Ak Bars Kazan

Hockey Club Ak Bars (Russian: Ак Барс, Tatar: Ак Барс, English: Snow Leopard), also known as Ak Bars Kazan,[1] is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.

Ak Bars Kazan
CityKazan, Russia
LeagueKontinental Hockey League
ConferenceEastern
DivisionKharlamov
Founded1956
Home arenaTatNeft Arena
(capacity: 8,600)
Colours     
Owner(s)Tatneft
General managerMarat Valiullin
Head coachZinetula Bilyaletdinov
CaptainAlexander Radulov
AffiliatesBars Kazan (VHL)
Neftyanik Almetievsk (VHL)
Irbis Kazan (MHL)
Websitewww.ak-bars.ru
Franchise history
Ak Bars Kazan
1996–present
Itil Kazan
1990–1996
SC Uritskogo Kazan
1958–1990
Mashstroy Kazan
1956–1958
Current season

History

Founded as Mashstroy Kazan in 1956, the name was later changed to SC Uritskogo Kazan when it entered the Soviet Class B league in 1958. It was promoted to Soviet Class A2, where it gained promotion to the top tier of Soviet hockey. Kazan's performance was respectable, starting the season by winning 6 out of 19 games against the best of the Soviet teams before falling away in the second half of the season and was demoted. Twice they won the USSR League (lower tiers), being named Champion of Russia in 1962 and 1976.

SC Uritskogo Kazan's most successful period occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Uritskogo Kazan became Itil Kazan in 1990 and participated in the IHL. Itil was only mildly successful, narrowly avoiding relegation to the Vysshaya Liga in 1991 and 1992.

It was following the establishment of the Russian Superleague (RSL) in 1996 that the golden age of hockey in Tatarstan began. Renamed Ak Bars Kazan after the traditional symbol of the Tatars, the snow leopard. Benefiting from the resources boom in the Urals, Ak Bars began its history in fine form, finishing first in their respective divisions in 1997 and 1998 along with winning the RSL in 1998.

In the 2004–05 season, Kazan signed 11 National Hockey League players, including Russian superstars Alexei Kovalev and Ilya Kovalchuk and Canadians Vincent Lecavalier and Dany Heatley, in an attempt to celebrate Kazan's 10th anniversary with a championship. They did not succeed, however, as a lack of continuity and chemistry saw them finish in fourth place and were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Since then, Ak Bars Kazan dominated the RSL, winning the league in 2006. In 2007, Kazan paced the league with 35 wins and 214 goals in 54 games before falling at the final hurdle to Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Ak Bars has been led in recent years by the dominant "ZZM" line of Sergei Zinovjev, Danis Zaripov, and Aleksey Morozov, who have established themselves as one of the most dominant lines in recent history. Combined with veterans such as Vitaly Proshkin and Vladimir Vorobiev, and imports, such as Ray Giroux, Petr Čajánek, and Jukka Hentunen, Kazan has remained one of the top teams in the league. However, they have been at times criticized for lacking consistency and relying too heavily on star players such as Morozov.[2]

Ak Bars Kazan are strong rivals with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and the neighboring team of Salavat Yulaev Ufa. However, Ak Bars was the strongest rival with Dynamo Moscow in the 1990s.

Honors

Champions

1st place, gold medalist(s) Russian Championship (5): 1997–98, 2005–06, 2008-09, 2009–10, 2017–18
1st place, gold medalist(s) Gagarin Cup (3): 2008-09, 2009–10, 2017–18
1st place, gold medalist(s) Opening Cup (2): 2009–10, 2020–21
1st place, gold medalist(s) Russian Superleague (2): 1997–98, 2005–06
1st place, gold medalist(s) IIHF European Champions Cup (1): 2007
1st place, gold medalist(s) IIHF Continental Cup (1): 2007–08
1st place, gold medalist(s) Soviet Class A2 (3): 1962, 1985, 1989 (West)
1st place, gold medalist(s) Soviet Class B (1): 1976

Runners-up

2nd place, silver medalist(s) Russian Championship (5): 1999-00, 2001-02, 2006-07, 2014-15, 2019-20
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Gagarin Cup (2): 2014-15, 2022-23
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Russian Superleague (3): 1999-00, 2001-02, 2006-07
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Russian Championship (1): 2016-17
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Gagarin Cup (1): 2016-17
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Russian Superleague (1): 2003-04
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) IIHF Continental Cup (1): 1999-00

Season-by-season KHL record

Note: GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OTL = Overtime/shootout losses; Pts = Points; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; P = Playoff

SeasonGPWLOTLPtsGFGAFinishTop ScorerPlayoffs
2008–0956361061221891231st, ChernyshevAlexei Morozov (71 points: 32 G, 39 A; 49 GP)Gagarin Cup Champions, 4–3 (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl)
2009–105625185961591282nd, KharlamovAlexei Morozov (49 points: 26 G, 23 A; 50 GP)Gagarin Cup Champions, 4–3 (HC MVD)
2010–1154291281051811331st, KharlamovAlexei Morozov (56 points: 21 G, 35 A; 53 GP)Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1–4 (Salavat Yulaev Ufa)
2011–125427195921671363rd, KharlamovAlexei Morozov (50 points: 21 G, 29 A; 53 GP)Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2–4 (Traktor Chelyabinsk)
2012–1352281081041571121st, KharlamovAlexei Morozov (38 points: 15 G, 26 A; 51 GP)Lost in Conference Finals, 3–4 (Traktor Chelyabinsk)
2013–1454261461001391082nd, KharlamovAlexander Burmistrov (38 points: 10 G, 28 A; 54 GP)Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2–4 (Sibir Novosibirsk)
2014–1560341461201691151st, KharlamovJustin Azevedo (50 points: 17 G, 33 A; 58 GP)Lost in Gagarin Cup Finals, 1–4 (SKA Saint Petersburg)
2015–166031209961431272nd, KharlamovJustin Azevedo (53 points: 17 G, 36 A; 59 GP)Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 3–4 (Salavat Yulaev Ufa)
2016–1760381841091551272nd, KharlamovJustin Azevedo (34 points: 13 G, 21 A; 54 GP)Lost in Conference Finals, 0–4 (Metallurg Magnitogorsk)
2017–1856321861001581261st, KharlamovJiri Sekac (42 points: 16 G, 26 A; 50 GP)Gagarin Cup Champions, 4–1 (CSKA Moscow)
2018–196238186821651393rd, KharlamovJiri Sekac (47 points: 23 G, 24 A; 60 GP)Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 0–4 (Avangard Omsk)
2019–206244135931781211st, KharlamovJustin Azevedo (37 points: 13 G, 24 A; 57 GP)Won in Conference Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk)
Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–216041118901851311st, KharlamovStéphane Da Costa (57 points: 27 G, 30 A; 52 GP)Lost in Conference Finals, 3–4 (Avangard Omsk)
2021–224830126661291093rd, KharlamovDmitri Kagarlitsky (34 points: 12 G, 22 A; 46 GP)Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2–4 (Avangard Omsk)
2022–236841189911871581st, KharlamovAlexander Radulov (57 points: 25 G, 32 A; 62 GP)Lost in Gagarin Cup Finals, 3–4 (CSKA Moscow)

Players

Current roster

Updated 2 September 2023.[3][4]

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
77 Russia Kirill Adamchuk D L 29 2021 Tyumen, Russia
82 Russia Timur Bilyalov G L 28 2019 Kazan, Russia
37 Russia Maxim Bykov LW R 21 2022 Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia
86 Russia Nikita Dynyak LW R 26 2019 St. Petersburg, Russia
22 Russia Stanislav Galiev RW R 31 2022 Moscow, Russia
95 Russia Artyom Galimov F L 24 2018 Samara, Russia
23 Russia Dmitrij Jaskin LW L 30 2023 Omsk, Russia
9 Russia Dmitri Kagarlitsky LW R 34 2021 Cherepovets, Russian SFSR
92 Russia Dmitri Katelevsky F L 20 2020 Orenburg, Russia
18 Belarus Kristian Khenkel D L 27 2019 Minsk, Belarus
65 Russia Konstantin Luchevnikov D L 28 2020 Chelyabinsk, Russia
89 Russia Artem Lukoyanov LW L 34 2011 Almetyevsk, Russian SFSR
96 Russia Nikita Lyamkin D L 27 2017 Barnaul, Russia
35 Russia Amir Miftakhov G L 23 2022 Kazan, Russia
27 Russia Kirill Petrov RW L 33 2019 Kazan, Russian SFSR
47 Russia Alexander Radulov (C) RW L 37 2022 Nizhny Tagil, Russian SFSR
24 Russia Ilya Safonov (A) C L 22 2019 Murmansk, Russia
94 Russia Kirill Semyonov C L 28 2022 Omsk, Russia
87 Russia Vadim Shipachyov (A) C L 36 2022 Cherepovets, Russian SFSR
71 Russia Evgeny Svechnikov RW L 26 2023 Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
59 Russia Semyon Terekhov F L 21 2022 Chelyabinsk, Russia
26 Russia Vyacheslav Voynov D R 33 2022 Chelyabinsk, Russian SFSR
49 Russia Nikita Yevseyev D L 19 2022 Almetievsk, Russia
44 Russia Dmitri Yudin D L 28 2018 Nizhny Tagil, Russia
88 Russia Damir Zhafyarov LW L 29 2023 Moscow, Russia
2 Russia Danila Zhuravlyov D L 23 2022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

Franchise KHL scoring leaders

Ak Bars Kazan primary logo from 2008–2022.

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed KHL regular season.[5]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;   = current Ak Bars player

NHL alumni

Head coaches

Notable alumni

References

  1. "STATISTICS". Archived from the original on 2008-01-07.
  2. IHF Forums http://forums.internationalhockey.net/showthread.php?t=7374 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Team Roster «Ak Bars»". www.ak-bars.ru. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  4. "Ak Bars Kazan team roster". www.khl.ru. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  5. "Ak Bars Kazan All-Time KHL Leaders". quanthockey.com. 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
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