellently. We certainly have to point out Ivan Demidov, who will be in our line-up for our maiden KHL game of the 2024/2025 campaign against Metallurg in Magnitogorsk. Unfortunately, Vasily Glotov picked up an injury in this match, and he joins Andrei Pedan, Alexander Nikishin and Sergei Plotnikov on the sidelines who we are also waiting to return. We're happy with our pre-season preparations, but we will try to stop conceding goals while continuing to constantly learn at the same time. Is there a possibility of an American right-handed defenseman signing for us? Yes, negotiations are ongoing.

Russia U23 head coach Nikolai Voevodin:

- Our guys played with plenty of determination and motivation against an opponent of the highest level. They had to show their character against such a strong side, and this is something which will help them to progress in their respective careers. Denis Popov became the first goaltender at the tournament to save a penalty shot from Evgeny Kuznetsov? We had spoken to him about Kuznetsov's shootout approach.