The key facts

  • Ilya Vorobyov is a candidate for head coach of the Russian national team at the 2027 World Juniors
  • No substantive discussion or approval of the candidacy has taken place yet
  • Russia will return to the World Juniors after the CAS lifted the suspension and will take Norway's place in the schedule

Vorobyov as a candidate

Former head coach of Moscow's CSKA Ilya Vorobyov may take charge of the Russian national team at the 2027 World Junior Championship, which will be held in Canada. This was reported by Championship, citing its own source. According to the outlet, there has been no substantive discussion or official approval of the candidacy yet. One argument in Vorobyov's favor, the source says, is that he holds a German passport, which rules out possible visa difficulties when traveling to the tournament.

Context: return to the tournament

The question of the coach arose after, on October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport fully granted the appeal of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation's decision to suspend the Russian national team. The IIHF stated that it would urgently assess the steps and time needed to implement the decision, while expressing dissatisfaction with the CAS verdict.

Opponents' refusals

Following the CAS decision, six national federations — Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Norway, Latvia and Denmark — refused to play matches against the Russian national team at the 2027 World Championship in Germany. For the junior championship, the IIHF changed the schedule: the Russian team, which did not take part in previous tournaments, will take tenth place in the rankings and replace Norway. Switzerland had earlier also stated its unwillingness to play against the Russians at the World Juniors.