On April 23, a press conference was held at which CSKA FC President Igor Esmantovich and the club's sports director Denis Denisov summed up the results of the 2023/24 season.
Igor Esmantovich, President of PHC CSKA:
— The season ended unsuccessfully. The season was very uneven and nervous. During the season, we understood the situation that had to be corrected. Unfortunately, together with the coaches, we could not cope with it, we could not find the necessary levers to achieve the result.
— If CSKA had got any other club in the playoffs except Lokomotiv, it would have passed it and started playing in ascending order. What would you say about this?
— It is difficult to answer for one reason — the sport is so flexible that it is difficult to say. I don't want to throw a puck into anyone's garden. Maybe ir would have passed, maybe would not. Any other team? Why should there have been any nother team? This is a sporting principle, everyone played, all in the same conditions, with the same venues. The result is there, and it's bad. All 16 teams were worthy, the playoffs showed their worth in this regard. Whenever CSKA won, a fairly large number of teams were contenders for this cup. We always understand, appreciate and evaluate this from the point of view of the approach.
— How and why was the decision made on Sergei Fedorov after two Gagarin Cups? It is clear that CSKA has maximum goals, but still the merits of the man were quite high.
— We give awards for merits. When Sergey Viktorovich won, he received awards for his services – a gold medal, the Gagarin Cup, the award as the head coach. In this club, you have to struggle and fight for the cup every year. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. To do this, there is a supervisory board, which includes serious managers, they gathered us and decided to recognize the work as unsatisfactory and, based on the results of this work, dismiss Sergei Viktorovich.
— Will Sergey Viktorovich stay to work in the system?
— Yes, he is a member of the supervisory board, and he remains one.
— Igor Nikitin lost his job after losing in the final, Sergei Fedorov was not forgiven for one unsuccessful season, despite two cups. Will Ilya Vorobyov have some kind of credibility at the entrance to the season, given that big changes are taking place at the club, or will he also have to answer from the first official match?
— There is always a place for a dialogue, of course. It is impossible to say categorically what kind of carte blanche Vorobyov, who can start working from next season, has. To do this, you need to look at the results and his work. And carte blanche for the duration of his stay at the club is only in the hands of the supervisory board. Personnel issues related to the appointment of the head coach are only in the supervisory board of the CSKA hockey club.
— Will Ilya Petrovich be given carte blanche for the development of young players?
— The regulations themselves require the development of young players. You understand perfectly well that there are players who are limiters. By age, the next season is 2004 and 2005. This is one time. Secondly— the head coach has a full carte blanche to work with young people. We will be able to talk about this in July, because we are currently in the framework of breeding work. Nothing prevents Ilya Petrovich from taking care of the young and moving them. The result is important. Look at how Metallurg plays - how many young guys they have there! Why not? You see how stereotypes break or change. It's wonderful! And we are one of the engines of progress here. The CSKA Hockey School provides hockey players not only for our club, but also for the whole country.
— Why did the choice fall on Ilya Petrovich Vorobyov?
— CSKA is a special club, with a special history and philosophy. The tasks of returning the sports component of our country to Olympus, which were set by Rosneft in 2011, were and remain a priority. Thank God that we have five Russian championship titles, three Gagarin Cups, the World Cup and the Kharlamov Cup, we have now taken first place in the Moscow schools standings for the seventh time in a row. This makes it difficult to appoint a coaching corps. Currently, not many coaches today can be under pressure regarding the difficult result of their work. Ilya Petrovich was raising his cup, speaking in slang. We saw his work in 2022, when we played with them in the final and won the cup. We discussed everything with him, listened to him, what his vision of development is. Guessing right with a coach is also part of the job and the athletic result.
— Can you tell me who exactly is leaving the team?
— Plotnikov, Grigorenko, Svetlakov, Slepyshev, Dietz will not remain in the team. Fedotov, who signed a contract in Philadelphia, will leave. Regarding Dietz and Slepyshev, we are working with agents and clubs to exchange them.
— How long has the contract with Ilya Petrovich been signed for and who will be his assistants?
— We have discussed assistants with five coaches, whose candidacies are still being considered by our staff. Ravil Yakubov will not be there, his contract has ended, and neither will Sergei Naumov. All the coaches who were "on the ice" are leaving. Popov has a position at CSKA — a coach for the development of hockey players. He remains one. Ilya Petrovich has a three-year contract.
— Have you thought about encouraging the team with a coaching change during the season?
— We thought about not only coaching, but also playing. All this was discussed together with Sergey Fedorov, but in the end it was decided to work with the composition that was due to the fact that these guys proved their worth earlier, when we were also in a difficult situation. We decided to go all the way with the guys we trusted before. We approached this situation honestly and in relation to the staff and the players.
— At CSKA, the new head coach determines the assistants, and the supervisory board approves, or is this a collective decision?
— Ilya Petrovich and I are selecting assistants, and he approves these candidates at the supervisory board.
— Is CSKA really heading for the return of its players from North America?
— We have it embedded in the genetic code of CSKA, probably. As good guys go to America, so they come back. Remember 2018, the beginning of the season — how many guys who became Olympic champions we brought back! Slepyshev, Mamin, Grigorenko, Nesterov. Of course, our priority within the framework of today's regulations is to try to find common ground with our many guys in North America and convince them that it's time to come to our beloved country. We are working in this direction. It's very complicated. I really hope that we will be able to surprise our fans in this direction.
— Do Okulov, Williams, and Claesson remain in the team?
— We are negotiating with Colby, looking for a format of financial opportunities on both sides. I don't know how it will turn out yet. Okulov and Claesson have valid contracts.
— Last offseason, clubs actively used offsets and leases of young players. Do you have any similar plans?
— At the moment, there is no task to buy for a lot of money. All hockey players are burdened with legal rights in their clubs. Rental options may be presented within the framework of the regulations.
— The Top 6, the leading defender is leaving you. Do you already see what the new CSKA will be like? Will it still be a clear contender for the Gagarin Cup?
— We will definitely be a contender for next season, that's for sure. Believe me, if we do this, we understand what we are doing. We are ready to form a team that will give the maximum result.
— Is it possible that the club's management will be more relaxed about the results, given that CSKA is in restructuring?
— I want to thank Rosneft for the return that is coming our way. Winning the Gagarin Cup is a difficult task, but we are always set up for it. CSKA cannot have any other goals. It is unlikely that the leadership will relent, realizing that we are not going after the Gagarin Cup. We can do this task, believe me. It remains to be patient a little bit, until August
Denis Denisov, Sports Director of PHC CSKA:
— We are evaluated by the result. The CSKA hockey club is used to giving the maximum, the best result, so we certainly consider this season to be unsuccessful.
— Does the club already have pre-season training plans?
— We have three teams, and they already have pre-season schedules. Red Army will go to prepare in Aleksin, Tula region, Zvezda will go to Saransk, CSKA follows the old system: we train in Minsk, gather on August 1 and go through the training camp from the 5th to the 19th. Then we come to Moscow, hold one test game and enter the Moscow Mayor's Cup, after which the championship begins.
— How difficult will it be to replace the outgoing players and can we say that this will be the most difficult offseason for you as a sports director?
— These are guys who have won names for themselves, have authority and proved everything to everyone. I can only thank them and wish them to show what they know best in the future — to play hockey. As for our work, it's no secret that everyone is busy with it right now. Teams are being formed for next season. Let's hope that we will be in the lead here.
— Are the graduates of the CSKA Hockey School ready to join the Red Army, Zvezda and CSKA soon?
— As already mentioned, the CSKA school won the overall standings of the city of Moscow for the seventh time in a row. We will build on this. If the school gives a result, then all the professional teams of the club should be replenished with their students. That's what we're going for. Red Army and Zvezda are one of the youngest teams in the league, Zvezda has already begun to produce a certain result. These teams will be given high tasks. We will continue to introduce young players to the first team. God grant that they grow into professionals and play not only for the club, but also for the Russian national team.
— Will there be any changes in the preparation of the team, taking into account the fact that the season will end a month later, on May 31?
— It would make sense to make changes if the start of the championship was on a different date. According to the regulations, the season starts on August 1, only on this date we can assemble a team. Players with bilateral and trilateral contracts will be assembled earlier and will undergo full training with the Red Army and Zvezda. Applicants for a place in the first team will go to Minsk for training camps, after the preseason and control games, certain conclusions will be drawn.
— Will there be any changes in the coaching staffs of Zvezda and Red Army?
— No, no changes are planned. Head coaches stay with their jobs and their staff. Zvezda performed quite well and reached the playoffs. We couldn't win the seventh game of the playoffs, but nevertheless we consider the result satisfactory. There is nothing to execute or pardon for. Full-fledged work is underway. As for the Red Army, we were aware that there could be such results when we took 15 hockey players born in 2006 to the team. We have to gradually adapt them to professional hockey, giving them time to do so.
