Club History

Barys (KHL)

The main team underwent multiple coaching changes, with David Nemirovsky and Vyacheslav Butsaev taking the helm early in the season before Galym Mambetaliyev returned to lead the bench. By midseason, nearly all foreign imports had left the team, paving the way for Kazakhstani players to take on key roles. Notably, 16 young talents from the club's development system made their KHL debuts. Barys concluded the regular season in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

Nomad (Pro Ligasy)
The reforms also affected Nomad, who finished the season with an all-Kazakhstani roster. For many players, this was their first experience in senior-level hockey. The team placed eighth in the regular season and exited the playoffs in the first round against the eventual national champions.

Snezhnye Barsy (MHL)
The junior team had a promising start in the MHL, but as many of its leaders were promoted to Barys and Nomad, the squad struggled to stay competitive and missed the play-in round again. Nonetheless, Snezhnye Barsy continued to fulfill their primary mission — developing young players for senior-level hockey.

Tomiris (Qyzdar Hokei Ligasy)
Tomiris remained one of the top women's teams in Kazakhstan. Coached by Alexander Tebenko, the team earned silver medals in the national women’s league once again.

Barys JHL Team (Jastar Hokei Ligasy)
The youth roster of Barys underwent several overhauls throughout the season. Most of the team’s leaders ended the season with Nomad and Snezhnye Barsy, making Barys the youngest team in the Jastar Hokei Ligasy. Despite this, they finished second in the regular season. However, for the first time in the club's history, the young Barys squad failed to reach the playoff medal round.

Barys Youth Academy (DYuSSh)
Three teams from the Barys youth academy became national champions in their respective age groups. Additionally, four teams secured spots in Group A of the top division in the Championship of the Ural, Siberian, and Volga federal districts — a testament to their ability to compete with Russia’s best hockey schools next season.

During the season, "Barys" training staff was changed several times: after Andrei Skabelka, Galym Mambetaliyev and Oleg Bolyakin worked successively as acting head trainer. More than 20 Kazakhstan players, many of them debutants of the League, were attracted to the main team. At the end of the season, "Barys" finished 12th in the KHL Eastern Conference and failed to reach the playoffs for the second year in a row.

“Nomad” in the rank of reigning champion of Kazakhstan attended the Continental Cup, held by the IIHF. Having successfully passed the third round, Fyodor Polishchuk's wards made it to the final tournament held in Wales and won it ahead of schedule, becoming the owners of the honorary trophy for the first time. Artur Gatiyatov became the best forward of the tournament. Nikita Boyarkin became the best puckstopper of the tournament.

According to the results of the regular championship of Kazakhstan “Nomad” ranked third place. In the playoffs Polischuk's wards knocked out "Gornyak" and "Aktobe". In the final confrontation “Nomad” lost to “Arlan” from Kokshetau, thus becoming the silver medalist of the national championship. Nikita Boyarkin was honored as the Pro Hokei Ligasy's top puckstopper for the 2023-24 season.

“Snow Bars” returned to the Youth Hockey League after a three-year break, which is undoubtedly a step forward for the development of the younger generation. In the course of the season, Alexander Istomin's team won a number of victories, including over strong opponents, but it was not enough to reach the playoffs. As a result, the "Snow Bars" tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference Silver Division.

In December 2023, the Kazakhstan U-20 national team, which included 17 representatives of the "Barys" system, successfully played at the World Championship in the first division in Budapest, Hungary. Team under the leadership of Sergei Starygin took the first place ahead of schedule and returned to the elite of the world youth hockey. 

“Tomiris” in the off-season lost several leaders, and new players have taken those places. Despite this wards Alexander Tebenkov had another successful season and took second place in the women's championship of Kazakhstan. Arina Chshyokolova got selected as the Qyzdar Hokei Ligasy's best puckstopper for the 2023-24 season.

In April 2024, the women's national team of Kazakhstan with eight players from "Tomiris" triumphed at the World Championship in the second division in the Andorran Canillo. Alexander Tebenkov's charges won all five matches and earned the right to play in Group B of the first division next year. Arina Chshyokolova and Alexandra Shegay ranked by the organizers as the best puckstopper and the best forward of the tournament.

"Barys" youth team took second place in the Jastar Hokei Ligasy regular season. In the playoffs wards Vitaly Litvinov left no chance to “Temirtau”, “Torpedo” from Ust-Kamenogorsk and Atyrau “Zhas Batyr”. That result brought the team its fifth consecutive championship.

In April 2024, the Kazakhstan U-18 national team, including 16 representatives of the "Barys" system, played at the World Championship in the elite division in Finland's Vaanta for the first time in 20 years. The team under Georgy Vereshchagin scored a historic victory over their Czech rivals in the group stage. However, in the decisive match of the tournament our juniors lost to Norway and returned to the first division.

Teams Barys Children's and Youth Sports Schools for the second year in a row earned gold medals in the championship of Kazakhstan in all ages in attendance.

 

In the 2022/23 season, head trainer Andrey Skabelka, the former Barys leader who had previously led our team to two wins in the Chernyshev division, returned to Barys. Unfortunately, it was not possible to achieve this result again. After the longest regular season in KHL history ( teams played 68 games), Barys finished 11th in the East Conference and could not advance to the playoffs. In May 2023, Kazakhstan's national team, which included 20 members of Barys' system, finished 11th at the World Championship in Latvia and Finland. We have beaten Norway and Slovakia and also managed to beat Slovenia. This result allowed them to retain entry to the elite division for the fourth year in a row. "Nomad" took only fourth place in the regular championship of Kazakhstan. However, Galym Mambetaliyev's team was in great shape for the playoffs, leading the Nomads to their second-straight championship. In the final series, Nomad was stronger than Humo, and two Capital team players were recognized as the best in their roles at the end of the season. Andrei Shutov deserved an award as the best puckstopper, Maxim Mukhametov became the best forward. In January 2023, Kazakhstan student team, representatives of "Nomad" formed the core of the team, finished third at the Winter World University Games in the United States. "Snow Leopards/Snezhnye Barsy" again played in the adult Kazakhstan championship. Alexander Istomin's team finished the regular season in 12th place in the tournament standings. 2022/23 season ended up being the best season in history for Tomiris. Alexander Tebenkov's charges won gold medals for the first time at the Kazakhstan Women's Ice Hockey Championship. Throughout the entire season, the team has lost only one match. Tomiris representatives Arina Chshyokolova and Olga Shirokova earned the best puckstopper and forward of the championship, respectively. Barys youth team continued its winning performance in Jastar Hokei Ligasy. Our team for the fourth time in a row became the winner of Kazakhstan Junior Championship. It should be noted that Barys has not suffered a single loss in the playoffs. Vladimir Nikitin became the best puckstopper of the season. In April 2023 Kazakhstan's junior team, built on MHK Barys, made a triumphant appearance at the World Championship in France. Sergei Starygin's team won Group A of the First Division and advanced to the elite World Junior Championship for the first time in 20 years. Vladimir Nikitin earned another award - he became the tournament's best puckstopper. "Barys-Zhas" again became the youngest member of Kazakhstan Junior Championship. Our team finished the regular season in 11th place and could not break into the playoffs. Barys and Astana Children's and Youth Sports Schools had a triumphant season and earned gold medals in all age groups they participated. At the end of the 2022/23 season Barys and Astana Children's and Youth Sports Schools became the best sports school in the country, and Boris Ivanishchev, Barys' president, earned the title of best club manager by the Kazakhstan Ice Hockey Federation.

Barys Once again, the season for Barys was a controversial one. Before the KHL championship started, the team's roster got changed a lot, forcing the training staff headed by Yuri Mikhailis into looking for new combinations. By the New Year Barys reached its peak and significantly improved its position, but in early January the regular season was first paused by the pandemic, and then the KHL made the decision not to complete the games and go straight to the playoffs. A new system for calculating the results was used for the first time. Instead of the traditional calculation, ranking was based on the percentage of points scored. Barys had advanced to the playoffs using that system, but finished the regular season in eighth place in the Eastern standings. Which meant that our team would be up against the regular-season winner Metallurg from Magnitogorsk, which is one of the main candidates to win the Gagarin Cup in this season, in the conference quarterfinals. The series between Metallurg and Barys ended in five matches. The Magnitogorsk team continued on, while the team from Kazakhstan, which played in the playoffs in a quite truncated lineup because of injuries to some players, completed the season. Nomad Nomad spent the season in the championship of Kazakhstan again. As a result of the regular season Alexander Vysotsky's team was only in fifth place and reached the first round of the playoffs against the rampant Torpedo. But the Nomads crushed the top-seeded opponent. in the quarterfinals, and it only took five meetings for Nomad to get there. In the semi-finals, Nomad was defeated in six games by the reigning champion of the country Saryarka. The Snow Bars Team also played its second season in the adult championship of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Alexander Istomin's players had a good start in the championship, scoring several wins over more experienced and distinguished opponents. According to the results of the regular season, the Snow Bars are in 11th place, only 15 points behind the playoffs. Tomiris Tomiris won silver medals in the women's championship of Kazakhstan once again. Alexander Tebenkov's team lost in the tournament only to the current champion of the country Aisulu. YHC Barys The team won the Jastar Youth League championship for the third year in a row. Barys player Jurgis Dubinskas has been named the best goalkeeper of the season according to the organizers. Most of the representatives of Barys are now in the junior national team of Kazakhstan, on the way to the upcoming World Championships in Group A of the first division in Slovakia. YHC Barys-Zhas The youngest team in the Kazakhstan Youth Championship had a very decent season and made the playoffs in fourth place. In the first round, Barys-Zhas lost in five games to their rivals from Aktobe.

Barys entered another season with a new head trainer, Yuri Mikhailis, who is familiar with the structure. Due to the peculiarities of the pandemic season, the club experienced many difficulties. The absence of a full-fledged training camp, quarantine in the first part of the regular season, and empty stands at Barys' home matches were among them. Despite this, the first team placed sixth in the Eastern Conference and had a decent ¼ series with the Metallurg Because of an injuries, Barys was unable to continue its season and lost in six games. Nomad returned to the domestic championship after a season in the SHL. Alexander Vysotsky has been appointed as head trainer of the team. Under his leadership, the team took fifth place in the regular season. In the ¼ finals, Nomads defeated Temirtau for the minimum number of matches. In the semifinals, Nomad lost to Saryarka, thus becoming the bronze medalist of Kazakhstan's championship. Snow Bars first-ever tried their hand in Kazakhstan's championship. Obviously, the youngest team in the national championship could not compete on equal terms with older and more experienced opponents. But the team under Alexander Istomin gained the necessary experience, and many players were sent to Nomad as the season progressed. The team Tomiris once again took the second place according to the results of the women's Kazakhstan Championship. Alexander Tebenkov's players lost only two matches during the tournament and won silver medals. Tomiris player Alexandra Safonova has been named as the best goalkeeper of the championship. The youth team of Barys, playing in Kazakhstan's Jastar Ligasy, has won the gold medals for the second year in a row. Oleg Shulaev's team won the regular season and progressed all the way to the playoffs, losing only two games. Another youth team Barys-Zhas was created on the basis of the Children's and Youth Sports School, which in its first year of existence reached the semifinals of the Jastar Ligasy playoffs. In doing so, Oleksandr Berezensky's players lost to Barys, the future winner of the tournament. The Kazakhstan national team, made up of 80 percent of Barys players, had its best-ever result at the World Championships in Latvia in May. The team under the leadership of Yuri Mikhailis until the final day of play contended for the playoffs and finished in tenth place.

Barys spent another successful season under the guidance of Skabelka. Team won the Chernyshev Division again, finishing second in the Eastern Conference. In the first round of playoffs, team from the Kazakhstan capital confidently knocked out the Metallurg from Magnitogorsk (4-1 in the series) for the Gagarin Cup. The next opponent of Barys was supposed to be Sibir. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, our team prematurely stopped its campaign for the Cup. Later, the KHL decided not to hold the remaining matches as well due to the threat of virus spread and border crossing problems. The Nomad made its debut in the Supreme Hockey League. In their first season, Yuri Mikhailis team failed to reach the playoffs but the Nomads scored several decisive victories over the SHL leaders during the season. In addition, the Nomad was made up of local players who had just completed their transition from youth to adult hockey. The Snezhnye Barsy failed to qualify for the Junior Hockey League playoffs. The Tomiris once again won silver awards of the women's national championship. The Barys youth team made a triumph, performing in the domestic championship. Alexander Istomin's team guaranteed themselves the first place several rounds before the end of the championship. The Kazakhstan youth national team, the lineup of which was formed by players of Barys system, competed at the World Championship in the elite division, held in the Czech Republic.

In May 2018, Barys announced the signing of Belarusian specialist Andrei Skabelka. The Barys-Zhastar youth team is formed in the club system for participation in the Youth League of Kazakhstan. At the end of the season-2018/2019 Barys hockey club showed the best result in the history of regular championships on points, and also became the winner in the Chernyshev division and took second place in the Eastern conference. In the first round of the playoffs Barys get a win against Torpedo from Nizhny Novgorod - it took all seven matches 4:3. In the semifinal of the Eastern conference, Barys lost to Avangard in five matches 1:4, largely due to injuries to the players. Nomad reaches the final of the Kazakhstan Open playoffs for the third season in a row, where it is inferior to “Beibarys” in Atyrau in five matches 1: 4. "Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) takes the seventh place in the Eastern conference and in the first round of the playoffs are inferior in the series to the future finalist of the Kharlamov Cup - Auto from Ekaterinburg 1:3 Barys-Zhastar becomes the silver prize-winner of the Youth League of Kazakhstan. The national team of Kazakhstan wins the home world championship in the 1st division of group A and wins the right to participate in the world championship 2020 in Switzerland. The youth team of Kazakhstan retains its place in the elite division of the Youth World Cup, beating Denmark in the playoffs. The Junior team of Kazakhstan takes the second place in the Junior World Championship in the 1st division of group A.

Evgeny Koreshkov becomes the head coach of Barys HC. The first half of the season Barys ends in the first place of East, but then dramatically slows down and does not get into the game on the flight. During the season, the acting head coach is appointed Galym Mambetaliyev. The team completes the season on the 10th place, the backlog from 8th place was 14 points. Nomad again reaches the final of the Kazakhstan Open playoffs, but this time it is inferior in the final to Arlan from Kokshetau. "Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) ends the season on the 11th place of the Eastern conference. The national team of Kazakhstan takes the third place in the World Ice Hockey Championship of 2017 in I division. Thus, the national team does not solve the problem of entering the elite division. The youth team of Kazakhstan wins the first division of the World Ice Hockey Championship among youth teams. Thus, after 10 years, Kazakhstan will again be represented in the elite division of the Youth World Championship.

At the Cup of the President of Kazakhstan traditional tournament Barys takes the second place.

"Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) becomes bronze medalists of the World Cup.

After the unsuccessful start of Barys in the KHL championship and the failure of the national team of Kazakhstan to the Olympic Games - 2018 the coaching staff headed by Andrei Nazarov was dismissed. The new head coach of the team becomes a Belarusian specialist Eduard Zankovets.

Barys finishes the regular championship of KHL on the fifth place of East conference. In the first round of the playoffs, the Astana team get a win against the Chelyabinsk Tractor in the series with the score 4:2. In the East semifinals Barys lost to the Metallurg from Magnitogorsk.

Nomad wins the championship of Kazakhstan.

"Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) do not get into the playoffs, taking 13th place in the Eastern conference.

The national team of Kazakhstan takes the third place in the World Ice Hockey Championship of 2017 in I division. Thus, the national team does not solve the problem of entering the elite division. Eduard Zankovets decided not to renew the contract with the club.

In August, in the capital of Kazakhstan, an ultramodern Multifunctional Ice Palace is opened, designed for almost 12,000 spectators. The first official competition at the Barys new home arena wins and becomes the four-time owner of the Cup of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Nomad becomes a semi-finalist of the Cup of Kazakhstan. Barys did not go to the second stage of the championship for the first time during the performance in the KHL. The team from Astana lacked one point for this. "Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) passed the first round of the playoffs for the first time in its history beating with a score of 3:0 in the series the Tolpar from Ufa. In the ¼ final of the Kharlamov Cup in a bitter struggle, consisting of the maximum number of matches, the “youth” from Astana yield with the score 2:3 in the series to the current champion of the MHL - the Chaika team (Nizhny Novgorod).

In summer Barys wins the Kamennyi tsvetok (Stone flower) international tournament in Yekaterinburg. Nomad wins bronze medals of the Cup of Kazakhstan. "Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) team for the second time in a row goes to the playoffs of the MHL. In the first round in a stubborn confrontation, consisting of the maximum possible number of matches, the Kazakh team is inferior to the "Stalnye Lisy" (Steel Foxes). Barys goes to the playoffs for the seventh time in a row. In addition to hockey players from Astana, only 5 other KHL teams out of 28 participating in the league can boast of the same achievement. Fight in the first round with Omsk Avangard turns into a real thriller, which lasts 7 matches. However, in the decisive game, one of the main judges makes a mistake, does not fix the violation of the rules, and this leads to a goal in the net of the Kazakh squad. KHL later pleads guilty referee disqualifies him for a few matches, but the result is not canceled – Barys stopped on the outskirts of the semifinals of the East conference. As a result, Astana residents take 11th place out of 28 possible in the championship. Nigel Dawes, Dustin Boyd and Brandon Bochenski won the Best three of the KHL attack nomination. At the world championship in the first division, the national team, two-thirds consisting of Barys hockey players, prematurely wins the tournament, without conceding to rivals in any match, and received a pass to the elite division.

Barys wins the international tournament "Cup of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan" in Astana for the third time. Tomiris women's team has been created in the club system. "Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) team gets into the MHL playoffs for the first time. In the first round "youth" of Astana lost to Mammoths of Ugra. In the regular season Barys has updated the records of the KHL, starting from 6 to 10 matches from the start of the season. In total, for these games the team from Astana scored more goals than any other team in any of the previous seasons. At the end of the first stage of the championship Barys became the leader of the Chernyshev division and took second place in the East conference. The sixth consecutive exit to the playoffs was early, and the performance in the Gagarin Cup brought a new achievement. Barys won Avtomobilist in the first round with the score 4:0 in the series and reached the semi-finals of the Eastern conference. Further progress in the confrontation with Salavat Yulayev again slowed down the injuries of key players. The final place of the Astana team in the League is 7 of the 28 teams participating.

The number of participants in the KHL is increasing – 26 teams from 7 countries. Barys takes the 10th place in the standings at the end of the season. Hockey players from Astana get to the playoffs for the fifth time in a row. However, the injuries of the two main goalkeepers of the Kazakh team do not allow it to bring to victory the series against the Chelyabinsk Tractor, started with two won matches. The hockey team of the country, 70% equipped with players from Astana, wins the world championship in the first division and goes to the TOP-16 teams of the planet.

A youth team "Snezhnye Barsy" (Snow leopards) was created in the system of the club, serving in the MHL and children and youth sports school. Barys again wins the main trophy at the home tournament - Cup of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In the final standings of the KHL championship Barys gets into the TOP-10 of more than 20 teams representing 5 countries for the first time. The Kazakh squad gets into the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. The team from Astana was close to winning a ticket to the second round of the Gagarin Cup. However, in a stubborn seven-match confrontation with Magnitogorsk Metallurg, luck will be on the side of the opponent. At the end of the season, Barys player Kevin Dallman becomes the best scorer among the defenders of the KHL, and the striker Brandon Bochenski becomes the best sniper of the League, scoring the most goals in the regular season.

Cup of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan International hockey tournament is held in Astana for the first time. The owner of the main award becomes Barys. In December, the state national team, 80% consisting of players of the capital's team, wins the Challenge Cup of the European tournament- Prime Euro Ice Hockey Challenge. According to the results of the first stage of the KHL championship Barys goes to the Cup stage for the third season in a row. It was won the final 14th place among all participants of the League. At the Asian games, which were held for the first time in our country, the national team of Kazakhstan mainly equipped with Barys hockey players leaves no chance for rivals and wins gold medals of the continental championship. At the world championship in the first division Kazakhstan team two-thirds consisting of Barys players wins the tournament and goes to the elite group.

In the KHL championship Barys for the second season in succession breaks into the playoffs. At the end of the tournament, the Kazakh team takes the 14th place out of 24 possible. In the first round, the future owner of the Gagarin Cup – Kazan "Ak Bars" again becomes an impassable opponent for the Kazakh team. A farm team is created in the club system, which performs in the championship of the Republic. The first name "Barys-2" will be replaced then by "Nomad".

A big step forward has been made for the development of Kazakhstan hockey, improving the professional level of domestic athletes – Barys becomes a member of the KHL – the most prestigious and high-quality hockey league on the Eurasian continent. In the debut season in the KHL Barys achieves a good result – goes to the playoffs, being in the list of 16 best clubs among 24 participants. In the first round is inferior to Kazan "Ak Bars", which eventually will win the Gagarin Cup. Team captain Kevin Dallman sets a new record of performance for the defenders, previously owned by the legendary hockey player Vyacheslav Fetisov. The achievement of the team player from Astana so far has not been surpassed. In the national championship Barys became the double owner of gold medals one after another. The capital club, becoming the base for the main national team of Kazakhstan, delegates 9 hockey players to the world championship in the first division, and they help the team to win the tournament, winning a ticket to the elite division of the world championship.

Знаковый и насыщенный на события сезон. «Барыс» впервые завоёвывает звание Чемпиона Казахстана.
В первом сезоне Высшей лиги России казахстанская команда добивается значительного результата – второе место в Восточном дивизионе.

Barys achieves great success – becomes the winner of the First League of Russia (the region "Ural – Western Siberia"), which allows the Kazakh squad to climb another step up, get a ticket to the Big League, which is a more status international hockey championship. At the same time, the team from Astana has long claimed medals in the championship of Kazakhstan, but at the end there was a little lack of strength and emotions.

The team from the capital of Kazakhstan strengthens its position at the international level. In the First League of Russia (region "Ural – Western Siberia") reached silver reward. The energy-intensive calendar of games "on two fronts" again stops Barys on approaches to medals of superiority of the Republic.

In addition to participation in the competition of Kazakhstan, Barys enters the international level - competes in the First League of Russia (region “Ural - Western Siberia”). Despite the significant rejuvenation of the team, the team wins bronze medals. In the domestic championship, the capital team stops a step from the pedestal.

Barys team becomes the base for the youth team of Kazakhstan. The age of the main part of the team does not allow to compete with more experienced participants of the championship. As a result, it is not possible to win medals.

A large group of hockey players leaves the team after three consecutive "silver" seasons in the national championship. The Management of the club has to complete the lineup aggressively, which does not allow getting into the list of first three medalists at the end of the domestic championship.

The third season successively Barys becomes the silver prize-winner of the open championship of the Republic of Kazakhstan on ice hockey.

At the end of the season Barys again takes second place in the state championship. A powerful impetus for the more rapid development of hockey in Astana was the construction of the Palace of Sports "Kazakhstan", which was opened on March 6, 2001 by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev.

On November 26, 1999, the Authorities of Astana adopted a resolution on the formation of a sports organization – Barys hockey club, which in just a decade and a half has become one of the main business cards of Kazakhstan in terms of hockey. The debut of the newcomer in the Championship of Kazakhstan was more than successful – Barys wins silver medals at the end of its first season of the national competition.