CSKA hockey club publicly announced the appointment of Ilya Vorobyov as head coach, signaling a new chapter for the team. At a recent supervisory board meeting, management confirmed that Sergei Fedorov’s three-year contract would not be renewed and would expire on April 30. The decision marks a clear transition for the club as it enters a fresh coaching era under Vorobyov’s leadership.
Vorobyov brings a broad background as both a player and a coach. His playing career spanned the top levels of Russian and European hockey, laying a foundation that would later inform his approach behind the bench. He began coaching in 2011 and has since built experience at the club level with Metallurg Magnitogorsk and SKA Saint Petersburg, among others. This mix of domestic league success and exposure to international competition shapes his philosophy on skating speed, tactical discipline, and player development.
On the ice, Vorobyov has earned recognition for his contributions to the sport. He was part of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk staff that captured the Gagarin Cup in 2014 as an assistant coach and later led the team to the championship again in 2016 as head coach. His coaching journey includes repeated deep runs in the tournament, complemented by roles with the Russian national team that underscored his ability to guide players through high-stakes competitions. Internationally, he earned Olympic gold with Russia in 2018 and secured a bronze medal as head coach at the 2019 World Championships, adding a noteworthy track record of success at the global level.
The organization emphasized Vorobyov’s blend of experience and familiarity with CSKA. He has personally faced the club in finals of the Gagarin Cup and secured a gold medal in those battles, which gives him firsthand insight into CSKA’s culture and expectations. This background, combined with his proven results in both the national team program and club hockey, positions him as someone capable of sustaining high performance and guiding the roster through a competitive season.
Beyond the rink, Vorobyov’s recognition includes distinctions such as the Order of Friendship awarded in 2018, reflecting his broader contributions to the sport and his role in raising the profile of Russian hockey on the international stage. His appointment aligns with the club’s long-standing commitment to excellence and to nurturing talent through strong leadership, strategic planning, and a cohesive team environment.
In a broader context, the involvement of Rosneft in sports initiatives underscores a continued alignment between corporate support and professional hockey in Russia. Rosneft has maintained ownership of CSKA for more than a decade, a period that has seen the club reaffirm its standing as a dominant force in the national championship. During this era, CSKA has claimed the Gagarin Cup title on multiple occasions and contributed to Russia’s Olympic success by returning the gold medal to the national team in 2018. The partnership highlights how corporate backing can influence player development, facilities, and competitive resources, while the club remains focused on delivering top-tier hockey to fans across the country and beyond.
As Vorobyov steps into his role, the hockey community will watch how the new leadership translates past achievements into sustained performance. The alignment of coaching expertise, national team experience, and the club’s entrenched traditions creates a compelling foundation for CSKA’s ongoing pursuit of championships and continued influence within the Kontinental Hockey League framework. The coming seasons will reveal how this combination of history and fresh leadership unfolds on the ice, in the locker room, and in the stands, where supporters expect a return to the elite form that has long defined CSKA.