The key facts
- Vorobyov and Mikhalkyevich left the team on October 21; contracts remain in effect, legal matters not settled
- Yuri Trubachyov appointed acting head coach, assisted by Khabarov, Sudnitsin and Mohoric
- Razin terminated his contract with Metallurg on October 18 and took over SKA the same day
Coaching resignation in Magnitogorsk
Changes continue in the coaching staff of Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vladimir Vorobyov, who served as acting head coach after Andrei Razin's suspension, together with Yevgeny Mikhalkyevich left the team's location on the morning of October 21. This was reported by club director Alexei Zhloba. According to him, the specialists' employment relations with the club have not yet been officially terminated: 'This morning, head coach's assistants Vladimir Vorobyov and Yevgeny Mikhalkyevich left the team's location. The specialists have active contracts with our team, and legal matters with them have not been settled.'
Trubachyov to lead the team in the match against Salavat Yulaev
Yuri Trubachyov, previously part of the Magnitogorsk staff, has been appointed acting head coach. It is he who will lead the team onto the ice in the match on October 21 against Ufa's Salavat Yulaev. Assisting him will be Yaroslav Khabarov, Alexander Sudnitsin and Klemen Mohoric.
Plans for finding a new head coach
Zhloba promised to present a permanent head coach in the near future. He named the preservation of the existing playing model as the key selection criterion: 'One of the main criteria in the search is that the new head coach must fit into the current system. The season is in full swing, and we do not want to change the playing system and the established combinations.'
Background: conflict and Razin's departure
The changes were preceded by a conflict between Andrei Razin and the team's players. On October 6, the specialist was temporarily suspended from work — Zhloba explained this by serious disagreements within the collective. Meanwhile, Metallurg continued to perform successfully in the KHL and won three games in a row without Razin. On October 18, the club officially terminated the contract with the coach who had led the team to the Gagarin Cup in 2024 and the Continental Cup in the 2025/26 season.
Razin took over SKA
Shortly before this, Razin had been named one of the possible successors to Igor Larionov at St. Petersburg's SKA, which had suffered five consecutive losses and dropped to eighth place in the Western Conference. On October 18, SKA officially appointed Razin as head coach in place of Larionov, signing a two-year contract. The Petersburg team was scheduled to play their first game under the new coach on October 20 against Yekaterinburg's Avtomobilist.
