Kazzinc-Torpedo

Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk
City Oskemen, Kazakhstan
League Supreme Hockey League
Founded 1955
Home arena Boris Alexandrov Sports Palace
Colours                    
General manager Sergei Nemchinov
Head coach Alexei Fetisov
Captain Leonid Metalnikov
Affiliate(s) ShKO Oskemen (KAZ)
Altay Oskemen (MHL-B)
Championships 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07
Website hc-torpedo.kz

Torpedo Hockey Club (Kazakh: «Торпедо» хоккей клубы; Russian: Хоккейный клуб «Торпедо»), commonly referred to as Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, formerly known as Kazzinc-Torpedo (1999–2015), is a professional ice hockey team based in Oskemen, Kazakhstan. Torpedo has typically been the most dominant developmental club in Kazakhstan and its senior level team also plays at the Supreme Hockey League (VHL), one step below the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[1] Most Kazakh players who have reached the National Hockey League (NHL) trace their roots to Torpedo.[2] Kazzinc-Torpedo is the most crowned Kazakhstan team, with 13 championship wins.

History

1955–1992: the Soviet era

The Torpedo were founded by Nikolai Konyakhin in 1955.[3] Konyakhin was a former ice hockey player and he had experience of playing for a youth team of the Moscow region. Father and son Konaykhin's have initiated the foundation of the amateur team at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant. Ice Hockey was a new kind of sport for the factory guys and they started to train and play on the ice of Ulba River in winter. By that time, the factory workers were avtively playing football and bandy. Both teams were calling Torpedo. The new hockey team was named Torpedo, too.

In 1957, they firstly participated at the Kazakh SSR Hockey Championship in Alma-Ata. Also, it was the first official tournament for Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk. They won silver medals at this championship. It was first and last silver medals at the National Championships, because next years they were unbeaten before the 1964. In 1964, Torpedo debuted at the Soviet Hockey Championship's Class B. The team coached by Olympic medalist and multiple champion of USSR Yuri Baulin.[4] His management led to promotion to Soviet Hockey Championship's Class A2. In 1966–67 season, they were runners-up and lost only to Avtomobilist Sverdlovsk.

In 1977, Torpedo relegated to Soviet Hockey Championship's Class A3. However, three years later they have returned to Class A2 Division. That team has coached by Valentin Grigoriev and formed only by own hockey school graduates. In the early 1980th, team headed by local coach Viktor Semykin. Young manager has gathered new powerful squad. Team have included the most famous local graduate Boris Alexandrov, who returned from CSKA Moscow to hometown. He has become famous all over the world after his competing at the Super Series '76 with the team CSKA Moscow and scoring against New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.[5][6][7] In 1986, erupted a conflict between Semykin and players and Semykin was sacked. Further, team management have assigned Vladimir Goltze, as a new head coach. He has promoted the team to Soviet Hockey Championship's Class A. It was the team's first experience in its history. It is noteworthy, Boris Alexandrov was the best goalscorer at the first round of championships. However, it's not helped to gain a foothold and they relegated to Class A2 Division, again. One season later, they have returned to highest division. Next years, they competed at the highest Class A Division three seasons in a row, before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The post-Soviet era

Logo used as Kazzinc-Torpedo.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the team kept up much of its momentum, despite losing many of its players and coaches to Russian teams.[8] From 1992 to 1996, Torpedo competed at the International Hockey League, which replaced Soviet Hockey Championship. In 1993, Torpedo joined the newly created Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, where they would play in parallel to their participation in International Hockey League. In 1992-93 season, they qualified to play-off, but lost to SKA Saint Petersburg in preliminary round. The team had big financial problems and the Ulba Metallurgical Plant was unable to sponsor them. Vladimir Goltze was fired and Boris Alexandrov replaced him. Alexandrov combined his coaching duties with playing role. He led to victory at the Rudi Hiti Summer League in 1994. In 1994-95 season, Torpedo reached the play-offs, but lost to Krylya Sovetov Moscow in the preliminary round again. In 1996, the International Hockey League was disbanded.

In 1996, Torpedo was admitted into the Russian hockey system. Torpedo joined the Supreme League of the Russian Ice Hockey Championship, the second highest level after the Russian Superleague. In 1998, the Kazakhstan national team competed at the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano. The team was composed entirely of players from Kazzinc–Torpedo and coached by Boris Alexandrov. Journalists called them "The team of one locker room." It was an unexpected result for many people, when they ranked first at the groupe stage after defeating Italy and Slovakia.[9][10]

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Kazzinc-Torpedo. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Kazzinc-Torpedo seasons.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OTW = Overtime/Shootout Wins, OTL = Overtime/Shootout Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Season GP W OTW OTL L Pts GF GA Finish Playoffs
2008–09 54 23 8 4 19 89 166 149 5th, Eastern Lost in First Round, 1-3 (Gazovik Tyumen)
2009–10 42 13 2 1 26 44 107 135 7th, Eastern Lost in Second Round, 0-3 (Dizel Penza)
2010–11 54 23 5 7 21 86 151 153 6th, Eastern Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-3 (Molot-Prikamye Perm)
2011–12 53 23 7 2 21 85 154 140 5th, Eastern Lost in Conference Quarterfinals, 2-3 (Yermak Angarsk)
2012–13 52 22 6 6 18 84 147 123 14th, Overall Lost in Preliminary Round, 0-3 (Toros Neftekamsk)

Achievements

Domestic

Kazakhstan Hockey Championship:

Kazakhstan Hockey Cup:

International

Supreme Hockey League:

Rudi Hiti Summer League:

IIHF Continental Cup:

Notable alumni

Evgeni Nabokov was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the most best rookie in his first season in the National Hockey League.
Nik Antropov was selected 10th overall in the first round of 1998 NHL Entry Draft by Toronto Maple Leafs.

List of Torpedo players selected in the NHL Amateur Draft

List of Torpedo players selected in the NHL Entry Draft

Note: Only counts if the players played for Torpedo before they were selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Some players played only for the Torpedo Junior Team.[11][12]

List of undrafted NHL alumni

Leaders

Team captains

Head coaches

References

  1. ↑ "Kazzinc-Torpedo Profile". Supreme Hockey League. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  2. ↑ Bill Meltzer (December 31, 2008). "Young Kazakhs gaining international experience". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  3. ↑ "History Of Foundation" (in Russian). Kazzinc-Torpedo. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Yuri Baulin's Biografy". Sport-Reference.com. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  5. ↑ Michael Jacobsen and Colin Berlyne. "Hockey in Kazakhstan: Passion and Success". Edge Magazine. Archived from the original on June 24, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Boris Alexandrov Goals At The Super Series '76". YouTube. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  7. ↑ Joseph Franko. "Super Series ’76: Habs vs. CSKA". InsideHockey.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  8. ↑ Keith Mellnick (September 28, 2012). "Hockey Town Grapples With Changing Times". Eurasianet.org. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Final Olympic Men's Hockey Standings". CNN. February 22, 1998. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Kazakhstan 5, Italy 3". Washington Post. February 7, 1998. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ Ty Dilello (April 3, 2013). "From Ust-Kamenogorsk to NHL". International Ice Hockey Federation. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  12. ↑ "The following table shows all players in the database with youth/motherclub set as Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk in their player profiles". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
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