Alikhan Asetov: "We are focused on our game"
27 April 2022

Alikhan Asetov: "We are focused on our game"

The striker of Barys and the national team of Kazakhstan Alikhan Asetov summed up the results of the club season and told how the training camp of the national team is going.

- Alikhan, first of all, let me congratulate you on the birth of your second child! How are your spouse and baby feeling?

- Thank you! The spouse is already feeling well. Of course, it was good news for everyone, for us, parents, and for our eldest son. He's already looking after his younger brother and wants to play with him. In general, pleasant chores.

- Let's briefly summarize the performance of Barys in the KHL season.

- I'll probably say that the season has turned out to be quite well. But it was very ambiguous due to various events. It was difficult to pass it smoothly. The most important thing is that we got into the playoffs, and completed the main task. Yes, for various reasons, it was not possible to pass the first round. Although we wanted to do it.

- Your puck in the January match against Metallurg on the road became one of the fastest in the KHL history. Did you remember that episode?

- I remember that match well. It took us a long time to get to Magnitogorsk, we arrived at the arena literally two hours before the game. There were no special tasks then, but all the guys understood that after such a road it was necessary to get into the rhythm as quickly as possible. To do this, it was necessary to spend a couple of active line changes. Linden won the faceoff, Joe Morrow threw the puck into the zone. The same Linden picked it up and gave it to me to shoot the puck into the empty net, it only remained to place the stick. Probably, no one expected this, everything happened quickly. Then after the match I was surprised that, one might say, I got into history. There will be another memorable event.

- Unfortunately, due to the injury, you could not finish the playoffs. How hard is it to watch such matches from behind glass?

- Yes, I got injured in the second match. The medical staff did everything possible, and I finished at least two periods. Then I couldn't raise my hand and didn't go out on the ice anymore. It was hard to get up the next morning with the thought that the playoffs were over for me, and I would no longer be able to help the team. Then I always wanted to go out on the ice, do something necessary. Moreover, Roman Starchenko also did not play, I instead went out in a link with Linden (Vey – auth.) and Kirill (Savitsky – auth.). But this is sport, and such things happen.

- What did you do during a short break, and how did you recover?

- At first, I was recovering with a coach for a couple of weeks, and the damage was healed. Then I went out on the ice, skated with Roma Starchenko, Kirill Savitsky, Nikita Mikhailis and others. Then I was called to the matches at Nomad, then I started to get into playing shape. It was hard, I missed so much, and immediately started with such serious games.

- A little more than a week ago, the training camp of the national team began. Were you glad to meet the guys from other clubs?

- Of course, all of us were glad to see each other. Even though many people are playing in different clubs now, we still keep in touch, communicate. The atmosphere is great.

- Tell us a little about the process of the training camp. What are you doing now, and in what condition is the team?

- Everyone is engaged in a good mood. Now we are getting decent loads. We will play two test matches in Latvia. Then we will go to Finland.

- Several young players have been invited to the training camp this year. In particular, Mukhametov, Alexandrov and Korolev were called up from Nomad. How would you assess their prospects?

- The guys are well done, they showed themselves well in the playoffs of the championship of Kazakhstan. We scored points, scored goals, helped the team. I think they were deservedly called up, deservedly they got a chance to prove themselves on a slightly different level. From myself, I can only wish them good luck!

- Was there an opportunity to study future opponents at the World Championship?

- We have already played with some opponents. While we are still focused on our game, we are trying to work out our moments, to play schemes. In the future, the coaching staff will already show us videos of the opponents, we will definitely analyze their strengths and weaknesses.

- Last season, the national team of Kazakhstan at the World Championship in Riga showed a historic result. However, it seemed that the team was ready for more. What can fans expect from a performance in Finland?

- No one tumbled out from the Big League last year. It probably loosened us up a bit. Perhaps the opponents were not quite tuned in to us somewhere. We played for each other and had fun, hence this result. Everyone believed in themselves, and we proved that we can beat the top teams. It was not possible to reach the playoffs, it was not enough just a little bit. Of course, at the World Championship in Finland, everyone wants to improve the result.

General Partner of Barys HC – "Samruk Kazyna" SWF JSC 

Partner of Barys HC - Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund SQ 

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