RUS: Canada/Russia Challenge Rosters

Toronto - The Canadian Hockey League today announced the Russian Selects roster of players who will compete in the 2004 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge beginning next Monday in Montreal.

The roster includes seven players that have been drafted by National Hockey League clubs, including defenceman Kirill Lyamin, a second round pick of the Ottawa Senators, and forwards Mikhail Yunkov, a second round pick of the Washington Capitals and Roman Voloshenko, a second round pick of the Minnesota Wild. Goaltender Anton Khudobin, a Minnesota prospect, defencemen Alexander Mikhalishin, a New Jersey Devils prospect, and Andrei Plekhanov. a third round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and forward Alexander Naurov, a Dallas Stars draft pick, were also named to the roster who will represent Russia in the series.

"This is the second consecutive year for the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge and we are extremely excited to build on the success from our first year for this series," said CHL President David Branch. "We are confident that this event will surpass the excitement generated last year when you consider a much stronger Russian team that has been presented to us for this year's series."

The Russian Selects coaching staff includes Sergei Gersonsky, an assistant with the squad that came to Canada last year, and Valery Bragin, who guided Russia to a gold medal win in the World Under-18 Championships last April in Belarus.

Goaltender Anton Khudobin, defenceman Lyamin and forwards Voloshenko, Yunkov, Nikolai Kulemin, Sergei Shirokov and Alexander Plyuschev also skated for Russia in their Under-18 Gold Medal win. Kulemin (27th) and Plyuschev (25th) were among the top-30 Russian-born prospects identified in the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Ranking for the 2005 NHL Entry Draft earlier this week.

The CHL Roster

Russian Selects - Roster of Players for the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge

Goaltenders

Anton Khudobin - May 7, 1986 (Minnesota's 7th Round/206th overall '04)

Andrei Kuznetsov - April 25, 1985

Defencemen

Rafael Batyrshin - Aug. 26, 1986

Alexander Budkin - Sep. 8, 1986

Ivan Lekomtsev - Jul. 19, 1985

Kirill Lyamin - Jan. 13, 1986 (Ottawa's 2nd Round/58th overall '04)

Dmitri Megalinsky - April 15, 1985

Alexander Mikhailishin - Feb. 24, 1986 (New Jersey's 5th Round/155th

overall '04)

Andrei Plekhanov - Jul. 12, 1986 (Columbus' 3rd Round/96th overall '04)

Vasily Sysa - Mar. 4, 1985

Forwards

Sergei Kochetkov - Apr. 1, 1985

Alexei Koptyaev - Jul. 15, 1985

Nikolai Kulemin - Jul. 14, 1986

Nikolai Lemtyugov - Jan. 15, 1986

Alexander Naurov - Mar. 4, 1985 (Dallas' 4th Round/134th overall '04)

Alexander Plyuschev - Feb. 8, 1986

Sergei Shirokov - Mar. 10, 1986

Igor Skorokhodov - May 4, 1986

Andrei Stepanov - Apr. 14, 1986

Roman Voloshenko - May 12, 1986 (Minnesota's 2nd Round/42nd overall

'04)

Mikhail Yunkov - Feb 16,1986 (Washington's 2nd Round/62nd overall '04)

Vladimir Zhmayev - Mar. 7, 1986

Alexander Zhurun - Mar. 8, 1985

Team Manager: Rogatin Konstantin

Head Coach: Sergei Gersonsky

Assistant Coach: Valery Bragin

Doctor: Dmitry Bogdashevsky

Masseur: Alexander Kulikov