David Nemirovsky: «Right now, the priority is the Kazakh National team's qualification for the Olympic tournament»

Barys head coach David Nemirovsky reviewed the initial phase of pre-season training, shared his thoughts on newcomer Will Butcher, and discussed the squad's preparation for the upcoming tournaments.

- David, how would you evaluate the first stage of the training camp? 

The first stage went very well. It was beneficial that we were able to start training early with players on two-way contracts. We addressed many aspects with them and gained a better understanding of some areas ourselves, which allowed us to later clarify things with the larger group. Overall, I believe we had a productive start.

- Were you able to bring all the players to a similar level of physical readiness? 

Everyone is in good physical shape now. Of course, there's still time for improvement. We've also tailored the workload for each player since some need to be ready by August 29, while others by September 4. In general, both the younger and more experienced players recognize that competition within each team has intensified, which provides extra motivation to prepare for the season. So, no issues there.

- You've observed a considerable number of young players. What are your thoughts on them? 

Yes, we brought in a lot of young players for training. Some of them will participate in the home tournament, and then they'll travel with us to Omsk. So far, the impressions are positive, but we haven’t seen them in match situations yet. We'll see what they bring to the games.

- Will Butcher just arrived in Astana a few days ago. Is he ready to participate in matches? 

The key for him right now is to adjust quickly. He hasn't fully done that yet. However, he already looks good in training. It's clear that Will is a very smart player; he distributes passes calmly and joins the attack when needed. His hockey IQ is at a very high level.

- Given the current situation, what are your goals for the President's Cup of the Republic of Kazakhstan? 

As I've mentioned, our roster for the upcoming games will be young and not at full strength. These situations don’t happen every year, and everyone understands that the main priority right now is the national team's qualification for the Olympic tournament. We'll focus on working with the younger players and evaluating the newcomers. As the games progress, we’ll determine who plays in different situations, whether it be even strength, power play, or penalty kill. But every line should contribute to the overall success. We’ll analyze each match, make adjustments to the finer details. Training is one thing, but games reveal more, allowing us to review video and make necessary corrections.

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