Dinamo Minsk at the end of the regular season took eighth place in the Western Conference and in the first round of the Gagarin Cup they lost to their Moscow teammates (2:4 in the series). The results of the season that ended for “Zubrov” were summed up by the club’s general director in an exclusive interview with a “Championship” columnist. Artem Karkotsky. He also spoke about the future of coach Dmitry Kvartalnov and evaluated the performance of the team’s main hockey players.
How Dmitry Kvartalnov welcomed Dynamo Minsk
Exclusive
“I really missed work, I missed the training routine.” Interview with Kvartalnov
“With each season, Dynamo progresses and its ambitions grow”
—How would you rate Dinamo Minsk’s performance this season? — The season will be bright and interesting. In the regular season, the team showed offensive hockey, updated the goal record and achieved a positive balance in terms of the difference between goals scored and conceded.
There were many decisive victories, even over the league’s giants. But for us it is especially important that young Belarusian hockey players played an important role. Many have already begun to take on leading roles. This is the main result.
— Can we say that the task for the 2023/2024 season is completed? — A few seasons ago reaching the playoffs would have been considered an achievement. Now, this is a minimal task or even something that is taken for granted. That is to say, Dynamo progresses every season. Of course, ambitions also grow. Any athlete and leader sets maximum goals. And we, of course, wanted to get through the first round first and then continue solving problems as they arose. Unfortunately, it was not possible to beat Dynamo Moscow, winner of the Continental Cup. But all the games were the same. Apart from the empty-net goal, everything was decided by one goal. We played twice in overtime. Under more successful circumstances, we could have gone further.
Artem Karkotsky
Photo: hcdinamo.by
“A more detailed meeting with Kvartalnov is coming”
— Explain the contract situation of coach Dmitry Kvartalnov. Did he sign according to the “1 + 2” scheme? — Initially, a three-year contract was signed according to this scheme.
— Does the Club wish to continue cooperation with Dmitry Vyacheslavovich? — Soon we will analyze the season, summarize the results and discuss the future in detail.
— In general, have you already communicated with Kvartalnov? —We talked, but a more detailed meeting is coming up.
“The progress of our youth is one of the tasks of the season. “We solved it”
— Are you satisfied with the game and progress of Belarusian hockey players: Sushko, Lipsky, Moroz, Sotishvili, Kuznetsov, Kovgoreni, Pinchuk, Pyshkaylo and others? — As I already said, the progress of our youth is one of the tasks of the season. And we can say that we surpassed it. Moroz, Sotishvili, Kuznetsov and Kovgorenia have improved significantly compared to the previous season. Pyshkaylo may not score as often compared to Moroz or Pinchuk, but he does a very important job on the ice.
Vitaly Pinchuk’s ambitions
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“I would like to win the World Cup with Belarus. Soon we will be no worse than Slovakia.” Interview with Pinchuk
— Do you agree that under Kvartalnov the young players began to improve and play in a more interesting way? — I repeat, in previous seasons our young people appeared and gave a great statement of themselves. The most important thing here is that the guys continue to work hard after their first successes, because one season is not the peak. We expect more from them and trust that everything is ahead. The main thing is to continue working for the benefit of the team.
— Is the development of our own youth one of Dinamo’s tasks, even in the foreseeable future? – Definitely. I already said that the club chose this vector of development several years ago, when the position of general director was held by Dmitry Baskov. This strategy is paying off. We are not going to change this course. Additionally, we have an excellent club vertical, from school to the country’s main team.
Dmitry Kvartalnov
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
“Overall, the legionnaires performed well”
—How would you evaluate the performance and contribution of foreign hockey players to the team’s game? — Foreign players are needed for the team to be competitive and also for young players to learn from their experience both on and off the ice. In general, the legionnaires performed well and fulfilled their tasks.
— I agree, many looked great. — Curran is the best in the league in blocked shots, the fans recognized him as the best defenseman, he was one of the leaders on the ice and in the locker room. Enas is the team’s top scorer. Hamilton became a big part of the team as the season progressed. Kaldis, Fritz and other guys helped.
— The contracts of Kaldis, Curran, Merkley, Richie, Ferguson, Hamilton, Enas are ending. Which of these foreign players from the club would you like to extend your agreement with? — Enas and Hamilton have already renewed their contracts. We will decide the rest soon.
“In four seasons, Kolosov went from being a rookie to being a team leader”
— Goalkeeper Kolosov’s contract also ends. Was there any desire to keep him in Belarus or does Alexey firmly intend to go to Philadelphia? — Under the terms of the agreement, Alexey can go to Philadelphia until the end of the North American season. We will be in contact with him and with representatives of the NHL Club. Over the course of four seasons, Kolosov went from a rookie to a team leader and fan favorite. Of course, we are not indifferent to his fate.
— Canadian Tanner Fritz added power and creativity to the Dynamo. Can his arrival be classified as one of the most successful transfers in recent times? “It is no coincidence that we hired him immediately for several seasons. His level and professionalism are evident in everything. I am sure that he will show himself even better next season. Still, it is important to carry out preseason training with the team.
Tanner Fritz
Photo: Alexander Safonov, “Championship”
“Osnovin helped the team, Volkov played all the games in the regular season and playoffs”
—Are you satisfied with the Russian Osnovin’s invitation? His contract will also end on April 30, 2024. “We needed a center forward with experience. After the start of the regular season we managed to sign Vyacheslav Osnovin. He generally helped the team. The effort was visible. As for the future, we will make a decision soon.
— Another Russian, Alexander Volkov, was supposed to become one of the leaders of the Minsk residents. Do you think he achieved it? – Yes. He played every game in the regular season and playoffs. Second scorer on the team and third in power plays. We are satisfied with his performance and attitude.
Conversation with one of Minsk’s most star players
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“Are we an outsider? Hear it for the first time.” Dynamo star believes in the main sensation in the KHL playoffs
“At the moment, the budget remains within the same framework”
—How is Dinamo Minsk’s budget and financing going? Is everything going as usual? Should we expect a budget increase? — For the moment, the budget remains within the same framework. In recent years, the club has acquired many new members. The majority of the club’s budget has long come from support from non-governmental organizations. But still, everything we have is thanks to the important support and attention that the State gives us. And for this I want to once again express my deep gratitude personally to our president, because we all understand the attention he pays to the development of not only hockey, but all sports in our country. And I emphasize that many companies, non-state ones, understanding this, respond and provide us with help.
— Will the team set higher goals for the coming seasons than simply making the KHL playoffs? Is there a development plan for the club? — As I already said, the minimum task will remain the same: reach the playoffs. But, considering that the team improves every year, its ambitions also grow. And everyone is already waiting for us to get through the first round. So we will strive to achieve this. There is a development plan. There are already 25 players on the roster for next season with current contracts. We will specifically strengthen the team and develop young hockey players.
