The SUSU hockey team has started pre-season training. Polytechnic is holding a team training camp in Chelyabinsk and is preparing to go to the competitions with a renewed squad in September.
The student hockey club Polytechnic were the bronze medallists of last season and two-time winners of the SHL Championship. After celebrating their medals and enjoying the summer holidays, the players started their pre-season training camp in early August under the guidance of head coach Artem Pletnev and his assistant Denis Kozyrev.
"This year we started training in early August, which is due to our participation in the tournament under the SHL. The Cup of Regions is going to be held in early September. Three teams of the Chelyabinsk Region (UralGUFK, SUSU Polytechnic, and PTPSM-Korkino) and the team from UrFU in Yekaterinburg will participate. In recent years, UralGUFK, UrFU and SUSU have led the East conference, so this tournament is quite interesting and important. So far, we are focusing on training "on the ground". Closer to the tournament we will work more on the ice, watch formations, and choose tactics. The guys are good—you can see that they are eager to train; they try and fulfil their tasks. The most important thing that we appreciate in our hockey players is their desire and passion for what they do", says the head coach about the start of the 2023/24 training camp.
Last season Polytechnic played in the Student Hockey League (SHL) and Chelyabinsk Open Championship (ChLHL) competitions. Artem Pletnev shared where the team will play in the new year:
"We are remaining in the same competitions. In addition to the Championship, the SHL has many tournaments: we will participate in several starting from September. Also, for the last 7 years the Universiade has been held among higher educational institutions of the Chelyabinsk Region, but it is a rather short-lived tournament (only 3 teams compete). We will take part in the Chelyabinsk Region Cup for experience. Thanks to the variety of competition, we give many hockey players a chance to demonstrate their skills, gain playing experience, and gradually join the main team. We have about 55–60 official matches per season".
Polytechnic forward Artem Drai, for whom this is not the first team training camp with the SUSU team, shared his emotions about returning to training:
"First of all, now it is important to concentrate on training, working to the extreme. Of course, we have some fatigue after the break, but the main thing is that our desire to win is growing, and consequently, we want to train and work on ourselves. There are differences from last year's training camp. This year there is more of a physical load: more training and cardio. I think we will be better prepared. The atmosphere in the team is great, everyone is trying to communicate, trying to make friends with the newcomers. Of course, we help the younger guys—we do not haze them or anything like that, because Polytechnic is not just a club—it's a family. The most important thing in the new season is to be a united team and get victories together.”
During the off-season, the roster gets renewed: some players finish playing for the club due to their age or graduation from university, and new players are screened. The best applicants join the team at the pre-season training camp and get a chance to join the main squad.
"In the middle of the year we speak with coaches of graduates from schools in Chelyabinsk; we send information about the exams that are needed to enrol at our university; and we tell them about all the opportunities provided by the university—there are a lot of academic programmes and specialties, and we also have a military training centre. We watch all those who want to join us at training sessions. We have a team with ambitions, so we mostly pay attention to those who play well, who meet all our criteria at a high level and do not fall behind. As for those young guys who are not quite ready yet, we also train them so that they can join the main team after a certain amount of time. The roster is partially renewed every year, but the players who served as captain and assistants are "proven fighters" whom we trust, and we are totally satisfied with their performance. This season there will be slightly different guys fulfilling these roles, because the previous captain left the team. Practice shows that the election of captains usually results in the same few reliable guys being chosen for these roles", says the head coach about the renewal of the team.
Defender Oleg Kobilyansky was one of those who joined Polytechnic:
"I’m feeling very positive. I am getting involved in the training process, and I am looking forward to the start of the season. It will be interesting to prove myself in the new league for the SUSU team; I hope to justify the confidence of the coaches. I knew a lot of guys from the team—some of them I know from school, or we played together or met at matches. You can turn to the older guys with any request. Everyone is ready to help you, explain things, even drive you home if necessary. The guys really help you adapt. Polytechnic is a team with quite a few titles, so the goal for the season is a third championship title".
The SUSU hockey club has already won 2 championship cups and several bronze medals, so the players and coaching staff have big ambitions for the upcoming season. Artem Pletnev shared his view on how the team manages to show a high level of performance for a long time and maintain discipline:
"The team always sets extreme goals. Wherever we participate, we always play to win, because we are used to it. The emotions we get from winning are valuable. Many guys have already tasted it. Our players often sacrifice something, they try to train even when they have no strength left, getting over oneself through "I can't", to feel the positive emotions of victory. I'm not prepared to say that we have any special secret; all teams prepare through training, miniscule factors have an effect. We arrived at the first championship win through 3 bronze medals. We can probably say we have the experience of final matches on our side, which makes a big difference. As long as we still have those guys who became champions on the team, this experience will be passed on to new players. We have developed a system of values in the team. You can always see who tries to behave differently than we demand. We part ways with such players. The guys themselves choose to train and behave in a proper way in life, on the ice, and in the team. If they put their own positions and values above the team values, then we are on different paths. I think that's one of the factors that allow us to stay at the top of the SHL".
The Polytechnic preseason training camp is in full swing. Very soon the club will once again defend the honour of SUSU in hockey championships. We wish the team good luck in the new season!
You can follow Polytechnic in the official VK group and support the team at matches.